Will Woolever
sports@thefranklinpress.com
After taking care of the Yellow Jackets 28-7 in Hayesville earlier in the week, on March 5 Panther football travelled to Murphy for a clash with the Bulldogs. Murphy had the advantage in terms of preparation for the game, having had eight days of practice after their first game to Franklin’s three. After receiving the opening kickoff Murphy came out swinging on their first possession, riding several runs and a 30-yard pass play to go up 7-0.
Quarterback/defensive back Chris McGuire got a nice return on the kickoff though, receiving the ball and breaking multiple tackles to the 44. On 3rd and 7 from the Murphy 22, McGuire added a big play through the air, finding Grant Adams near the Murphy sideline for a 14-yard completion to the Bulldog 10. The Panthers fooled Murphy on a quarterback keeper two plays later and McGuire walked in for an easy touchdown.
After an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty forced a Murphy three-and-out on the ensuing possession, Franklin received the punt and again drove deep into Bulldog territory. Facing third down and goal from the 10, Franklin appeared to get stopped on an Evan Klatt run, but a Murphy face mask penalty gave the Panthers a fresh play at the 5. McGuire punched it in on a quarterback rollout for his second touchdown of the night. Up just 12-7 after missing their previous extra point, coach Josh Brooks elected to go for 2 and sent his offense back onto the field. Klatt broke a tackle and fell across the goal line to put Franklin up 14-7.
The game’s momentum shifted soon after, when Murphy broke off a 66-yard touchdown run to tie the game.
After a holding penalty forced a Franklin three-and-out on the ensuing drive, Murphy received the punt with excellent field position at the Franklin 46. The Bulldogs drove for a touchdown to go up 21-14 with 1:57 left in the half.
After the ensuing Franklin drive stalled out at their own 42, the Panthers got another chance when Klatt recovered a Murphy fumble at midfield with just 42 seconds to go. McGuire heaved a throw into the end zone two plays later but was unable to find a receiver.
Upon receiving the second-half kickoff, the Panthers appeared to get a nice return past the 45 from junior Keagen Pollock, but a block in the back penalty moved the ball all the way back to Franklin’s 17. When a three-and-out again gave Murphy the ball with excellent field position, the Bulldogs drove for a touchdown to go up 27-14.
Murphy salted away the game from there, getting another stop on defense and a 45-yard run on offense to go up 35-14 minutes later. The short week of practice seemed to hurt Franklin in the half, with several players gassed from their game against Hayesville just four days prior. The Bulldogs’ offensive line and defense played well all night, leaving little time for the Panthers’ offense to mount a comeback and eventually beating Franklin 48-14. After the game Brooks said he was happy with Franklin’s effort against a good team, and that the Panthers would waste no time preparing for Hendersonville March 12.
“Give Murphy credit; they were the better team. … We were outsized, and we didn’t back down,” said Brooks. “For some of these guys, that was their second game playing varsity football. I saw some bright spots, and after studying some film we’ll be able to correct some things and learn … Murphy was tight end, wing-T, fullback, halfback, and now we’re going to a 100 percent spread, trips open, one back, and even no back, so we’ll change gears and start getting ready for [Hendersonville].”