Page 28 Franklin 17
The scoreboard showed the Page High School football team claiming a 28-17 win Friday night over Franklin. What it did not show was that for the Admirals, there were pieces of the game where they were winners. The home-standing and defending Class 5A runners-up were shocked early as Franklin drew first blood when Cooper Jordan torched a 54-yard breakaway run late in the first quarter. The two teams went into the locker room tied at 14 after Brewer Wilson found Mena Mannan on a 46-yard touchdown pass. “We were feeling confident,” Franklin coach Alex Melton said. “We got some things going.” Those scores sandwiched the Patriots’ own offensive production in the second quarter, a 45-yard pass from Colin Hurd to Henry Cason to start the frame and a 1-yard Ethan Cunningham plunge near the midway mark of the quarter. That score was set up after a strong goal-line stand by Page, forcing Franklin to turn the ball over on downs at the 2-yard line. On the next play from scrimmage, the Patriots’ Caden Walker exploded through the line, cut once and covered 80 yards to the Franklin 18 before Alec Watrous made a touchdown-saving tackle. The Patriots had a chance to push in front before the half by driving to the Admiral 2-yard line, but the young Franklin defense rose up and kept Page out of the end zone as the first half expired. Both teams made adjustments at the half, with Page opening with a five-play, 77-yard drive that took just 2:34 off the clock. A quick 26-yard connection between Hurd and Boyce Smith put the Patriots up for good, 21-14. “We knew at halftime that the score did not show how we were playing,” Page junior lineman Ronan O’Connell said. O’Connell said his team made a point to win the battle upfront as the offensive line took control to break open a churning ground game. “When you’re running the ball well, it helps your confidence,” he said. “It destroys the other team’s confidence. “No team wants to see the ball pounded down their throat constantly.” Page rushed for 348 yards on the night, gaining more than nine yards per carry. “We definitely lost the line of scrimmage in the second half,” Melton said. “They got us physically.” Franklin tried to answer, but a drive stalled and the Admirals settled for a 29-yard field goal from Elijah Bagwell. Page stretched the lead to the final margin on the ensuing drive as Cunningham ignited the push, ripping off a 24-yard gain to start the series that Hurd ended with an 11-yard touchdown run. The pair combined to pick up 61 rushing yards on five carries in the nine-play drive. The Patriots nearly added to their advantage late, as Brenden Anes continued the rushing attack with four consecutive first-down rushes. However, the drive stalled at the Admirals’ 14-yard line with barely a minute remaining. Hurd accounted for 241 of his team’s 499 yards of total offense, throwing for 139 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 102 more and a score. Cunningham chewed up 109 yards on 15 carries and tallied a score. Despite a second loss to start the season, the improvement of the Admirals was apparent. Sophomore QB Brewer Wilson threw for 157 yards and a touchdown while managing the game well. Classmates Jordan Cooper added 89 yards on the ground and Jaylen Spring 50. The Admirals (0-2) host Ravenwood (1-1) to open Region 7-6A next Friday night. The Raptors beat up on BGA, 56-3, Thursday night. The Patriots (2-0) return to the road next Friday, traveling to Spring Hill (0-2) for their first Region 6-5A contest. The Raiders lost at Summit, 35-0, in Week 2.
Source: Williamson Herald
Brentwood 7 Father Ryan 10
Father Ryan’s defense got a hand on Isaac Hayes’ 47-yard field goal attempt with 45 seconds to play to secure a non-conference victory in Week 2 against the visiting Bruins. JoJo Crump threw for 106 yards and overcame two interceptions by racking up 78 yards on the ground with a touchdown. His score with 8:05 to play in the first provided the only points until early in the fourth when teammate Lochlann Barbera tacked on a 30-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead with 11:22 to play. Grant Nelson fired a 65-yard touchdown to Matthew Manning with 5:18 to play for Brentwood. After connecting on three field goals, including ones from 50 and 49 yards, in a 23-14 win over Blackman last week, Hayes missed two 45-yarders and also had a 39-yard attempt blocked in the second quarter. Nelson finished 19 of 39 for 217 yards to guide the Bruins offense, which produced just a single yard rushing. Father Ryan, which overcame four turnovers as well as 1 of 11 conversions on third down, collected 193 yards on the ground paced by Crump. Mason Bryant added 54 yards on seven carries. The Irish will host the Bishop’s Cup against Pope Prep in Week 3, while Brentwood begins Region 7-6A play at Summit.
