After two weeks of offseason practice, Panther football’s first live inter-squad repetitions are in the books.
On June 13, the team hosted the Cherokee Braves for a morning of 7-on-7 drills, giving quarterbacks, pass-catchers, linebackers and defensive backs some valuable offseason work. Between regular practice reps and simulated down-and-distance scenarios, quarterback Beau Paulson and senior transfer Wyatt Cantrell led a strong day on both sides of the ball for Franklin.
The first series pitted Cherokee’s offense against Franklin’s defense, which featured junior Eli Brown calling Franklin’s defensive signals at linebacker. Brown then lined up next to Paulson at tailback for the team’s first offensive series, which featured a tough sliding catch near the sideline from senior receiver Ashton Shope. The Panther offense looked sharp throughout the period, which included two deep “touchdown” completions from Paulson to Cantrell.
Franklin’s defense enjoyed similar success on the following series, in which Brown made a difficult catch on a pass tipped by a Braves receiver. Running full-speed toward the sideline just feet away, Brown secured the ball in-bounds for a classic “tip drill” interception. On the very next play, Shope stepped in front of a deep Braves pass for Franklin’s second-straight pick.
A few series later, junior Talon Smith joined the party, undercutting a Cherokee route for Franklin’s third interception of the day. The track and field/basketball standout looked sharp in his first season on the gridiron for the Panthers.
On the next series, Franklin’s offense retook the field, where Cantrell got behind the defense again for his third deep “touchdown” reception from Paulson. The pair seem to have built strong on-field chemistry in just a few weeks of offseason work. Paulson completed another deep pass to Shope before the series ended.
For the practice’s final segment, both teams lined up for a first-and-20 nearly a full field-length from the goal line. There, Shope got behind the defense for a deep touchdown of his own from Paulson. Cantrell recorded a pass defensed on Cherokee’s final offensive series, capping a strong practice at cornerback as well as wide receiver.
While only so much can be gleaned from a 7-on-7 practice in June, the Panthers looked sharp on both sides of the football against Cherokee. After the joint practice, the team traveled to the Fellowship of Christian Athletes team camp June 19-21.