The Mustang flag will fly over Cowee Mountain for another year.
Amid a tough season for both teams, on Friday, Oct. 13 Franklin welcomed Smoky Mountain to the Panther Pit to renew an age-old rivalry. In what may have been the final game at the current venue as county leaders discuss renovations, Smoky won a wild, back-and-forth contest 20-19.
The game started poorly for Franklin, when a three-and-out and a short punt gave Smoky the ball at the Panther 33. Senior Jacob Gibson soon bailed his offense out however, shedding two blockers to strip the ball from Smoky’s tailback.
In his first game back since being injured at Robbinsville Aug. 25, junior tailback Braydon Hervey looked like his old self after the fumble, bulldozing defenders to lead his team into Mustang territory. On second-and-20 from the 39, quarterback Brock Bradley found freshman Lance Parker with a pinpoint throw to move the chains, setting up a 24-yard field goal from junior Daniel Riddle.
Gibson continued his game-wrecking half on the next drive, shedding another blocker to meet the tailback in the backfield and force his second fumble of the night. After falling to the turf, the ball bounced back to the hands of Gibson, who recovered it at his own 49.
Both defenses traded stops for the next few drives, until a bad snap on a Franklin punt gave Smoky the ball at the Panther 35. On second-and-goal from the 8, Mustang quarterback Jarek Jones found a receiver in the end zone, putting his team up 7-3 with seven minutes left in the half.
Hervey kept wearing down Smoky’s defense after the score, gaining more tough yards into Mustang territory. On third-and-6 from the 46 however, Smoky made an impressive diving interception to give the ball back to their offense.
On third-and-6 from the Panther 49, Jones was forced to handle a high snap, but corralled the ball and found a receiver near the 40. While the receiver couldn’t reel in the high pass, he did tip the ball into the hands of a teammate, who carried it the final 38 yards for a gift-wrapped score.
Down 14-3, Franklin took over with a minute and a half, getting more big runs from Hervey and an 11-yard catch from Ashton Shope. On third-and-10 from the 17, Bradley found Wyatt Cantrell for a first down, but had to stop the clock with two seconds left and settle for a 20-yard Riddle field goal.
Franklin’s defense looked sharp to start the second half, getting impressive run stops on Smoky’s first drive from Gabe Nickerson and Avery Carpenter. After the Mustang punt, Hervey made the play of the game for Franklin’s offense, weaving through defenders on a third-and-three run for a 58-yard score. The junior was denied on a 2-point attempt to keep the score at 14-12.
Both defenses traded stops for the next several minutes, headlined by a Mustang forced fumble and recovery near midfield. Hervey soon turned the game on its head again however, recovering a Smoky fumbled snap and returning it 46 yards for a score. A Riddle extra point put the Panthers up 19-14 with eleven minutes to play.
Franklin’s defense forced a Mustang punt on the next drive, where senior Kaden Martini had an unblocked path to the punter and forced a short kick. Smoky answered a few plays later however, intercepting another Panther pass on third-and-2.
Jones kickstarted Smoky’s offense from there, finding a receiver on first-and-10 from the 30 for a touchdown with three minutes to play. On the ensuing 2-point try, Cantrell stopped Jones on an outside run to keep Smoky’s lead at 20-19.
Hervey kept padding his stats on Franklin’s last possession, leading a good-looking drive on the ground into Mustang territory. The Panthers couldn’t advance into field goal range however, and Smoky protected their lead to the buzzer.
As county officials discuss renovation plans for the school, including a major facelift for the Panther Pit, Friday’s game may prove to be the end of an era for Franklin football. Likely facing the prospect of an all-away schedule next year, head coach Josh Brooks expressed regret that they couldn’t treat the home fans to a win.
“I saw a great opportunity to win a game that we let slip by, and when I say we, I mean coaches and players,” he said after the game. “We made some huge plays on defense early in the game. Braydon Hervey came back and made an immediate impact for our team on both sides of the ball, so it was good to have him back, but it’s a super-tough loss for our seniors.”