Source: Williamson Herald
Centennial 42 Lincoln County 7
Brendan Jones completed 14 of 17 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns and the Cougars raced past Lincoln County at home Friday. Dominic Reed caught two TD passes, while Kani Johnson led the receiving corps with four catches for 50 yards. Alex Pierz hauled in the other Jones TD. Linebacker Caleb Workman scored a touchdown on defense for Centennial. Johnson added an interception and Zavion Haddox forced a fumble. The Cougars stay at home in Week 3 and open Region 7-6A play against Independence.
Source: Williamson Herald
Fairview 13 Creek Wood 7
The two teams would remain at a standstill until that trick play late in the fourth quarter. With a 13-7 deficit, Creek Wood took the kickoff and got good field position before turning the ball over on downs with just 12 seconds remaining. “I saw last week it took Creek Wood one play on defense and one play on offense and they won,” Hughes said. “I didn’t want to take it to overtime. They had been there, we hadn’t. I told my guys we have to find a way to score. We fought tooth and nail, but Creek Wood is really good. That game could’ve gone either way.” With the win, Fairview is now 1-1. The Yellow Jackets are scheduled to be on the road against Stewart County. Stewart County lost last Friday night to Gibson County 33-13. The Rebels will come into the game with an 0-2 record. Creek Wood moves to 1-1 on the year after the loss. The Red Hawks are scheduled to host Marshall County next Friday. Marshall County is looking strong once again this year with a 2-0 record. The Tigers defeated Shelbyville 36-14 last Friday night. “These kids are a resilient bunch,” Thiel said. “They’ll be here Monday, ready to go. Next week starts the region games so I know they’ll be ready to go.”
Source: Main Street Preps
Independence 34 Trezevant 0
Independence debuted their new turf field and Head Coach Scott Stidham got his first win at Independence on Friday night. Independence played without senior tight end Ty Lockwood and junior quarterback Cody Pagach, but the Eagles still rolled to victory to move their season record to 1-1. Tre' Hartwell had 3 rushing touchdowns to lead the Eagles, with Daniel Morales scoring twice on passes from Peyton Kirton. Defensively, Independence was led by Reece Pickering's 5 tackles and Tre Stribling's 2 tackles for loss. Independence will open region play at Centennial this Friday night.
Summit 35 Spring Hill 0
The Summit High School football team cruised past visiting Spring Hill on Friday with a shutout victory at home to break in the Spartans new turf field. Summit’s defense allowed just 12 yards and forced three turnovers in the lopsided 35-0 shutout. Cooper Hall and Aden Byrd combined for five tackles for loss to help lead the stifling Spartan pressure. Byrd recovered a fumble and scored with 10:24 to play in the second quarter as Summit opened a 21-0 lead. Offensively, Dominick Hollis rushed for 87 yards and Logan Frazier added 56 more. Hollis scored once on the ground and Frazier rumbled in for a pair of TDs, including a 26-yarder to end the scoring early in the fourth. Quarterback Austin Harvey hit Josh Jenkins for a 19-yard strike in the second frame as well. Summit, which fell 30-7 to Henry County last week, stays at home in Week 3 with a visit from Brentwood to begin Region 7-6A play.
