Panther football remains winless.
After falling to Murphy and Robbinsville in their first two games of the season, on Sept. 1 Josh Brooks’ team traveled to Swain for a nonconference clash. Despite a strong first half and more production on offense, Franklin fell to the Maroon Devils 40-13.
Both sides traded punts on their opening possessions, with Swain missing a deep pass attempt on third-and-7 from their own 23.
Following the punt from deep inside Swain territory, Franklin took over with excellent field position at their own 44. From there the Panthers mounted a good-looking drive on the ground, converting two third-and-9s on a Wyatt Cantrell reverse and a bulldozing Eli Brown run to the 19.
The Devils defense bowed up in their own red zone however, stuffing two more Panther runs behind the line of scrimmage to force a 33-yard field goal attempt. Junior Daniel Riddle split the uprights to put his team up 3-0 near the end of the first quarter.
After Franklin’s steady, methodical drive, Swain responded with a huge play on their first series, getting a 60-yard run from senior Joshua Collins on third-and-3 from the Devil 15. On the very next play, senior James Stroman beat defenders to the left sideline for a 25-yard touchdown.
Collins stayed hot on Swain’s next possession, breaking a tackle into open space for a 39-yard rumble to the Panther 12. On first-and-10, Franklin senior Jacob Gibson shed his blocker to blow up a Devil run in the backfield, but Collins scored one play later on a pitch from quarterback Reese Winchester. Swain missed the extra point to keep it a 10-point game, 13-3.
Franklin’s special teams unit looked sharp on the ensuing kickoff, clearing the lane for a 28-yard Cantrell return to the Panther 42. There, sophomore quarterback Brock Bradley kickstarted his offense, finding junior tight end Caryll Cook for two first-down completions to the Swain 37.
On third-and-7 from the 34, a Panther screen for Eli Brown fell incomplete, but Swain hit Brown well after the play to give Franklin a first down at the 19. On third-and-4 from the 13, Bradley seemed to find Cantrell just past the line to gain, but the pass was called incomplete and Franklin settled for a 31-yard field goal.
Down just 13-6, junior Braylon Dezarn came up big for Franklin’s defense, intercepting a deep pass near midfield on the second play of Swain’s drive.
With three minutes left in the half, the Panthers couldn’t cash in on the turnover, being forced into a three-and-out with two minutes on the clock. They did get an excellent play from junior punter Will Sinclair however, who handled a low snap and got the punt away just over the outstretched fingers of Devil sophomore Zeke Glaspie. Penalties killed Swain’s final drive of the half.
Upon receiving the second-half kickoff, Swain mounted a promising-looking drive, converting a fourth-and-3 from their own 41 behind another strong run from Collins. Two plays later, Devil blockers cleared the lane for a 25-yard Stroman scamper to the Panther 28. On second-and-three from the 11, Stroman found the end zone to put Swain up 19-6. A bad snap kept the Devils from kicking the extra point.
Franklin’s offense went three-and-out on the next drive, thanks in part to an ineligible man downfield penalty and a third-and-9 sack by Devil junior Grady Lewis. On the ensuing punt, Lewis’s classmate Skeet Cook nearly gave his offense immaculate field position, blocking Sinclair’s kick near the Panther 25. Franklin junior Avery Carpenter recovered the loose ball however, giving his team a fresh set of downs.
On Franklin’s next possession, sophomore Andrew Cody made the play of the game for Swain’s defense, intercepting a Panther pass over the middle and returning it 58 yards for a touchdown. The Devils hit the extra point to take a commanding 26-6 lead.
Disaster struck Franklin again on the ensuing kickoff, when Glaspie recovered a surprise onside kick near the Panther 35. On an option play to the left moments later, Winchester froze a defender with a fake pitch to Glaspie and kept the ball himself for a 32-yard touchdown.
Up 33-6, Swain had no such luck on their next drive, fumbling a first-and-10 handoff at their own 48. Panther freshman Lance Parker recovered the loose ball to give his team an extra possession.
Swain’s defense didn’t let Franklin capitalize however, getting a third-and-10 sack from sophomore Drew Scaggs to force a three-and-out near midfield. Sinclair handled another low snap on the punt, but again managed to get the ball away.
Having replaced Glaspie at quarterback, Devil sophomore Andrew Cody showed off his wheels on the ensuing drive, calling his own number for a 64-yard touchdown run to put his team up 40-6.
With less than seven minutes to play, Franklin’s offense seemed to gain a foothold, gaining 35 yards on three strong runs from Brown and sophomore Addix Sutton. On first-and-10 from the Swain 30, Bradley found Wyatt on a short pass to the left, who shook one defender and outran the rest for a 30-yard touchdown. Riddle split the uprights for what proved to be the final point in a 40-13 Swain victory.
“I felt really good at half being down one possession,” said Brooks after the game. “I was really proud of Daniel kicking that ball through there on both those field goals, and only giving up two scores in the first half. Second half, I felt like we got a little tired and gave up some big plays. We had them at fourth down there and they went for it and got it, and they basically ran the same play three, four, five straight times. … We just didn’t do enough on offense to move the ball in the second half until they subbed. Swain’s got a very physical team up front on defense, and we knew that, so you’ve got to give them a lot of credit – they handled us up front.”
Despite a difficult first three weeks, Franklin has seemed to improve throughout the season, led by an opportunistic defense and a strong special teams unit. Heading into the their bye week before hosting East Henderson Sept. 15, Brooks said the team would take the next week to work on their own fundamentals.
“We’re gonna work in Franklin in the bye week,” he said. “We’re gonna practice and try to get better at some of the things we’re not doing as well as I think we should be doing. There’s no secrets – we’ve got to get better, and I feel like we’ve got some guys that are getting better, I really do. But collectively, we’ve all got to get better. The coaches have to coach better. It’s not an individual thing, this is collectively as a team, so we’ve got to get better.”