Panther football will enter the playoffs as one of the 5A West’s best teams.
On Halloween, they traveled to West Henderson for their last game of the regular season, taking on the Falcons in a Mountain Eight Conference matchup. With their first win over West since 2016, they improved their record to 8-2 and earned a first-round state playoff bye.
Franklin’s defense looked stout to start the game, forcing a Falcon three-and-out on its first possession. After a punt the Panthers took over at their own 37, marching 62 yards in nine plays led by seven runs from Garrett Young. The sophomore scored on second-and-goal to give his team a 7-0 lead.
West responded on their ensuing drive, completing a 36-yard catch-and-run on fourth-and-inches from the Falcon 38. They tied the game moments later on a first-and-goal run from the 2.
Both defenses traded blows on the next two drives, led for Franklin by a fourth-and-3 stop from Daiveon Hall. From their own 24 the Panthers mounted another strong drive, mixing in runs from Addix Sutton and completions from Anderson Terrell. In 10 plays they marched 74 yards to the Falcon 2, where Young scored on a third-and-1 carry to put his team ahead.
West responded once again on their ensuing drive, completing passes of 31 yards and 25 yards on their first three plays from scrimmage. They completed a third pass for a touchdown on second-and-goal from the 9. Tied at 14 with less than two minutes left in the half, the Panthers couldn’t retake the lead before the break.
Franklin’s special teams unit helped their offense on the second-half kickoff, clearing the path for a 53-yard return by Gabe Harrison. From there Young gained 37 of the remaining 41 yards, hitting paydirt on first-and-goal for his third touchdown carry of the night.
West’s offense also responded for a third time, completing a 45-yard pass to the Panther 24. On third-and-8 from the 10 however, West’s quarterback fumbled the ball, which Hall recovered for a massive swing.
Both defenses traded stops for the next two drives, until Franklin took over at their own 29. From there they drove 54 yards on the ground to West’s 17, where Juan Olvera nailed a 35-yard field goal.
Up 24-14 with less than seven minutes remaining, Hall made Franklin’s defensive play of the game on West’s next drive, tipping a Falcon pass at the line of scrimmage. From there the ball fell to the outstretched arms of Young, who made a difficult bobbling catch for an interception. Sutton, Terrell and Young then gained key first downs on the ground to run out the clock.
“It feels amazing – I have not beaten West since my freshman year,” said senior captain center/nose guard Mace Waldroop after the game, referring to the JV Panthers’ win in 2022. “[Franklin’s keys were to] come off the ball and show them what we bring into the house. We had to come off the freaking ball for four quarters straight – it was a dogfight. ... Franklin’s not played a home playoff game – we’ve not won a playoff game – since 2017, and we’re going to do it.”
In beating West, Franklin improved their conference record to 6-1, ending their regular season just behind Brevard (7-0) in second place. They’ll enter the 5A state playoffs as the West Region’s sixth-ranked team, earning one of the region’s eight first-round byes.
While the win at West capped Franklin’s regular Mountain Eight schedule, it may not have been the Panthers’ final conference game, contingent on the result of a Nov. 7 first-round matchup between #22 Smoky Mountain and #11 Forest Hills. They’ll host the winner of that game in the second round Nov. 14, at a site to be determined.
“These guys could have made every excuse in the world – playing every game on the road, having to practice on a smaller-size-than-regulation field, and bussing over to the Middle School,” said head coach Josh Brooks of his team’s nomadic season amid renovations to the Panther Pit, including lost practice time due to rain the week of the game. “Instead, they decided to embrace it and just take it on as a challenge. We lost two tough games, and instead of pouting and feeling sorry for ourselves, we bounced back. What a way to finish – unbelievable win here against a really good team. My hat goes off to Coach Whitaker and his team, and I’m just so proud of our guys. We just gutted it out – we had to have a play, and we made a play on defense, and then we were able to get a bunch of first downs and win the game. These guys have done it. It’s been a pleasure to be their coach – it’s been unbelievable.”