FRANKLIN–Defending Class 4A District Two champion Franklin-Simpson found itself losing to Warren East 7-3 at halftime in a defensive slugfest.
But the Wildcats outscored the Raiders 42-7 in the second half, junior Tre Bass ran for 135 yards and a touchdown to complement a 35-yard pick six, and Franklin-Simpson captured the district title for the third time in four seasons with a 45-14 victory on Friday night at Shadetree Stadium.
“Give a lot of credit to our kids and coaches for sticking to our plan and fighting,” Franklin-Simpson coach Doug Preston said. “I really thought we took over late in third quarter and early in the fourth quarter.”
The Wildcats (6-3, Class 4A District Two) trailed 14-10 with 6:53 remaining in the third after a 49-yard scoring run by Warren East junior Thomas Maxey, but Franklin-Simpson answered right back with an 18-yard touchdown run by Bass with 3:25 left in the period.
Warren East (5-4, 2-1) then went three-and-out, and the Wildcats took over at midfield following a short punt. Franklin-Simpson marched all the way down to the 3-yard line before senior quarterback Rylan Thomas found fellow senior Dylan Wallace wide open in the end zone on third-and-goal to make the score 24-14 with 7:58 left in regulation.
On the first play from scrimmage on the ensuing Raider possession, freshman quarterback Nolan Ford was picked off by Bass, whom returned it 35 yards to the house for a Wildcat touchdown.
“I (saw) him coming,” Bass said. “I watched [Ford]’s eyes and he just threw it right to me.”
The turnover bug would hit Warren East once again, as senior Trevor Dunn recovered a Raider fumble at the Warren East 23-yard line before fellow senior Saul Brady punched it in from one yard out to make it 38-14 with 5:29 remaining.
“Our defense sparked us,” Preston said. “Tre Bass had the interception return for a touchdown and then Treyvon (Dunn) had that big fumble recovery for us.”
After a Raider punt, the Wildcats once again found pay dirt on a 11-yard touchdown run by Brady to ultimately make the final score 45-14.
Despite the seemingly lopsided score, the Raiders played extremely well until a few miscues cost them the game late. Coach Preston had several words of praise for Coach Jeff Griffith and Warren East.
“You got to give a lot of credit to Warren East,” Preston said. “They played really hard, they have some really good football players and they’re well-coached. I thought they did a good job of not getting away from their game plan.”
Maxey led the Raiders in the loss, as the junior rushed for 87 yards and a score on eight attempts, and he also hauled in a 31-yard reception.
Senior wide out Caleb Huskey also made a very significant impact for Warren East, as his 85-yard touchdown reception with 5:56 left in the first half is what propelled the Raiders to their lead at the intermission.
For Franklin-Simpson, the Wildcats had three players rush for at least 100 yards in the win.
Bass led the way for the Wildcats with 135 yards and a touchdown on 17 attempts. Junior Carlos McKinney added 123 yards and a score on 21 rushes, and senior Saul Brady ran for 116 yards and two touchdowns on 18 handoffs in his last regular season game at Shadetree Stadium.
“That’s good to hear,” said Preston when asked about his running backs’ performances. “That’s a great compliment to the offensive line.”
Freshman kicker Cole Hollingsworth also made an impact in the win, as his 24-yard field goal on the Wildcats’ opening drive provided Franklin-Simpson with all its points at halftime.
Franklin-Simpson will travel to Russellville (6-3) on Friday before hosting Hopkins County Central (2-7) in the first round of the playoffs on Nov. 3, but Preston says they cannot overlook the Panthers, who are coming off a heart-breaking 22-21 defeat to district foe Crittenden County (5-4) in Marion on Friday night.
“We’ll be at Russellville next week before coming back here,” Preston said. “I can’t think past Russellville right now.”
“We got to stay humble, can’t get arrogant, and we just got to keep working,” Bass added.
Meanwhile Warren East will host Bardstown (3-6) before opening postseason play on Nov. 3 with a home game against Hopkinsville (3-6).
Post-game interview with Franklin-Simpson coach Doug Preston after the Wildcats won the district with a 45-14 victory over Warren East. pic.twitter.com/9G7zjxHQ3f
— The Sporting Times (@sportingtimes) October 21, 2017
Post-game interview with Franklin-Simpson's Tre Bass. Bass rushed for 135 yards and one TD, and he also had a 35-yard pick six on defense. pic.twitter.com/Amk6yXgE1o
— The Sporting Times (@sportingtimes) October 21, 2017
