<p>Franklin’s football team hadn’t won two consecutive games since the start of the 2014 season. The Grizzly Cubs ended that drought Friday, but why and how they did it might have been even more impressive.</p>
<p>The host Cubs took all of the momentum with a big fourth-down stop in the third quarter. A couple of possessions later, they sealed the game with a 15-play, 78-yard touchdown drive that took 7 minutes, 20 seconds and stretched into the fourth period. It ensured a 38-21 Franklin win over new Mid-State Conference rival Perry Meridian.</p>
<p>Franklin (2-1 overall, 1-0) hadn’t won back-to-back games since it defeated Seymour and Shelbyville to open the 2014 season.</p>
<p>“We haven’t really kept track of that stuff,” Franklin coach Chris Coll said. “These upperclassmen have been through a lot, and they’re not going to be complacent.”</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
<p>Statistically, Franklin’s offense again proved to be dominant. One week after quarterback Drew Byerly (413 passing yards) and Cory Richards (205 receiving yards) set school records, the Cubs’ offense didn’t slow much.</p>
<p>Byerly finished Friday’s win with 269 passing yards and four touchdown passes, one more than last week. Peyton Ruble was his favorite target this time, finishing with five catches for 168 yards and a pair of touchdowns (69 and 56 yards).</p>
<p>Byerly, a 6-foot-3, 245-pound junior, also finished with 192 yards. He could have had more when he broke free on a fourth-down play as the clock wound down, but elected to fall around the Perry Meridian 10-yard line.</p>
<p>“We’ve got a lot of weapons, but it starts with our (offensive) line,” Byerly said. “Those guys are always giving their best effort.”</p>
<p>Perry Meridian (0-3, 0-1) took its only lead of the game, 21-20, with 1.6 seconds left in the first half when Jake Opsahl caught a 2-yard touchdown pass from Alex Hooton in the back of the end zone.</p>
<p>The Cubs responded with Ruble’s first touchdown catch, a 56-yard strike from Byerly on the opening possession of the third quarter, which gave Franklin a 26-21 lead. The Falcons looked like they were going to respond on the next drive, moving the ball from their 29-yard line to the Franklin 20 in five plays.</p>
<p>They gained 2 yards on the first play, but then the Cubs forced a pair of incompletions, including one in the end zone, and then wrapped up Dylan Parrish for a 1-yard gain on fourth-and-8 from the Cubs’ 18. Perry Meridian didn’t score again.</p>
<p>“We made plays at times to create momentum for ourselves defensively,” Coll said. “We’ve got some seniors on defense, but we also have some sophomores out there. We want this for our program to have positive energy.”</p>
<p>Noah Crow (four receptions, 29 yards) also caught a pair of touchdown passes from Byerly, and Richards finished with six catches for 57 yards.</p>
<p>“We have several guys who are getting catches consistently,” Coll said of Franklin’s variety of receiving threats. “They’re taking advantage of their opportunities, whether they have five targets or two targets.”</p>
<p>The Cubs will play next Friday at Whiteland.</p>
