Controversy in Panther Pit as last-second field goal ruled good
Panther football has suffered its first loss of the season.
Having won their first six games convincingly, on Oct. 25 Franklin hosted West Henderson for their toughest test yet. On a last-second field goal that appeared to sail wide of the goalpost, West eked out a win to take first place in the Mountain Seven Conference.
The Falcons came out firing to start the game, forcing a Franklin three-and-out on defense and driving into Panther territory on offense. On second-and-9 from Franklin’s 30 however, Braydon Hervey turned the tables, intercepting a deep Falcon pass at the goal line.
After giving his team the ball, Hervey sparked Franklin’s offense on the drive’s first play, running free up the right side for 42 yards to West’s 38. On third-and-2 from the 20 Hervey broke another key run to the 8, where quarterback Anderson Terrell ran to the left for a first-and-goal touchdown.
West responded on the next possession, returning the kickoff past midfield and driving further into Panther territory. On first-and-10 from the 25 the Falcons’ Cade Young made an excellent play, corralling a high snap and finding a receiver in the end zone.
Both defenses traded stops on the next two drives, wherein Franklin forced a Falcon punt from the Panther 35. There West’s snapping issues continued, launching the ball over their punter’s head for a turnover on downs.
Franklin took advantange of their strong field position near the 50, riding more tough runs from Hervey, Garrett Young and Addix Sutton past midfield. On first-and-10 from the 32 Panther blockers created more room for Hervey, who tiptoed up the right sideline for a score to put his team ahead.
Both defenses traded stops for the final eight minutes of the half, led by strong pass coverage from Panther cornerback Aiden Sizemore. Lineman Avery Carpenter pressured West’s quarterback on back-to-back plays to force a turnover on downs from the Panther 18. Franklin defended their 14-7 lead until the half.
Both defenses stayed sharp to start the third quarter, trading stops on the first two possessions of the half. After denying a Panther run on fourth-and-1 from their own 24, West finally regained some traction on offense, mounting a nine-play, 76-yard drive ending in a 25-yard touchdown run.
With the score tied once again Franklin’s offense answered, driving back across midfield with more tough runs from Hervey and a pinpoint throw between two defenders from Terrell to Braylen Dezarn. On third-and-5 from the 33 another Terrell pass seemed to fall incomplete, but back-to-back penalties on West gave Franklin first-and-goal from the 9. Hervey scored his second touchdown of the night on second-and-goal as the quarter expired.
Down 21-14 the Falcons’ offense stayed hot, mounting another good-looking drive into Panther territory. On second-and-9 from the 40 Young faced more pressure from Carpenter, but escaped and found a receiver for 33 yards. West scored on second-and-goal from the 3 to tie the game.
Both defenses traded stops on the next few possessions, highlighted by a Josh McGaha forced fumble recovered for the Panthers by Young.
With the game still tied at less than five minutes to play, West took over with strong field position at their own 46. Just two plays later the Falcons took their first lead of the night, completing a 53-yard touchdown pass to go up 28-21.
With their backs against the wall Franklin’s offense responded, riding more big runs from Hervey and Sutton deep into West territory. On third-and-15 from the 32 Terrell made the play of the game for Franklin, escaping a would-be sack and finding Payton King in the end zone to send the home fans into a frenzy.
Tied at 28 with less than a minute to play, West’s offense turned in their best drive of the night, marching 59 yards to the Panther 13. With five seconds to play West attempted a 35-yard field goal, which appeared to sail just left of the goalposts but was ruled good. After the game head coach Josh Brooks remained diplomatic on the controversy, and congratulated West for the 31-28 win.
“At the end of the day they put themselves in a position to kick that, to make that, so credit to them,” he said. “We didn’t do enough things tonight to win a game that was super-tough, and super-tight.”
In the razor-thin victory, West improved to 4-0 in the Mountain Seven Conference, overtaking 3-1 Franklin for sole possession of first place. Franklin ended the week tied for second place in the conference with Pisgah, ahead of a showdown with the Black Bears Nov. 1. The game will be the Panther Pit’s final regular-season contest, ahead of planned renovations to the stadium after the season.