<p>Franklin seniors Drew Byerly and Cory Richards had a special connection on the field Friday, where it seemed like one knew what the other was doing at all times.</p>
<p>They’ll take a place in the school record book together as a result. They cemented their spots before halftime of Friday’s home football opener against Shelbyville.</p>
<p>Byerly’s 413 passing yards broke a 52-year-old school record, and Richards’ 205 passing yards also established a new standard. That was more than enough to help the Grizzly Cubs to a 56-14 win.</p>
<p>Byerly had 363 passing yards and three touchdowns by halftime, blowing past the old school record of 332 yards, which Frank Gilchrest set in 1966. All of Richards’ receiving yards came in the first half, easily topping Noel Heminger’s 143 receiving yards in 1966, and Richards caught two of Byerly’s three touchdown passes.</p>[sc:text-divider text-divider-title="Story continues below gallery" ]Click here to purchase photos from this gallery
<p>“Cory’s got the ability to stretch the field, and Drew’s got the ability to get the ball down the field,” said Franklin coach Chris Coll, who expressed mild shock that Richards and Byerly broke school records before halftime. “That’s the best we’ve executed offensively.”</p>
<p>Byerly completed passes to five different receivers, but Richards was easily his favorite target. He caught 12 passes, including catches of 43, 48 and 49 yards. The 43- and 49-yard receptions went for touchdowns.</p>
<p>Byerly completed 26 of 35 passes en route to his 413 yards. He had 188 passing yards by the end of the first quarter, and his last completion came at the end of the third quarter. Byerly gave way to reserves before the fourth quarter began, as did most of the rest of Franklin’s starters.</p>
<p>The Grizzly Cubs (1-1) didn’t dominate from the beginning. Although they scored three plays into the game on Richards’ 43-yard touchdown catch, Shelbyville (0-2) tied the game 7-7 midway through the first quarter, when the Golden Bears’ Jett Kolls intercepted a short Byerly pass over the middle and returned it 45 yards for a touchdown.</p>
<p>Franklin responded, however, by scoring five unanswered touchdowns, including a Tyce Miller 70-yard punt return, a Max Lancer 25-yard reception, a Byerly 2-yard run, a Noah McCann 1-yard run and Richards’ other touchdown catch.</p>
<p>Lancer totaled two touchdown receptions, finishing with four catches for 76 yards, and McCann produced a pair of touchdown runs en route to 55 yards on 12 carries.</p>
<p>Shelbyville quarterback Landon Watson kept Franklin’s secondary working, completing 14 of 34 passes for 127 yards, but the Grizzly Cubs’ defense shut the Bears down when it mattered. Shelbyville was 2 of 11 on third-down conversions and 1 of 6 on fourth-down tries, and managed just 64 rushing yards on 26 carries.</p>
<p>“I felt like we did the things defensively that we wanted to do,” Coll said. “Scheme-wise, we were pretty sound. I liked the way the safeties played, and the linebackers played well. They flew to the ball well.”</p>
<p>Franklin hosts new Mid-State Conference rival Perry Meridian next Friday.</p>
