Franklin took another step forward Friday night and opened Mid-State Conference play in good standing.
Two touchdowns by sophomore John Shepard and a grinding and gritty 93-yard drive powered the host Grizzly Cubs to their second straight win, a 35-0 shutout of winless Perry Meridian.
As with the Shelbyville game last week, it was a fine performance and one of capitalizing on opportunities when Franklin had the chance.
“Really, this was a total team win,” Franklin coach Chris Coll said. “We did a great job in controlling the tempo and controlling their offensive reps. For most part, we finished drives, which is what we didn’t do in Week 1 (in a 21-7 loss at Danville).”
A botched lateral fumble set the Grizzly Cubs (2-1) up at the Falcon 17 in the first quarter. Four plays later, sophomore John Shepard ran in from the 1 and Franklin had a lead it never relinquished.
Shepard scored again after hauling in a 19-yard pass from senior quarterback Reed Roberts, who is playing with tremendous confidence.
“He’s a good player,” Coll said of his first-year starter.
Before the half ended, the Grizzly Cubs pulled off without a doubt their most impressive series of the game. Deep in its own territory, Franklin operated a 13-play, 93-yard drive that took about four minutes. Jalen Ward capped the drive with a 6-yard run, which was only fair as the senior workhorse carried the ball nine times in that series.
All told, Ward ran for two touchdowns and 210 yards.
It really was an all-around effort, as Roberts rushed for a touchdown and 77 yards. Roberts also aired it out for 98 yards and a TD.
In addition to his two scores, Shepard caught six passes for 64 yards.
Defensively, the Cubs recovered a fumble and had two interceptions, including a nice haul by defensive tackle Harris Eason. Franklin also held Perry Meridian to 80 total yards.
Also of note is Franklin kicker Nick Woods. The senior has not missed an extra point so far, going 5 for 5 against the Falcons. That brings his total to 15 PATs this year.
Next week, the task will get a little harder for Franklin (2-1, 1-0) as it travels to face county and Mid-State rival Whiteland in an always important game.
“We’re going to come in and try and get better as a football team,” Coll said. “Who we play (next) Friday has no relevance. As good as this feels, we’ll watch the film and find plenty of things we need to get better at.”
And as well as Franklin is playing, it’s going to be a concern for the Cubs’ remaining opponents if the team continues this rate of improvement.
