<p>Cold and rain couldn’t do anything to slow Franklin down on Friday night. Neither could Greenwood.</p>
<p>The Grizzly Cubs dominated county rival Greenwood, 41-7, setting the stage for a Mid-State Conference title clash next week at Decatur Central.</p>
<p>Friday’s game was nothing like the hotly contested showdowns between these two the last couple of years, as host Franklin (7-1, 5-1) racked up 284 yards on the ground. Drew Byerly ran for 162 yards and two touchdowns, and Jalen Ward had 97 yards and found the end zone four times.</p>
<p>"Our offensive line did great; they were awesome tonight," Byerly said. "Jalen did an awesome job, Kaleb (Samuels) as well. Obviously, it was tough conditions, but we were able to do what we do and pull out the win."</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
<p>The Grizzly Cubs needed all of 51 seconds to take the lead for good, as Drew Byerly broke free and tore up the right sideline for an 84-yard scoring run. They added another score before the end of the first quarter, with Jalen Ward’s 8-yard dash making it 13-0 at the 1:53 mark.</p>
<p>After a three-and-out by the Woodmen (3-5, 2-4), Ward finished off a nine-play drive with a 2-yard TD run early in the second quarter. A bad snap on a Greenwood punt then set Franklin up just 15 yards from the end zone, and Ward punched in his third touchdown of the half, again from 2 yards out, with 5:07 to go in the half.</p>
<p>The Grizzly Cubs went into the locker room with a 247-37 advantage in total offense — but despite the comfortable advantages in yardage and on the scoreboard, they weren’t taking the Woodmen lightly in the second half.</p>
<p>"We know that they’re going to play hard, they’re going to be physical," Franklin coach Chris Coll said. "It’s a good program. So we just wanted to play hard throughout. … We just wanted to finish the game."</p>
<p>A Greenwood miscue coming out of the locker room helped the Grizzly Cub cause.</p>
<p>The visitors had the ball to start the third quarter but gave it up right away when Oliver Rau was intercepted by Kamron Hill. That set up an 11-play, 69-yard scoring march that Byerly capped with an 8-yard keeper to the left side. Franklin then made a fourth-down stop near midfield and got the running clock going with 11:49 left in the game when Ward collected his fourth and final touchdown of the night from 7 yards out.</p>
<p>The Woodmen managed to break up the shutout with five minutes to go, as Oliver Rau found Jaydin Sheppard for a 29-yard scoring pass. Sheppard caught five passes for 66 yards on the 80-yard drive.</p>
<p>Ethan Haessig rushed for 71 yards in a losing effort.</p>
<p>Having snapped a four-game series losing streak against Greenwood, Franklin can now look ahead to a Week 9 battle with the Hawks, knowing that a win will give the Grizzly Cubs a share of the league title. It’ll be particularly satisfying for the seniors, who experienced just four wins over their first three seasons.</p>
<p>"It’s awesome," Byerly said. "We’re going to prepare really well this week, and we’re looking forward to it."</p>
<p>Coll won’t let the excitement distract his squad from the business at hand.</p>
<p>"We’re excited about that tonight," he said after the win. "On Monday, it’s going to be just another practice, trying to get better."</p>
