A unique season is over for Panther football.
Playing their “home” games on the road amid renovations to the Panther Pit, a young Franklin team excelled nevertheless, earning their first playoff win since 2017. In a third-round game at Hickory Nov. 21, the team brought their memorable season to an end.
Having beaten Forest Hills in a 14-13 Round 2 thriller, the Panthers advanced further into the 5A state tournament, drawing the third-ranked Red Tornadoes in Round 3. Playing in a dense mist that drew comparisons to the “Fog Bowl,” the famous 1988 game between the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles, at times the Panthers struggled to even see the opposite sideline.
Both defenses traded stops for the first two drives, with the sixth-ranked Panthers keeping the home team in check. The 2023 3A state champs soon settled in however, driving 68 yards in eight plays for a score on their second possession. They then attempted a two-point conversion with a run up the middle, but were thwarted by Cayson McAllister and Daiveon Hall.
The Tornadoes doubled their lead on their next possession, driving 55 yards in eight plays for another score. This time they kicked the extra point to make it 13-0. They added a 41-yard touchdown run and another methodical drive on their next two possessions to make it 27-0. Despite multiple long completions from Anderson Terrell to Gabe Harrison, the Panthers couldn’t answer before the half.
Hickory stayed hot after the break, completing a 57-yard touchdown pass on their first play from scrimmage. Once again they attempted a two-point conversion with a run to the left, but Payton King kept the score at 33-0 with a shoestring tackle.
Franklin finally gained a foothold on their next drive, riding Terrell completions and Garrett Young runs across midfield. On fourth-and-7 from the Hickory 27, Terrell found Harrison once again near the right sideline, who made a deft move to evade his defender and crossed the goal line nearly untouched.
Both defenses traded stops for the next two possessions, until Hickory added a field goal to make it 36-7. With six minutes to play the Panthers refused to go quietly, riding more tough runs from Young across midfield. On fourth-and-goal from the 9 Terrell lateraled to Brock Bradley, who completed a double pass to Addix Sutton in the end zone. Hickory defended their lead through the last four minutes for a 36-14 win.
“I told them before the game that no matter the outcome, these guys are winners,” said head coach Josh Brooks afterwards. “They fought the whole game for 48 minutes, we beat them in the second half – they played their starters the whole game, but we beat them in the second half. We fought the entire game, and I couldn’t be more proud of these guys and what they did this year with the away games and the circumstances and no excuses and just a positive attitude, and the difference they made for our program and our team and our school and our community.”