Eight Panthers have been honored by Mountain Seven coaches.
Shortly after the fall campaign, the conference’s head football coaches met for their annual postseason meeting, selecting the best players from each other’s squads to this year’s All-M7 team. There, Franklin earned three First Team selections and five Honorable Mentions, listed below in order of accomplishment.
Jacob Gibson
Entering the fall season, senior Jacob Gibson was mentioned among the best players in WNC, being named to the Asheville Citizen-Times’ list of the area’s top high school football linemen to watch after racking up 38 total tackles including eight for loss, seven quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery his junior season. Gibson more than lived up to the hype as a senior, again racking up 38 total tackles including seven for loss.
Listed at 6’5” and 250 lbs., the senior terrorized offensive linemen, shedding blocks with both speed and power to barge his way into opposing backfields. When not meeting ball carriers near the line of scrimmage, he recorded a sack and a quarterback hurry, and added two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
On offense, Gibson was a stalwart on the offensive line, protecting quarterback Brock Bradley’s blind side at left tackle and helping Panther tailbacks rush for 1,174 yards in 10 games.
“When I think about Jacob, I think about the whole four-year process of his high school career,” said longtime head coach Josh Brooks, who coached his final season for the Panthers this year. “From playing as a freshman to not being able to play because of grades as a sophomore, and then basically getting a second chance coming back to be such a solid player as a junior, and a dominant player his senior year. He took on a leadership role for our team, and made some plays that nobody else on our team could make. I’m just really proud of how he’s evolved and transitioned from a freshman to a senior, and I think some of the plays he made down the stretch in the conference games and stuff signify the kind of player that he is.”
Gabe Nickerson
Franklin’s second First Team selection, Nickerson joined Gibson in a fearsome defensive front seven for the Panthers. Listed at defensive tackle but also spending time at linebacker, the senior’s statistics mirrored those of his All-Conference teammate, with 39 tackles including one for loss and a forced fumble. From the interior of the defensive line, he regularly altered the timing of opponents’ pass plays, accruing a sack and six quarterback hurries on the season.
On offense Nickerson gained Franklin’s toughest yards, using his 5’11”, 215-lb. frame to bulldoze defenders at fullback. With 263 yards and three touchdowns on 62 carries, the senior posted a robust 4.2 yards per carry average. He was also a sure-handed receiver out of the backfield, catching six passes for 52 yards including multiple in critical moments.
“Gabe was the only senior on our football team that was with us in our program from the 7th through the 12th grades uninterrupted,” said Brooks. “He was our only returning All-Conference guy off last year’s team, and because of some injuries we expected Gabe to play multiple positions for us on defense. He ended up becoming a full-time fullback and got himself in the kind of shape where he could do both of those things. I really appreciate Gabe and how he transitioned, grew up and matured over a four-year span.”
Addix Sutton
Throughout his tenure at Franklin, Brooks has relied heavily on his tailbacks and inside linebackers. As a sophomore playing both positions, Addix Sutton more than earned the trust of his coaches this year.
At tailback, Sutton was Franklin’s principal offensive weapon, leading the team with 588 yards on 163 carries. Despite being the focal point of his team’s run-heavy offense, the sophomore managed 3.6 yards per carry and two TDs.
He was also a capable receiver out of the backfield, racking up 97 yards and a TD on just five receptions. Upon receiving the ball, Sutton usually found room to run, ranking second on the team with 19.4 yards per reception. He also gained 56 yards on kick returns to finish second on the team with 741 all-purpose yards.
On defense the cerebral sophomore had a knack for sniffing out plays, leading the team with 62 tackles including one for loss. He added two quarterback hurries and a fumble recovery, which he returned 59 yards to Murphy’s 10-yard line in the Aug. 18 game.
“Addix has, for lack of a better phrase, built-in leadership characteristics,” said Brooks. “Addix is a guy that wants to be pushed, he wants to be coached, he wants you to be tough on him. On our team he played basically two of the toughest positions you can play ... positions that we expect a lot out of, and he was very durable and very tough. He took those positions on as a big challenge, hung in there for 10 games, and did an outstanding job for us.”
Honorable Mentions
In addition to the three First Team selections, five Panthers earned All-Conference Honorable Mentions from opposing coaches. Two of these players were wide receivers/cornerbacks Braylen Dezarn and Wyatt Cantrell, who impressed near the boundary on both sides of the ball.
A junior in his second year for Panther varsity, Dezarn was its best defensive back in 2023. Skilled at timing up opponents’ routes and clogging throwing lanes between quarterbacks and receivers, he reeled in four of his team’s five interceptions this year, to go along with 29 tackles including one for loss. He was also a key part of Franklin’s offense, finishing second on the team with 18 receptions for 122 yards.
Upon transferring to Franklin ahead of his senior year, Cantrell made an immediate impact on the field. From the first days of offseason workouts, he brought speed and sure hands to Franklin’s receiving corps, leading the team with 24 receptions for 284 yards and three TDs. He was also a force in the kick return game, gaining 477 yards. On defense, he added 26 tackles, an interception, a forced fumble and a pass defensed.
“I’m so proud of those guys. They were very good cover guys, and did a lot for us on defense,” said Brooks. “We asked our corners to cover, we asked them to make tackles, we asked them to change coverages, and they did that. Then, both of them turned around and played on the other side of the ball, and got a lot of reps. ... I’m just proud of what they did for our team.”
In addition to Dezarn and Cantrell on the outside, a trio of Panther linemen also earned Honorable Mentions. Playing shoulder-to-shoulder for much of the season, center Maveric Waldroop, guard Logan Deal and tackle Bryson Gibbs formed a rock-solid trio on the right side of Franklin’s offensive line. Deal and Waldroop also impressed for the Panther defense, combining for 15 tackles including three for loss, two forced fumbles and a quarterback hurry. While the team will lose Deal to graduation this summer, Gibbs and Waldroop have another year to play in red and white.
“I think we all know that linemen don’t get the credit they deserve, and I hate that we couldn’t get another one on All-Conference,” said Brooks, referring to the number of First Team selections afforded to each team based on record. “Logan unfortunately missed some games because of a concussion. I felt like Waldroop and Gibbs played banged up some with the shoulder for Waldroop and Gibbs with his ankle, and we were even afraid that Gibbs wouldn’t be able to play because of his neck. But, he came back from that after hurting it a little but this summer, so I’m just proud of how they persevered. Gibbs and Waldroop have another year, and they’ve got a chance to really anchor that offensive line.”