Franklin’s Beau Baker runs the ball against Terre Haute South on Friday night.
Joe Garza | Terre Haute Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE
The power of persistence.
Franklin demonstrated in its Class 5A sectional semifinal at Terre Haute South on Friday that it means everything.
The Grizzly Cubs (8-2) rallied from a 13-point deficit to earn a 35-34 victory. South had a chance to win, but a 27-yard field goal was blocked with 7.5 seconds left.
The deck was certainly stacked against the Grizzly Cubs. Starting quarterback Clay Pinnick was injured in the second half and Franklin had to endure a 27-point second quarter by the Braves (6-4).
It didn’t matter. Franklin’s second-half defense and a solid performance from freshman quarterback Greyson Betts saw the Grizzly Cubs through to the sectional title game, which they’ll play at home next week against rival Whiteland.
“We struggled in the first half and did some uncharacteristic things,” Franklin coach Chris Coll said. “We talked at halftime about just playing. Don’t panic, don’t get caught up in the emotion of it and our defense made plays.”
Franklin’s defense held Terre Haute South without a first down on its first four second-half series, giving it the chance to erase a 35-21 halftime deficit. The Grizzly Cubs also overcame 116 yards in penalties.
Josh Cottee played his final game for the Braves, rushing for 144 yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Brady Wilson threw for 188 yards and one touchdown.
On the kickoff? It seemed as if the deck was stacked against the Braves. Nas McNeal fumbled the opening kickoff. Franklin’s Nate Owens picked up the loose ball and went in unopposed for a 10-yard adrenaline rush for the Grizzly Cubs and a gut punch for the Braves.
Franklin kept it going. On its first offensive series, it marched 63 yards in 10 plays. Forty-two yards were gained on the ground and fullback John Shepard gave Franklin a 14-0 lead with a 5-yard touchdown run.
Terre Haute South badly needed to score in response, and the Braves did. Cottee finished a 70-yard drive with a 1-yard run from a direct snap to make it 14-7.
From that point, the Braves had some serious rub of the green. On the first play of the second quarter, Franklin’s Alex Leugers fumbled and South’s Jaidyn Hoole recovered at the Franklin 24. A golden opportunity was cashed in on two plays later as Cottee impressively bounced and bulled his way 20 yards for a touchdown to tie the game with 10:26 left in the quarter.
The Grizzly Cubs gave the ball away deep in South territory again on its next series, but this play was far more impactful and unfortunate for Franklin. Pinnick rolled left, but South put pressure on and Drew Thiesz hit him at the 26. Phillip Newman recovered the fumble for South at the Franklin 28, but the bigger impact was that Pinnick was injured. He did not return.
Once again, South took advantage of the turnover as Cottee scored his third touchdown via a 12-yard run. Later, a 27-yard Griffin Runyan field goal made it 24-14 as the Braves scored 24 unanswered points.
Hampered by the loss of their quarterback, Franklin had to get creative. After a 66-yard Beau Baker kick return gave the Grizzly Cubs excellent field position, Baker himself threw a touchdown pass out of a direct snap pass to Shepard. Franklin clawed its deficit to 24-21, and it was game on.
However, the final two minutes of the half were a boon for South and a disaster for the Grizzly Cubs. A perfect play-action pass from South quarterback Brady Wilson to McNeal made it 31-21 with 27.9 seconds left. Franklin tried a gadget play, a double reverse pass, to try to score before halftime, but South snuffed the play out and Nick Yatsko intercepted the pass, returning it to the Franklin 39. Runyan then connected from 41 yards as South scored 10 points in 27.9 seconds to make it 34-21 at halftime.
It appeared Franklin’s bad fortune would continue when it had a 14-play, 73-yard drive end on downs with nothing to show for it, but the game would swing back to the Grizzly Cubs as the third quarter rolled on.
Franklin’s defense was vastly improved, holding South to just six plays from scrimmage in the quarter. Betts proved up to the big moment. He led a 46-yard scoring drive, passing for 27 and running for 16 before Shepard scored his third touchdown on a 5-yard scamper off left tackle. Suddenly Franklin was back in it, down by just six.
Betts’ connection with Max Clark was most impactful. They hooked up as Clark had five catches for 63 yards in the second half. And the Grizzly Cubs’ defense saw to it that Franklin stayed in it. South was held without a first down on its first four series of the second half.
Franklin capitalized as Leugers scored on a 4-yard run with 1:28 left. His touchdown capped a 53-yard drive.
South wasn’t done. It got its offense going thanks to Wilson, who completed four straight passes to get into field goal range. South got as far as the Franklin 7-yard line.
Runyan lined up for the field goal, but the kick was low and Franklin’s rush meant the kick never got past the scrimmage line.
“It’s part of our culture and philosophy that we’re not going to feel sorry for ourselves until that clock hits zero,” Coll said. “We’ve had some close games this year. They’re not perfect, but they’re battle-tested and they know to just keep competing.”
