Miscues hurt Grizzly Cubs in league loss to Artesians

A promising start ended in another frustrating night for the Franklin Community High School football team.

Martinsville turned a muffed snap on a Franklin punt into a short touchdown drive just before halftime, then ran away in the second half for a 33-5 Mid-State Conference win.

The host Grizzly Cubs (2-3, 0-2) had opportunities to score early in the game thanks to two Martinsville turnovers. They turned a fumble on the Artesians’ first possession into a 24-yard Patrick Palmer field goal.

Early in the second quarter Franklin drove to the Martinsville six yard line, but turned the ball over on downs. On the next snap, the Grizzly Cubs forced a second fumble in the end zone but had to settle for a safety when the Artesians fell on it.

Following the free kick, Franklin drove to the Martinsville 38 but again turned the ball over on downs.

That was the last scoring threat by Franklin until the closing seconds of the game.

Franklin slowed the Artesian (3-2, 1-2) offense in the first half, allowing just 127 total yards, but still trailed 14-5 at the break.

In the second half, Martinsville quarterback Mason Kutruff got rolling.

After a Franklin interception on the second play of the third quarter, Kutruff hit Noah Davis with a 40-yard touchdown pass. The junior added two running touchdowns, giving him four total for the game.

Ross Barr racked up 124 yards on 36 rushing attempts for Franklin. The Grizzly Cubs continued having problems holding on to the ball, though, turning it over four times.

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