- Panther Pit gets send-off
After 75 years, the Panther Pit received a proper send-off this year.
When county leaders finalized plans this summer for a new Franklin High School campus, the fall season became the last in the stadium’s storied history. Following a difficult 2023 and the resignation of head coach Josh Brooks, Panther football seemed destined to undergo these changes in earnest.
When players lobbied school board officials to rehire Brooks however, the longtime head coach agreed to return for his 19th year, and guided the team to a memorable season. With a stifling defense and high-flying offense led by senior Braydon Hervey, Franklin returned to the 3A State Playoffs after a year away, nearly beating Statesville on the road to advance to the second round. During their final home game at the Panther Pit Nov. 1, generations of Panther fans gathered to commemorate the Pit, ahead of the planned unveiling of a brand new stadium in 2026.
- Banner year for MS sports
It was a year to remember for Macon Middle School athletics.
During the spring season, the school won Blue Ridge Athletic Conference Championships in softball and men’s track and field. In softball the Panthers won their third title in three years, avenging two previous losses to Waynesville in the championship game. In men’s track, Macon entered the final event of the BRAC title meet tied with Smoky Mountain, until Trey Dockery dove across the line to win the 4x400-meter relay.
Macon’s fall sports teams looked even more dominant this season, winning BRAC titles in football, volleyball and men’s soccer for the third straight year. In football the Panthers won their 21st consecutive game, while men’s soccer outscored opponents 87-4 on the season. After coaching Panther softball in the spring, Brooke Southard led her fourth title-winning team in three years this fall, leading Panther volleyball to their third straight unbeaten season in the BRAC.
- Cheer reaches National semis
The most successful run in program history continues for Panther cheer and dance.
After their first-ever trip to the Universal Cheerleaders’ Association Nationals the previous year, Lynn Baker’s team hit the ground running in 2024, placing second in their Traditional Division and third in their Game Day Division at the N.C. Cheerleading Coaches’ Association State Championships in January.
Less than three weeks later the team returned to Orlando for their second-ever UCA Nationals, improving on their previous finishes in both categories. Having placed 15th in their Traditional Division in 2023, the Panthers moved up three spots to 12th, advancing to the National Semifinals for the second straight year. In their Game Day Division, they missed the national semis by just two points. Recently the team placed second and third at the N.C. High School Athletic Association Invitational, ahead of their third straight trip to Nationals in February.
- Track extends dominant run
Much like their cheer and dance classmates, Panther track and field is in the midst of a historic stretch.
After winning indoor and outdoor men’s state titles in 2023, Matt Harlfinger’s teams were once again among 3A’s best. At the indoor state meet in February the Panther men earned second place, while the Panther women placed fourth. By placing fourth in the long jump, third in the 55-meter dash and second in both the 300-meter dash and 55 hurdles, senior Elijah Cochran was named the meet’s Men’s Most Outstanding Performer.
In the spring outdoor season Franklin continued their hot streak, placing first on the girls’ side and second on the boys’ at the 3A West Regional meet. In Greensboro nine days later the Panther women took second place for their fourth straight top-four finish in as many state meets. Once again the team looks ready to contend for its first state title this winter.
5- Women’s tennis hot streak continues
Once again, Panther women’s tennis was one of the 3A West’s top teams.
With four seniors atop their lineup in Kate Phillips, Agibail Angel, Maci Stork and Caroline Deal, 2024 was a year of opportunity for Heather Bell’s team. With their third straight unbeaten season in the Mountain Seven Conference, Franklin took advantage of their wealth of experience, sending both doubles pairs (Phillips/Angel and Stork/Deal) to the conference doubles final. After Phillips/Angel won a hard-fought confrence title, both pairs advanced to the 3A State Quarterfinals.
As a team the seniors joined Clara Stork and Marlee Barnes in the third round of the Dual Team State Playoffs, capping a four-year streak which included four third-round playoff contests, two trips to the state semifinals, two 3A West Doubles titles, two 14-0 regular seasons, three Mountain Seven Conference team titles and a 51-3 regular season record.
