Rebels Gamble Going For Win Instead of Overtime
Franklin’s six-game winning streak, and its season, ended on Friday night.
| TEAM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wilson Central | 14 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Franklin High School | 0 | 0 | 0 | 20 | 20 |
(For all scores, check out our Scoreboard)
At Franklin High School’s Howard Gamble Stadium in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs, the No. 2 seed Rebels (8-4) lost 21-20 in an upset to No. 6 seed Wilson Central (5-6).
The Rebels, trailing 21-0 after three quarters mounted a heroic fourth quarter comeback stopped just short by the underdog Wildcats.
After Wes Patterson found Max Page in the end zone to pull Franklin within one point with 29 seconds left, head coach Donnie Webb decided to roll the dice.
Instead of going for a tie and overtime with a point-after attempt, with the season on the line Webb went for the win. The two-point conversion was stopped just short.
Patterson, who threw 6 for 10 for 60 yards and two scores- both to Page- led the comeback and replacing an injured Kyle Evans in the fourth quarter. But Evans started the comeback, finding Matthew Burns for a 50-yard catch early in the fourth quarter that led to a Burns touchdown run.
Franklin, who blew Wilson central out in October, fell behind 14-0 early. In the first quarter the Wildcats scored on a fumble recovery return and on a blocked punt return. In the third quarter Wilson Central scored again.
The Rebels offense, moving so well on the ground over the second half of the season, stalled for much of the game. When Wilson Central committed to stopping, or at least slowing, the run Franklin- a team not built to play from behind- had trouble adjusting.
#RFL pic.twitter.com/9QDuHBoRRX
— Carter Nietfeld (@carternietfeld) November 14, 2015
Burns, leading Franklin, finished with 50 yards on 19 carries, and as a team the Rebels rushed for 133 yards- but on 43 carries, averaging just more than 3 yards per carry.
It was only when the Rebels got away from throwing by necessity, playing from behind, that the offense picked up. Evans finished 7 for 13 for 140 yards, most of those coming in the fourth quarter. After his injury, Patterson came in throwing, too, and almost pulled off the comeback.
Franklin, despite the loss, had a successful first year in the newly-created Region 3-6A, in which it took second place, behind the still-alive Ravenwood.
Wilson Central will travel to Memphis Whitehaven (11-1) in the quarterfinals next Friday night.
