Sports

Press photo/Will Woolever - FAST’s Gabriel Ostojic (front) and Thatcher Daniels race to a close finish in the boys 13-14 100-yard breaststroke at the Mountain Swim League Championship meet July 13.

Press photo/Will Woolever - FAST’s Gabriel Ostojic (front) and Thatcher Daniels race to a close finish in the boys 13-14 100-yard breaststroke at the Mountain Swim League Championship meet July 13.

Two decades of dominance

Will Woolever
Tuesday, July 16, 2024
The Franklin Amateur Swim Team has earned its 20th straight league title. After completing their 16th straight unbeaten season the week before, on July 13 the FAST Fins returned to the Macon County Rec Park for the year’s biggest meet.
Press file photo - Senior Aaron Jennings evades an East Henderson defender at the Panther Pit last September.

Press file photo - Senior Aaron Jennings evades an East Henderson defender at the Panther Pit last September.

5 named All-M7C for men’s soccer

Will Woolever
Tuesday, July 9, 2024
Once again, Panther men’s soccer had some of the best talent in the mountains this year. At the end of the fall campaign, in which Matt Kolodzik’s team turned in their fifth-straight winning record at 12-8, Mountain Seven Conference coaches gathered for their annual postseason meeting.
Press photo/Will Woolever - (From left) Stephen Drake, Johnny Lee and Dr. Rocky Battaglino pump iron at Franklin Health and Fitness recently. The trio meets twice a week to bust out nearly 2,000 pushups and flys.

Press photo/Will Woolever - (From left) Stephen Drake, Johnny Lee and Dr. Rocky Battaglino pump iron at Franklin Health and Fitness recently. The trio meets twice a week to bust out nearly 2,000 pushups and flys.

Local trio tests strength, endurance limits

Will Woolever
Tuesday, July 9, 2024
Three local residents are testing the lengths of their own strength and endurance. For much of the past year, Stephen Drake, Johnny Lee and Dr. Rocky Battaglino have met twice a week at Franklin Health and Fitness, pumping out thousands of pushups and flys [repetitive dumbbell movements] at a clip.
Press photo/Will Woolever - Swimmers leave their starting blocks for the 9-10 boys 50-yard backstroke at the Macon County Rec Park July 2.

Press photo/Will Woolever - Swimmers leave their starting blocks for the 9-10 boys 50-yard backstroke at the Macon County Rec Park July 2.

FAST ends season unbeaten

Will Woolever
Tuesday, July 9, 2024
The Franklin Amateur Swim Team has completed its 16th straight unbeaten campaign. Having won their first three contests of the year, FAST ended its regular season with two meets in less than a week.
Rising senior McKenna Plemmons drives to the basket in Franklin’s final summer league scrimmage with Cherokee June 25. (Press photo/Will Woolever)

Rising senior McKenna Plemmons drives to the basket in Franklin’s final summer league scrimmage with Cherokee June 25. (Press photo/Will Woolever)

Women’s hoops host 1A State Champions

Will Woolever
Monday, July 1, 2024
The summer league schedule is at an end for Panther women’s hoops. Throughout May and June, Franklin’s basketball teams have been hard at work, toiling away more than five months from their first official game.
Press file photo

Press file photo

6 named All-State for softball

Will Woolever
Monday, July 1, 2024
Five Panther softball players earned statewide recognition last week. On June 26 the North Carolina Softball Coaches’ Association released its annual list of All-State players, including seniors Olivia Birchard, Laura Holland and Avery Moffitt, and sophomores Ashlyn McConnell and Kendall Rumans.
Press photo/Will Woolever - Franklin’s girls 1,600-meter relay team is pictured at the Adidias Outdoor National meet in Greensboro earlier this month. From left are Amy Mendoza Lopez, Rylee Cassada, Hope Smith and Michelle Ortega.

Press photo/Will Woolever - Franklin’s girls 1,600-meter relay team is pictured at the Adidias Outdoor National meet in Greensboro earlier this month. From left are Amy Mendoza Lopez, Rylee Cassada, Hope Smith and Michelle Ortega.

Track ends year at Nationals

Will Woolever
Monday, July 1, 2024
A long and fruitful year is finally at an end for Franklin track and field. While the vast majority of Panthers ended their outdoor seasons at the 3A State Championship in May, a select few athletes continued their training for an even more prestigious meet.
Press photo/Will Woolever - Rising sophomore guard Audrey Pressley shoots over a Highlands defender in Franklin’s summer league scrimmage with their cross-county rivals June 18.

Press photo/Will Woolever - Rising sophomore guard Audrey Pressley shoots over a Highlands defender in Franklin’s summer league scrimmage with their cross-county rivals June 18.

Women’s basketball shows off depth

Will Woolever
Tuesday, June 25, 2024
The summer league schedule is in full swing for Panther women’s hoops. After hosting their first round of offseason intersquad scrimmages the week before, on June 18 Franklin’s varsity and JV teams took the court once again.
Press photo/Will Woolever - Larken Lynch (front) and Leila Pinkston race to a photo finish in the girls 9-10 50-yard butterfly at the Franklin Amateur Swim Team’s home meet with Waynesville June 20.

Press photo/Will Woolever - Larken Lynch (front) and Leila Pinkston race to a photo finish in the girls 9-10 50-yard butterfly at the Franklin Amateur Swim Team’s home meet with Waynesville June 20.

FAST routs Waynesville’s SMAC

Will Woolever
Tuesday, June 25, 2024
Another Franklin Amateur Swim Team opponent bites the dust. After beating Highlands, Jackson County and Cherokee County their first two weeks, on June 20 FAST hosted the Smoky Mountain Aquatic Club in their third meet.
Press photo/Will Woolever - Participants stream down Main Street June 15 during Franklin’s annual Braveheart 5K benefitting the Scottish Tartans Museum. Logan Russo (far right, bib #557) of Franklin was the overall winner.

Press photo/Will Woolever - Participants stream down Main Street June 15 during Franklin’s annual Braveheart 5K benefitting the Scottish Tartans Museum. Logan Russo (far right, bib #557) of Franklin was the overall winner.

Braveheart 5K raises funds for Tartans Museum

Will Woolever
Tuesday, June 25, 2024
The annual Braveheart 5K was held June 15 in downtown Franklin as a fundraiser for the Scottish Tartans Museum. Logan Russo of Franklin was the overall winner and the overall male winner with a time of 18:01.45. Jaylan Bark of Cherokee placed second with a time of 18:37.84.