Panther football maintained its perfect record with another blowout win last Friday.
In a Hall of Fame game matchup with East Henderson at the Panther Pit Sept. 17, Josh Brooks’ team opened its Mountain Seven Conference schedule against a rebuilding Eagle squad. After a ceremony recognizing 10 individuals and the 1992 women’s cross country team as the newest inductees of the FHS Athletic Hall of Fame, fans were treated to a 48-0 Panther win as an added bonus.
Upon receiving the opening kickoff, East’s offense mustered just a single first down before a bad snap forced them behind the chains. Franklin fared no better after the Eagle punt however, attempting a reverse pass on the first play from scrimmage that was intercepted and returned to the Panther 47.
Two plays later, Franklin looked to be in trouble when East completed a huge pass to the Panther 5, then gained three yards on first down to set up second-and-goal from the 2. When a would-be Eagle touchdown was called back due to offensive holding however, the penalty backed East up all the way to the 12. On the next play, the Panthers got an even bigger swing when junior defensive back Ben Waldroop made a beautiful diving interception in the end zone to send East away empty-handed.
After taking over at their own 20, Franklin’s offense looked like its old self, pushing Eagle defenders back to create big holes for tailback Ty Handley and fullback Brayden Watts. On first-and-10 from the Eagle 41, senior quarterback Chris McGuire blew the game wide open with a 41-yard touchdown, running untouched to the end zone to give Franklin a 7-0 lead.
After another Eagle drive stalled deep in their own territory, a solid punt return from senior receiver Keagan Pollock set Franklin up with superb field position at the East 27. The Panthers then drove toward the goal line behind tough runs from McGuire and senior running back Kellen Stiles, until Watts found the end zone on third-and-goal to put Franklin up 14-0.
On East’s next drive, Franklin got its second highlight-reel interception of the game when senior defensive back Grant Adams corralled an Eagle deep pass with one hand at the East 46. From there the Panthers again marched toward the goal line, getting an 11-yard touchdown catch from junior tight end Davis Anders off a ball tipped by an East defender.
After forcing another Eagle punt with roughly nine minutes left in the half, Franklin again took possession near their own 40 up 21-0. On a second-and-7 play from the Eagle 19, Franklin’s offensive line opened a big hole for Handley right up the middle, and the junior rumbled to the end zone to make it a four-score game.
With less than four minutes until halftime, East’s offense began to gain some traction with two big completions downfield, advancing all the way to the Franklin 15 with just under two minutes to play. After a nice pass defense by Handley on first-and-10 however, East got in its own way again, losing five yards on delay of game penalty to create a second-and-15. The Eagles were unable to convert and went to the locker room down 27-0.
The Panthers received the kickoff to begin the third, but were dealt a setback on the first play from scrimmage when a holding call negated a would-be ten-yard run by Pollock. Facing third-and-17 from the Panther 37 though, Brooks dialed up one of his trademark surprise deep shots, and the play call worked to perfection – McGuire delivered a perfect pass to Pollock 40 yards downfield, and the senior rumbled the rest of the way for a 63-yard score.
From there, Franklin’s defense continued to shut down East’s rushing attack, forcing an Eagle punt with eight minutes still remaining in the third. Up 34-0 and dominating East on both sides of the ball, the Panthers began rotating substitutes in and out of the game, giving players like big sophomore quarterback Beau Paulson valuable minutes of in-game experience. With Paulson under center, Franklin’s backs continued to gash the Eagle defense, getting a 6-yard touchdown carry by Watts later in the drive to put Franklin up 41-0. Junior running back Daniel Ensley put Franklin up for good 48-0 with a 10-yard touchdown carry on the next Panther drive.