Senior safety Zach Reese, right, is Franklin’s leading tackler on the season.
Daily Journal file photo
Zach Reese and Beau Baker remember the down side of their learning curve all too well.
The last line of defense in Franklin’s secondary, the two safeties recall the likes of Mooresville and Decatur Central carving their team up last fall. When the Grizzly Cubs’ 2021 season came to a close with a 3-7 record, the seniors-to-be decided they wanted their final year to be different.
“Everybody wanted to get in the weight room really bad,” Reese said. “We worked hard all offseason; some of us did speed training on top of the strength stuff. I think it’s just thinking back to any of those games when we’ve been blown out in years past; we just wanted to make sure that didn’t happen again.”
And it hasn’t.
Franklin is 7-2 and ranked eighth in Class 5A heading into tonight’s sectional semifinal at Terre Haute South, and the turnaround can be largely attributed to improvements on the defensive side of the ball under head coach Chris Coll and his defensive staff, led by coordinator Zach Durrett.
The Grizzly Cubs gave up 28 points per game in 2020 and 27.8 last year, getting gashed for more than 40 points on six different occasions over those two seasons. This fall, Franklin is allowing just 14.56 points a game, yielding more than 21 points just once and never more than 27. It’s got the fifth stingiest defense in Class 5A.
Going through the rough times in the two previous seasons helped mold the current defense into what it is — and the tandem of Reese and Baker has been a big part of the transformation.
“Experience makes a big difference with this group,” Coll said. “I think the work they’ve done in the offseason — physically, we’re different, up front we’re physically better. Just another year of growth and development.
“And having Beau and Zach on the back end gives us that leadership and stability that veteran players give you.”
Leadership, stability and a whole lot of tackles. Reese led the Grizzly Cubs during the regular season with 79 stops; Baker ranks second on the team with 65.
The two may not have a ton in common away from the field, but when they’re on it, everything just seems to click.
“I’d say he’s probably more of the gunslinger guy and I’m making sure everything else is sound,” Reese said, “but I think it works well together.”
“We know communication without even saying words, honestly,” Baker added. “It just helps in the back of your mind to think, ‘Hey, he’s got my back, I’ve got his back.’”
Baker’s impact has extended far beyond defense this season; he’s been the Grizzly Cubs’ designated playmaker in all three phases of the game.
In a Week 2 win over defending Class 4A state champion Mt. Vernon, he gave Franklin a shot in the arm with his 89-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. Against Plainfield, Baker scooped up a fumble and took it 98 yards the other way for a score. Offensively, he’s been utilized out of the wildcat formation, rushing for 360 yards and nine more TDs.
When the Grizzly Cubs need to make something happen, it’s often been Baker who’s answered the call.
“He needs to touch the ball,” Coll said. “Whether it’s special teams, whether it’s picking up fumbles on defense, whether it’s getting him a certain amount of touches on offense, he’s a player. He’s a football player. You’ve just got to find ways to have him on the field.”
Both Baker and Reese are planning to stay on the field for a while in some capacity.
Reese has been accepted to the United States Air Force Academy, where he plans on majoring in computer science. He’d like to try making the Falcons as a walk-on, but if that doesn’t work out he’ll play on an intramural level. Baker, meanwhile, has talked with some college coaches about playing at the next level, but he’s not sure about his end destination yet.
What he does know is that he’s not ready for his high school career to end anytime soon. He and his teammates still remember how the last two seasons ended — and they’re ready to script a different final scene.
“It’s just a different level now,” Baker said. “I don’t want to do that again. I don’t want to be the team to pack up the pads and leave; I want to be the team that goes to Thanksgiving and plays.”
TONIGHT’S SECTIONAL GAMES
6A: Center Grove at Franklin Central, 7 p.m.
5A: Franklin at Terre Haute South, 7:30 p.m.
5A: Terre Haute North at Whiteland, 7:30 p.m.
4A: Crispus Attucks at Roncalli, 7 p.m.
3A: Indian Creek at Batesville, 7 p.m.
