| SCORE | |||||||
| T | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | OT | F | |
| F | 7 | 7 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 27 | |
| H | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 6 | |
| Scoring: F- Anthony Steele 3 run (Tim Donegan kick); F- Ramsey Sellars 59 run (Donegan kick); F- Graham Nichols 38 run (kick failed); Nichols 31 run (JP Finnegan kick); H- Erik Wisdom 6 run (kick failed). | |||||||
| F | H | ||||||
| First downs | 17 | 7 | |||||
| Rushes-yds | 49-320 | 28-60 | |||||
| Comp-att-int | 2-9-0 | 4-16-0 | |||||
| Passing yds | 28 | 107 | |||||
| Fumbles-lost | 2-1 | 1-0 | |||||
| Punts-avg | 1-33.0 | 6-30.6 | |||||
| Penalties-yds | 2-20 | 6-33 | |||||
|
Rushing:
F- Johnston Camp 3-9, Brandon Flippen 3-4, Alex Ford 8-23, Keylo Lee 7-37, Graham Nichols 4-77, 2 TD, Ramsey Sellers 2-71, 1 TD, Anthony
Steele 22-99, 1 TD.
H- Terry Ezell 2-19, Kyle Gilbert 1-6, Randall Lewis 5-16, Erik Wisdom 20-63, 1 TD.
| |||||||
|
Passing (CMP-ATT-INT-YDS):
F- Brandon
Flippen 0-1-0-0; Graham Nichols 2-8-0-28.
H- Kyle Gilbert 1-5-0-46; Randall Lewis 3-11-0-61.
| |||||||
|
Receiving:
F- Jarriel
Eaton 1-24, Keylo Lee 1-4.
H- Josh Henley 3-94, Erik Wisdom 1-13.
| |||||||
|
Kicking (FG-FGA XP-XPA PTS):
F- JP
Finnegan 0-0 1-1 1; Tim Donegan 0-0 2-3 2.
H- Jose Gonzalez 0-0 0-1 0.
| |||||||
|
Punting:
F- John Gentry 1-33.0
H- Jose Gonzalez 6-30.6
| |||||||
Hunters Lane's defense had shut out five of its first 11 opponents and allowed just 51 points, less than any team in Middle Tennessee this season.
Then came Franklin. The visiting Rebels marched to touchdowns on their first two possessions and never looked back as they beat Hunters Lane 27-6 on Friday to advance to the Class 5A quarterfinals.
Franklin (8-3), which won its sixth game in a row, takes to the road again next Friday. The Rebels travel to Region 6-5A champion Independence, a team they beat 33-16 in Week 4.
With its offensive line paving the way, Franklin racked up 320 yards rushing and held the ball for just less than 30 minutes against Hunters Lane (9-3).
After Anthony Steele's 3-yard run capped a 65-yard touchdown drive on the game's opening possession, quarterbacks Ramsey Sellers and Graham Nichols broke loose on long option runs for the final three Rebels scores.
"(The) offensive line is kind of like an orchestra. Everyone has to be on the same page," Franklin Coach Craig Clayton said. "They did a fantastic job tonight."
"That was the best defensive front we've seen all year," added Tucker Cathey, the Rebels' 6-foot-3, 287-pound senior center. "They were a huge challenge for us. They were coming off the ball real hard.
"Brentwood ran (the option) a lot last Friday, and we saw it on film. I've never seen Graham, a.k.a. Lightning, run that fast. Usually we'll put in Ramsey because he's our runner."
Instead of deferring, Franklin took the ball to start the game and engineered a 13-play scoring drive. Senior tailback Anthony Steele (23 carries, 99 yards) carried seven times on the drive as the Rebels took nearly seven minutes off the clock.
On fourth-and-10 from the Warriors 30, Nichols hit Jarriel Eaton on a crossing pattern for 24 yards, setting up Steele's 3-yard scoring run two plays later.
Hunters Lane's aggressive front line helped out the Rebels by jumping offsides three times on the drive.
"I've had faith in our defense from the first practice until today. We didn't have a good night, but (Franklin) had a lot to with that," said Hunters Lane Coach Richard Campbell said.
"Their front seven was the best we've faced all year. They're very aggressive and super quick," Clayton said.
The Rebels defense made a bold statement, giving up just 60 rushing yards and not allowing Hunters Lane to cross midfield until four minutes remained in the game.
Erik Wisdom's 6-yard TD run with 3:24 left prevented a shutout.