It’s one win down and nine to go for Panther football.
After a difficult 2023 and months of summer workouts, practice and scrimmages, on Aug. 23 Franklin opened their season versus Murphy for the fourth straight year. In what many observers felt would be a difficult game for the Panthers, Josh Brooks’ team outclassed the Bulldogs for a 33-13 win.
In a rematch of Murphy’s 41-14 rout of Franklin last year, senior Braydon Hervey gave the Panthers an immediate boost, returning the opening kickoff 50 yards to the Bulldog 40. He then gained 18 yards on three straight carries in their first plays from scrimmage.
On fourth-and-4 from the 21, sophomore quarterback Anderson Terrell moved the chains, finding freshman Garrett Young near the right sideline for a first-down conversion. On fourth-and-1 from the 2 Terrell again stayed cool under pressure, fumbling the snap but recovering the ball and carrying it up the middle to the end zone.
Murphy answered on just their second play from scrimmage, finding a receiver deep down the right sideline for a 76-yard score. The extra point tied the game at 7 just five minutes in.
False start penalties hampered the Panthers’ next drive, putting Franklin behind the chains on each of their first two series. On third-and-16 from their own 27 however, Terrell and Hervey came through for the Panthers again, connecting on a beautiful throw-and-catch up the right sideline for a 73-yard score.
Young sparked Franklin’s defense on Murphy’s next drive, evading blockers on third-and-9 to thwart a Bulldog run and force a three-and-out.
Franklin fielded Murphy’s punt with strong field position at the Bulldog 38, and drove toward the goal line behind runs from Hervey and junior Addix Sutton. On third-and-8 from the 24 Terrell perhaps turned in his best play of the night, evading four would-be tacklers and finding junior Brock Bradley at the 5.
Terrell found Bradley again near the right hash marks on second-and-goal, where Bradley evaded a Bulldog defender and turned upfield to make it 20-7. Murphy blocked Franklin’s extra point attempt with 10 minutes left in the half.
Young led the Panther defense once again on Murphy’s next drive, stopping the Bulldogs for short gains on each of their first two plays. On third-and-5 from the 25, he intercepted a pass near the line of scrimmage and returned it to the Murphy 4. Hervey scored on a first-and-goal carry to put his team up 27-7.
Murphy started a good-looking drive on their next possession, completing a 32-yard catch-and-run to the Panther 39 on second-and-12. On fourth-and-4 from the 23 however, Hervey stopped Murphy’s running back short of the line to gain, forcing a key turnover on downs for the Panthers. Both teams traded defensive stops for the final five minutes of the half, including a booming 53-yard punt from senior Will Sinclair.
Murphy received the second-half kickoff after a long 20-minute halftime, but an illegal formation penalty helped force them into a three-and-out.
Franklin’s offense wasted little time on their first series of the second half, wherein Hervey broke free up the right side for a 66-yard touchdown carry. A Panther two-point attempt fell incomplete to keep the score at 33-7.
The Bulldogs regouped on their next possession, mounting a steady drive deep into Panther territory. On fourth-and-8 from the 23 however, Sutton read Murphy’s offense perfectly, stepping in front of a throw over the middle for Franklin’s second interception of the night.
The Panther defense kept harassing Murphy from there, getting a third-and-13 sack from Caryl Cook and a fourth-and-13 stop from Hervey on their next two drives.
With six minutes to play, Murphy recovered a Panther fumble near midfield and mounted a good-looking drive into Franklin territory. The Bulldogs scored on a third-and-4 carry from the 11 with 2:30 to play, but missed the extra point attempt to keep the score at 33-13. The Panthers defended their 20-point lead to the final whistle.
“I saw a fight, I saw some grit, I saw some toughness, I saw some discipline on defense, I saw a hungry bunch of guys that wanted to prove that it’s gonna be a little different,” said Brooks after the game of his team’s efforts in bouncing back from a difficult 2023. “I’m so prooud of our coaches and our kids for the way they responded. That was a good football team we just beat – they had eight starters back on both sides of the ball, and we came to their place, accepted the challenge and got it done. That’s what it’s about.”
“[It felt] amazing. Since last year we’ve all been putting in some hard work, so it feels really good to put the pound on them,” said Hervey on his way back to the Panther locker room.
With a 73-yard touchdown through the air, 73 more yards on kick and punt returns and 17 carries for 122 yards and two scores on the ground, Hervey turned in a monster 270-yard, three-touchdown day, to go along with six solo tackles and one assisted on defense. After missing seven of Franklin’s 10 games due to injury last year, the senior said he’s just glad to get back on the gridiron and help his team.
“It feels great to be back on the field and put the cleats on,” he said.
After routing Murphy, the Panthers set their sights on the Bulldogs’ Smoky Mountain Conference rivals, preparing to host Robbinsville in their home opener Aug. 30.