Source: Williamson Herald
Nolensville 21 Giles County 14
The Knights needed two fourth-quarter touchdowns to rally past visiting Giles County in Week 2. Coby Walton connected with Chance Fitzgerald for 20 yards and Reese Miller’s PAT knotted the game at 14-14 with 9:06 to play. Dylan Northcutt hauled in a 42-yard strike from Walton just four minutes later for the go-ahead score. Walton threw for three TDs going 14 of 26 for 264 yards. He also led the ground game with 31 yards. Fitzgerald snagged five balls for 105 yards and Northcutt caught four for 76 yards. Zion Tamaska caught the other Walton TD – a 29-yarder early in the second frame. Giles County’s Kamauri Turner responded with back-to-back touchdown runs as the Bobcats kept the Nolensville offense in check until the fourth. Taylor Wein racked up six tackles, including two for loss, while Taryc Washington swiped an interception to lead the Knights defense. Nolensville, which moved to 2-0, will head to Lincoln County next week to begin Region 6-5A play. The Falcons are 0-2 and coming off a 42-7 loss at Centennial.
Source: Williamson Herald
Ravenwood 56 BGA 3
Ravenwood High School senior linebacker Tanner Schuck knew his football team needed to make a statement after a disappointing Week 1 loss at home against Montgomery Bell Academy. The Raptors did just that Thursday, forcing several turnovers and racing past visiting Battle Ground Academy, 56-3. “We worked hard all week in practice and knew we had to bounce back,” said Schuck, who pounced on a BGA fumble near the end of the first half and posted a pair of tackles for loss. “We were playing fast and physical and getting to our spots. I think everybody rallied to the ball and played hard through the whistle.” Ravenwood opened up a 14-3 lead before the Raptor offense even took a snap Thursday. On the visiting Wildcats’ opening possession, Ravenwood’s Ben Hubbard blocked a punt and teammate Caleb Erickson scooped up the ball and rumbled in 12 yards for the touchdown just 78 seconds into the game. BGA responded by scratching together a 47-yard drive on 12 plays before settling for a 42-yard field goal by Carson Coco to make it 7-3 with 2:52 to play in the first. Hubbard ignited the Ravenwood faithful again on the ensuing kickoff by streaking through BGA defenders for a 66-yard touchdown return for the 14-3 advantage with 2:36 to play in the first frame. Just two plays later, the Ravenwood defense came away with another takeaway when Lucas Houston intercepted Wildcat quarterback Gavin Berger. Houston returned the ball inside the BGA 10-yard line before junior running back Carter Pace took three consecutive handoffs. He punched in a 1-yard touchdown for the 21-3 advantage for the home team late in the first frame. Pace rushed for three touchdowns on just nine carries for 110 yards. His older brother, Colton, added a 14-yard touchdown reception from Chris Parson early in the third quarter. “We knew we had to execute in this game and just build some confidence,” the younger Pace said. “I think in that first game, we just weren’t ready. This shows how we handle adversity.” Pace added an 11-yard scoring run midway through the second and QB Parson pushed the Raptor lead to 35-3 when he scooted into the end zone with 56 seconds remaining in the second quarter and on the heels of Schuck’s fumble recovery. The rushing TD late in the first half capped a six-play drive that chewed up 76 yards in just 67 seconds. Parson completed 9 of 11 passes for 93 yards and rushed for another 54 with the pair of touchdowns. Ravenwood gained 259 yards on the ground. “Once you keep getting big runs, the other team just gets down, so we kept doing what worked and rolled,” said Pace, who finished his night with a 40-yard touchdown run to open the fourth quarter. Pace said he and the Raptors will try to mirror the performance next week when they open Region 7-6A play at Franklin and keep building confidence. Schuck agreed. “We still can’t underestimate anyone, but this one definitely raises our confidence. Still, that’s all behind us now. We will focus on next week and be ready for Franklin.” BGA, which suffered a 38-14 loss at home against Nolensville last week, also begins league play against Division II-AA Middle Region foe Christ Presbyterian Academy. Besides the early drive, the Wildcats best scoring drive came near the end of the second quarter when they reached the Ravenwood 13-yard line only to have Schuck scoop up a mishandled catch. Bruiser Austin Ford led BGA offensively with 90 yards on 18 touches.
Source: Williamson Herald
