The statewide accolades continue pouring in for Franklin athletics. At the N.C. High School Athletic Association Awards Celebration June 12 in Greensboro, several Panther athletes and coaches received major awards. Perhaps the most prestigious was the NCHSAA Commissioners’ Trophy, awarded for the second straight year to Franklin’s cross country/track and field teams for helping Macon County CareNet pack bags of food for needy families. Due in part to his own participation, senior Barrett Stork earned $1,000 from the FloSports Indoor Track Scholarship fund. Stork’s track teammates Hope Smith and Elijah Cochran also earned Heart of a Champion Awards for “outstanding citizenship and sportsmanship in their community.” Franklin High School head athletic trainer Lynette Gibson earned a Homer Thompson “Eight who Make a Difference” award, while Panther women’s wrestling earned a Scholar-Athlete Team Award for the highest average GPA in their sport statewide.