Tyler Durbin threw two interceptions with just one touchdown pass the last time he played in a game.
It wasn’t just an ordinary game, it was the Class 3A state semifinals. As the then-junior quarterback and the Elizabethown football team wanted to advance and play for a state championship, it ended up falling short – 21-14 to Central.
Ever since that below average performance from Durbin, the senior used that as motivation for the summer – and Friday night’s 2017 season opener on the road at Franklin-Simpson presented a much-improved offensive pilot.
The senior threw three touchdown passes for a total of 66 yards and ran for a 55-yard score to carry his Panthers club to a 55-23 victory.
“I’m glad he had success (tonight) – it’s gonna help him down the road,” Elizabethtown head coach Mark Brown said. “We can throw the ball a lot better this year than we could last year because of Tyler – and we had to tonight. Franklin-Simpson is so stout up front and we were smaller.”
Durbin’s first scoring drive of the game was a 25-yarder to Jey Gregory in the first quarter. He followed up with a 9-yard toss to Derek Smith in the second and later hit Jay Becherer with a 32-yard strike just before the end of the third period.
Not only did Durbin shine, but so did Becherer and his younger brother, Joseph. Jay found himself in the end zone three times for a total of 167 yards on those scoring plays. Additionally, Joseph came alive in the fourth quarter with both 34 and 70-yard touchdown runs.
“We’re quick – kind of like little water bugs,” Brown said. “I don’t know how many real ‘speed burners’ we have, but we’re quick.”
Franklin’s scoring came courtesy of Saul Brady’s 43-yard run, Tre Bass’ 44-yard run, a 32-yard field goal by Cole Hollingsworth and a 14-yard rush from Carlos McKiney just before the final horn sounded.
Senior quarterback Rylan Thomas’ first two pass attempts were both intercepted while the Wildcats committed four turnovers as a whole.
The Wildcats travel to Monroe County for a 7 PM contest Friday while Elizabethtown is off until Friday, Sept. 1 in its home opener against North Hardin.
“We need to be off,” said Brown. “A couple of weeks before tonight we lost a starting tackle – he’s gotta have shoulder surgery – then we lost the best cornerback we’ve got. It’s means a great deal that we’re off next week.”
Elizabethtown recorded the game’s first score on Durbin’s 25-yard strike to Gregory. The quarterback took a snap, rolled to the left and then found the open receiver, who reeled in Durbin’s toss and sprinted into the end zone to make it 7-0 at the 7:11 mark of the first quarter.
The Panthers doubled their tally less than six minutes following their first touchdown.
On 2nd and 10 and 1:36 left in the period, Jay Becherer took a handoff from Durbin and marched 69 yards downfield to increase Elizabethtown’s lead to 14-0.
Although it got down by two scores, Franklin-Simpson kept fighting.
Just over three minutes into the second quarter, Brady ran from 43 yards out to earn the Wildcats’ first touchdown of the season. Soon after, Bass followed up with a 44-yard rushing score of his own to quickly change the scoreboard to 14-13.
Durbin responded to Franklin-Simpson’s back-to-back scores with a strong drive of his own. With a 1st and 10 at midfield, he threw a 31-yard pass to Gregory and then hit the wideout Smith from nine yards out to pick up his second touchdown pass of the contest – and put his club up 21-13.
Facing 3rd and 8 and time running out in the second period, quarterback Rylan Thomas connected with Javon Covington from 31-yards out to give the Wildcats a first down in scoring range. They wouldn’t be able to come away with six, but Franklin did add to its side of the board with a 33-yard field goal by the freshman Hollingsworth.
At halftime, Elizabethtown held a slim 21-16 advantage.
Elizabethtown didn’t waste any time adding to that lead in the ensuing half.
“We came out there in the second half and got that quick score and started to tell that (Franklin) was getting tired. I told the kids that ‘we’ve gotta go’ here because we knew they were tired.”
Just 2:11 into the third quarter, Jay Becherer tallied his second touchdown of the evening with a 66-yard run down the right sideline. Durbin began the drive with a 7-yard toss to Kass Disney, Smith rushed for a gain of four and then Becherer found the end zone to highlight the four-play drive.
Leading 28-16, Durbin decided to keep it himself and ended up recording his first rushing score with a 55-yard run. It increased Elizabethtown’s advantage to 35-16 with 4:37 left to play in the period.
Joseph Becherer’s 34-yard touchdown run with 8:48 remaining in the affair pushed Elizabethtown’s lead to 48-16. Shortly after his first score, he found the end zone once more on a 70-yard run to push it to 55-16.
Franklin-Simpson finally added to its side of the board again on Carlos McKinney’s 14-yard touchdown run with just 6.5 seconds left to tick, but Elizabethtown was able to let the clock run out and head back up I-65 with a big win.
“They’re a great team, added Brown. We got lucky with some turnovers there tonight. We could play them next week and they could beat us, but it was a good night tonight.”
Sports Insider Tyler Mansfield can be reached at (270) 935-0007. Follow him on Twitter at @_TylerMansfield
