(by Don Meador, Allen County Schools, November 18, 2019)
The 2019 football season came to a close Friday night as the Franklin-Simpson Wildcats defeated the Allen County-Scottsville Patriots 56-20 in the second round of the Class 4A playoffs.
“Friday night was not our best performance by any means,” noted coach Brad Hood. “Defensively, we didn’t tackle well at all. But, in the first half we made them earn things. In the second half, Franklin-Simpson scored 35 points on 12 plays.”
The Wildcats wasted little time in finding the end zone at the start of the game. Keeping the ball on the ground, Franklin-Simpson capped a six play drive with a 10-yard touchdown by Malik Carter. The point-after kick gave the hosts a 7-0 lead at the 8:45 mark of the first period.
The Patriots would catch a break following their first possession. After AC-S was forced to punt by the Wildcat defense, Franklin-Simpson’s Stutsman misplayed the punt. The Patriots pounced on the ball. A pair of runs by Jonathon Rose, a 22-yard gain by Jaquez McPeak brought the ball to the four yard line. After a loss, Trace McIntyre found McPeak open for a six-yard touchdown pass. Thorny Walker’s point after tied the game at seven with 4:03 remaining in the first.
The Wildcats countered with a 12-play, 71 yard drive. Staying with their ground game, Franklin-Simpson used four backs to march down the field. With 9:05 left in the second, Luke Richardson kept the ball and scored on a fourth-and-goal from the one. The PAT gave the Wildcats a 14-7 lead.
Franklin-Simpson added a third score in the quarter, Carter capped his team’s eight-play, 58 yard drive with an 11-yard scoring run at the 2:46 mark. Seven of the plays were runs as Franklin-Simpson pounded away at the struggling AC-S defense. The successful PAT by Hollingsworth gave the Wildcats a 21-7 lead.
Things went downhill in the second half for the Patriots. Wildcat Omar Harrison broke free for a 66-yard touchdown run at the 4:08 mark of the third, a score that lifted the hosts to a 28-7 lead.
On following series, the Patriots turned the ball over. Franklin-Simpson scored quickly to take a 34-7 lead at the 3:10 mark. However, the Patriots stormed back. A 27-yard run by Trace McIntyre would be followed by a 30-yard pass from McIntyre to Tanner Stinson. Five plays later, Dillon Rookstool scored on a one-yard run. The PAT was blocked, leaving Franklin-Simpson with a 34-13 lead with 8.7 seconds left in the third and signaling the start of a wide series of plays.
Following the kickoff, Franklin-Simpson’s Stutzman broke loose for a 62-yard run on the last play of the third. The PAT gave the Wildcats a 41-13 lead. On the following kickoff, AC-S’s Jax Cooper took the ball near his one yard line, raced through the heart of the Wildcats’ kickoff defense, and took the ball to the house for the score. Walker’s PAT pulled AC-S to with three scores.
However, the hosts wasted little time in added another score. Starting near midfield, the Wildcats quickly moved the ball to the 33 yard line. Stutsman followed with a 33-yard run at the 10:04 point to take a 48-20 lead.
Following a four-and-out for AC-S, Franklin-Simpson added their next score on a short series. Harrison’s six-yard run at the 6:41 mark lifted Franklin-Simpson to a 54-20 lead. A successful two-point conversion extended the Wildcats lead to 36 and started the running clock.
“At one time there was 20 points scored in 25 seconds,” Hood explained. “We had two scores buts the problem was that we gave up two scores.”
Still Hood admitted that he was proud with the way the Patriots overcame a lot of adversity during the year.
“I’m proud of our journey,” Hood said. “I’m proud of how far we have come. I’m proud of the fact that when we were at 1-6 our kids didn’t give up. They kept working and they kept fighting. They improved. They have a lot to be proud of.”
Hood added that his players stepped up in different situations.
“We had a lot of people step up in their roles this year,” Hood pointed out. “It was celebrated through the team. Then the next game, someone else stepped up.”
The Patriots closed the season at 5-7.