Redemption Tour returns to AT&T Stadium after Franklin beats Waskom in state semifinal
BY DOUGLAS PILS
MESQUITE – The Franklin Lions’ reaction to bad plays brought out the very best in them in the Class 3A state semifinal on Dec. 10 at Mesquite Memorial Stadium.
Senior Bobby Washington put everything bad to rest when his 63-yard touchdown run and Malcolm Murphy’s two-point run with 2:55 remaining sealed Franklin’s 28-14 victory over Waskom. That sends Franklin to the 3A-DII title game against Gunter on Thursday at 7 p.m. at AT&T Stadium in Arlington.
“We faced a lot of adversity in this game,” said junior Bryson Washington, who led the Lions with 145 yards and two scores on 17 carries. “We haven’t faced adversity like this since like Week 2. I feel like we handled it well. We didn’t get down. We just had next-play mentality. And that’s what we’ve got to keep doing.”
In a year where the now 15-0 Lions haven’t seen much or any adversity, they saw a lot against Waskom (14-1).
- A three-and-out on the first drive.
- Giving up an 84-yard touchdown run on the first drive.
- Fumbling in the red zone.
- Giving up a 60-yard run to tie the game to open the second half.
- Three special teams miscues.
- Two fumbles on a fourth-quarter drive.
A lesser team might have folded under the weight of such things, but after each error different Lions lifted up their teammates, following through on their traditional pregame “I’ve got your back” chants before they run on the field.
“We haven’t really faced any adversity this year,” said coach Mark Fannin, who is now 27-3 as the Lions’ head coach with back-to-back state title game appearances in two seasons. “We faced a lot last year. A lot of these kids came back from last year. I knew they knew how to face it and overcome it.”
How Franklin responded to each bit of adversity shaped how they clawed back into the game and then kept Waskom off its feet for all but their two scoring plays.
After a Lions fumble at the Waskom 14 with 7:16 left in the first quarter, the Wildcats drove 15 plays seeking to take a two-score lead after DJ Feaster’s 84-yard touchdown run on their first drive.
Waskom had a third-and-3 at the Franklin 19 when Major Kimbrough, Colby Smith and Luis Munoz foiled quarterback Cole Watson’s plans for a pitch and brought him down for a 4-yard loss. On fourth-and-7, senior Seth Shamblin tackled Feaster for no gain.
Smith led the team with 11 tackles, while Munoz and Bryson Washington each had 10.
Franklin responded with a 10-play drive aided by a 30-yard completion from Marcus Wade Jr. to Bryson Washington, a pass interference penalty when Washington tried to hit Hayden Helton on a halfback pass and a 14-yard run by Murphy to the Waskom 5.
Bryson Washington ran the final yards and Shamblin’s extra point tied it at 7-7 with 5:33 left in the second quarter.
At this point, the Lions’ defense had given up a touchdown and a 15-play drive, but they responded by forcing a three-and out, and Franklin took over at its 26 with 3:44 to go before half.
Nine plays and five first downs later, Murphy scored on a 10-yard run and Shamblin gave the Lions a 14-7 lead about 8 minutes after they had been staring at a possible a 14-0 deficit.
“Before the game, coaches will tell us that adversity is going to hit us and they’ll ask us how are we going to clap back,” Wade said. “So we just kept going. We had next-play mentality and forgot about it and we ended up winning.”
However, the Wildcats got the ball first to open the second half. Watson essentially ran the same quarterback keeper on three straight plays, breaking off a 60-yard touchdown on the third, tying the game at 14-14 with just 1:38 gone in the third quarter.
Both defenses controlled the rest of the quarter, as there was just one first down. The Lions started a drive at their own 43 with 1:34 left in the quarter after sophomore Devyn Hidrogo broke up a pass on a fake punt.
Bryson Washington gained 8 yards on a fourth-and-1 to open the fourth and then on the second play he had a 45-yard run for the go-ahead touchdown. However, the Lions were left leading 20-14 with 10:59 remaining when Shamblin missed his first extra point of the playoffs after making the previous 38.
Waskom, with the door left open to take a one-point lead with a touchdown and extra point, took over at its own 33. Ten plays later, Jayvis Jones took a second-and-9 handoff from the Franklin 26 and was inside the 10 when he met Murphy. The senior cornerback punched the ball out as Jones tried to spin toward the end zone and Murphy pounced on it at the Franklin 8.
“I just saw make a play,” Murphy said. “Big-time players make big-time plays and I had to make a play. He tried to stiff-arm me and I just went for the ball and made the strip.
“Our defense is built for moments like this. We know when it’s time to play ball we have to knot up and play ball.”
With 6:23 remaining, a tenuous six-point lead and pinned deep, Wade walked into a huddle that was buzzing with excitement. He said he told them to “calm down, we got this.”
That ended up being true, but not before two close calls. Wade fumbled the snap on second down, but covered the ball quickly.
Four plays later, Murphy busted up the middle and had a seam, but a Wildcats defender knocked the ball loose. Senior center Charlie Scarpinato dove on it and likely saved the Lions.
“All I did was hold on to the ball,” Scarpinato said. “Everybody was trying to take it from me. I was holding on for dear life.”
After that, Bobby Washington had seen enough. His 63-yard game-sealing run gave him 128 yards on 13 carries. Helton didn’t catch a pass on this night, but his block on speedy Wildcat Zay Thomas cleared the path for Washington’s 25th touchdown of the season and a 28-14 lead after Murphy’s two-point run.
“If you’re going to eat up the clock, don’t give it to Bobby,” said Murphy, who’s third on the team with 22 touchdowns. “Bobby is going to take it for six.”
After that, the celebration was on, however Fannin and players all agreed the journey wasn’t over yet. Just making it back to AT&T Stadium won’t be enough. Making up for a 35-34 loss to Canadian in 2020 requires winning it all this year.
“Finish. That’s what we’ve been preaching all year long,” Fannin said. “The heartbreak loss last year was so close. They’ve been hungry ever since that last state championship game. Since the beginning of the year, all we’ve been preaching is finish. That’s our goal, too, this week. Hopefully we get this job done.”
Wade echoed that message.
“We have a goal and we’re right there,” Wade said. “We just have to lock in and go get it. It means a lot (going back to AT&T Stadium), but the job isn’t finished yet. We got here, but our motto is finish and we have to go and finish the job.”
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