Franklin Rebels Rebound With Win Over Riverdale

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By EMILY R. WEST

Despite the nearly one-hour lightning delay, the Franklin Rebels couldn’t stop scoring touchdowns and field goals to beat the Riverdale Warriors Friday.

Franklin (1-1) held on to its 27-20 lead over Riverdale (1-1), despite the Warriors scoring in the last three minutes and driving in the last 1:30. Last week, the Rebels lost in a heartbreaking match to the Centennial Cougars in the last two minutes of the game.

Franklin head coach Donnie Webb said while the loss of last week weighed on their minds, his team persevered to prove their talent in Friday’s game.

“I am just so happy for these kids,” Webb said. “Basically, we played a really good ball game. We shouldn’t have even let it come down to that. We had the fumble on the 1-yard line, but it comes down to the little things. And we did the little things a lot better tonight than we did last week. We aren’t a bad football team. We just didn’t do smart things last week.”

Leading the Rebels was senior Mitch Rossi, who had 24 carries for 117 yards. The running back also completed a 20-yard pass play, giving him 141 total yards for the night. He and the Franklin offense totaled 283 total yards and 18 first downs. The Rebels also held onto the clock most of the game, keeping possession for 35 minutes.

“We just had a great coaching situation,” Rossi said. “We were coached well. We had a good game plan going into the game. We knew what we could do and what they couldn’t stop. We took advantages of our opportunities.”

Webb said Franklin came back on the field unaffected by the nearly hour-long storm delay. Heavy lightning and later rain stopped the game at the beginning of the second quarter when Franklin led 14-0. The Rebels came immediately on the field and scored another touchdown.

Going into the locker room at halftime, Franklin led Riverdale 24-7.

The Rebels allowed the Warriors to come back, threatening within a touchdown. Riverdale head coach Will Kriesky said while his players fought in the fourth quarter, their mistakes and penalties ultimately cost them the game.

“We spotted Franklin 21 points and Franklin is a good football team,” he said. “We can’t spot a team like that 21 points. But what I am most proud of is that the kids did fight. They fought in the fourth quarter, and they believed in us, and they kept working. I am disappointed of the undisciplined mistakes we had. We jumped offsides on a fourth down. That’s just inexcusable. You don’t do that with a good football team.”

Franklin will travel to Overton High School next week. Riverdale will stay home to play cross-town rival Blackman High School.

Emily West covers Franklin and Williamson County government and schools for Home Page Media Group. Contact her at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter via @emwest22.

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