Hungry Franklin takes down Hallettsville

By Douglas Pils
For the Franklin News Weekly

WALLER – The Franklin Lions’ fourth playoff journey with Mark Fannin as head coach started with a dominating 50-22 victory over Hallettsville on Friday at Waller ISD Stadium. 

That sets up the Lions’ area-round clash against Shepherd at 7 p.m. Friday at Berton A. Yates Stadium in Willis.  

Two strong character traits shined brightly for the Lions. They looked hungry for a third straight state championship and, more importantly, they lifted a teammate who was hurting something fierce. 

Senior Devyn Hidrogo rushed for a season-high 146 yards and three touchdowns on five carries, bullied his way through three Brahmas to the end zone for a 2-point conversion, caught two passes and broke up two passes. This happened two days after the death of his stepfather, Bruce Wiggins, and father to freshman Bryce Wiggins. 

Hidrogo sprinted 55 yards to score the game’s first touchdown less than four minutes into the game and many in the Franklin stands wiped away some tears as the Wyoming commit pointed to the sky in the end zone. He spent the rest of the night playing one of his best games. 

“It means everything. This brotherhood in the locker room means everything,” senior quarterback Cort Lowry said. “We’ve got a guy on the team with a really heavy heart right now and the way the guys surrounded him, comforted him and supported him through the week was unbelievable. It was an unbelievable amount of love shown to him.”

Fannin called it a tough week and lauded Hidrogo’s effort. 

“He’s a special kid and he’s had a rough week, him and Bryce both. I can’t imagine what they’re going through,” said Fannin. “Him coming out and having a game like he did, I couldn’t be more proud of him. He’s a special athlete.”

The Lions’ defense allowed a first down on the second play of the game, but by the time Hallettsville gained its next first down it trailed 21-0 with 5:45 still left in the first quarter. That’s the kind of defense the Lions have worked hard to re-establish since giving up 501 yards in the 52-49 loss to Lorena. 

“I think we played well except for a few deep balls, but we’re solid right now,” said senior linebacker Major Kimbrough, who had six tackles and one big one for a loss. “With our front seven stopping the run, we’ve made a big jump since Lorena. Lorena really set us going in the right direction.”

Jackson breaks loose

The Brahmas’ second drive lasted three plays and then junior running back Jayden Jackson started his assault on the opposing defense. 

He needed two carries, the second a 61-yard touchdown sprint up the middle, to give Franklin a 13-0 lead. Jackson finished with a game-high 181 yards on 14 carries. It’s his fourth game with at least 180 yards this year and he now has 1,608 yards rushing and 24 total touchdowns. 

Two plays later, senior linebacker Brayden Youree intercepted a Jorian Wilson screen pass at the Brahmas 2. That set up senior running back/linebacker Colby Smith’s 2-yard plunge with Lowry serving as one of the lead blockers. Bubba Jackson’s two-point run gave Franklin the 21-0 lead. 

“I thought we’ve come out and played better football these past few weeks,” said Fannin, who’s now 54-4 as Franklin’s head coach. “These guys, ever since that Lorena loss, have been a different look, in how they practice, how they carry themselves and it’s been really business-like how they’ve come out and played.” 

Hallettsville got within 21-7 after an eight-play drive, but it took the Lions three plays to respond. R.J. Fulton scored from 12 yards out after Jackson gained 45 yards on two carries. 

The Brahmas set off on another drive, but on the eighth play, Smith, who led the Lions with 10 tackles, forced and recovered a fumble at the Franklin 34 with 7:12 left in the second quarter. 

Jackson tore off a 43-yard run on fourth-and-1 and then Hidrogo added his second touchdown with a 12-yard run. He showed off his determination on the ensuing two-point pass from Lowry, making one Brahma miss and then pushing through three more to stretch the ball over. 

“He played amazing tonight,” Lowry said of his fellow senior. “I think he really played for his stepdad. He played to glorify him and he made big plays to help us get this win.”

That made it 36-7 and Hallettsville added another score on a 69-yard pass from Wilson to Rashaun Sidney to make it 36-14 at halftime. 

One more for Hidrogo

The break did little to cool Hidrogo down. On the fourth play of the second half, he sprinted 65 yards to make it 43-14. That gave Hidrogo 20 points total, another season high. It was a special night, but Hidrogo focused only on the victory. 

“As long as we win the game, I really don’t care about the stats,” said Hidrogo, who now has 1,068 yards from scrimmage this year with 614 rushing and 410 receiving. “I feel like I’m going to do whatever I can do for the team.”

Sophomore Walker Anderson added the final score, a 5-yard run, to cap off a 12-play drive that took nearly eight minutes off the clock and made the score 50-22 early in the fourth quarter. 

Franklin still has some things to work on this week as it allowed Wilson to throw for 259 yards on just 9-of-21 passing and it committed at least 10 penalties for the third straight game with 10 for 74 yards. 

“I think we’re playing well on defense,” Fannin said. “We’re swarming to the ball, getting lined up right and getting 11 hats to the ball most of the time. When you get a defense that comes out and plays fast and physical, you’re going to be alright.”