6- FAST Fins reach incredible milestone
After so many years of dominance, the Franklin Amateur Swim Team is used to winning the Mountain Swim League. But when the FAST Fins earned their 20th straight league title this summer, they reached a milestone that might never be matched.
Having just completed their 16th straight unbeaten regular season, on July 13 Dwain and Dina Picou’s team hosted the Mountain Swim League Championship. Once again the team swam circles around Highlands, Waynesville, Cherokee County and Jackson County, nearly matching their opponents’ combined scores.
Two weeks later the team’s fastest swimmers traveled to Greensboro for the Amateur Athletic Union Junior Olympics. Together with their usual MSL rivals, the Fins punched far above their weight at the national meet, helping Team Mountain Swim League to a 19th overall finish.
7- Men’s golf advances to 3A West Regional
With so many strong golfers this year, longtime head coach Ryan Raby was hard-pressed to choose his team’s lineup.
With several players’ 18-hole rounds scoring in the mid-80s or lower, no two Panther lineups stayed the same through the first several weeks, as players traded the top five spots back and forth. Eventually Tanner Jones, Max McClure, Cole Martin, Ashton Shope and Gabe Stilwell emerged, nearly tying powerhouse Pisgah for first in the Mountain Seven Conference tournament.
A week later they returned to Springdale Golf Club in Canton for the 3A West Regional. There the team’s top four scores added up to 319, just 10 strokes off the third-place finish needed to advance to state. McClure shot Franklin’s low round on the day at 77, earning a berth in a seven-person playoff to advance to state. With Shope the only senior in last season’s top five, Franklin should again be a top 3A West team this spring.
8- Lifters compete at USAPL Nationals
Two of the country’s top high school weighlifters are Franklin products.
For the past few years Franklin High School students Taylor Thomas and Evan Lampkin have traveled the southeast in search of its top powerlifting tournaments. This April they traveled to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, for the USA Powerlifting High School Nationals, facing other elite lifters from across the country.
While Lampkin strained a muscle in his back and was unable to advance, Thomas went on to place 23rd overall, squatting 485 lbs., bench-pressing 265 and deadlifting 501. As two of the top high school lifters in the nation, the pair hopes to one day join the International Powerlifting Federation and represent the United States on the world stage.
“It’s super-cool thinking about it when you realize that all your hard work wasn’t for nothing,” said Lampkin. “That’s a result of yor hard work, the years that you put into it and the amount of time that you could have been doing other things. ... It’s definitely a good result, and a satisfying feeling.”
9- Woodward places 23rd at UTMB
Franklin’s resident World Series trail runner has earned his best finish yet.
As one of the world’s top competitive ultramarathoners, for three straight years Canyon Woodward has traveled to Chamonix, France, for the sport’s most prestigious race, the Ultra Trail du Mont Blanc. Spanning 110 miles through the French, Italian and Swiss Alps, the race features nearly 33,000 feet of elevation gain, taking top runners more than 20 hours to complete.
In 105th near the 25-mile mark after a slow start by his standards, Woodward authored one of his now-trademark late comebacks, placing 23rd with a time of 23 hours and 26 minutes. The finish was Woodward’s best so far at UTMB, having placed 48th in 2022 and 29th in 2023. The Franklin High School and Harvard graduate hopes to place top-20 at next year’s race, and plans to run multiple other 100-mile races this year to train.
10- Panthers give back to Franklin
Panther athletes made an outsized impact in giving back to their community this year.
In May, the N.C. High School Athletic Association named Franklin a winner of its prestigious Commissioner’s Trophy. Awarded to just eight schools for oustanding work in community service, the trophy honored Franklin’s cross country, track and field teams for their work with Macon County CareNet, packing backpacks full of food for needy students across the county. Recently the team visited Macon Valley Nursing and Rehabilitation Center for a Christmas party with center residents.
When Hurricane Helene devastated parts of WNC this fall, several FHS and MMS teams sprang into action, helping gather, pack, load, unload and distribute aid to areas hit hard by the storm. During Homecoming Week, the FHS Student Leadership Team led a fundraising drive dubbed “Coins for Conference,” raising more than $5,750 for Franklin’s rivals in Henderson and Haywood counties.