Staff Report

Franklin High scored four times in the first half Friday night to beat the Berwick Panthers, 28-0, in the final game of the season. In a game when the Berwick seniors were honored before kickoff, the Panthers could never get on track against the Hornets, who racked up almost 300 yards of offense while limiting Berwick to just 141.

Raheem Colar was the leading ground-gainer for the Panthers, picking up 66 yards on 13 carries. Johnny Lomas added 37 yards on nine snaps. The top receiver for Berwick was Chaz Russo, who caught two passes for 29 yards. Jeremy Boudreaux threw 13 passes and completed four for 37 yards. He was intercepted once.

Franklin’s Jarion Brown ran three times for 56 yards and a touchdown and hit on five of 14 aerials for 154 yards and two touchdowns. Brian Robertson picked up 46 yards on 12 carries, and Shon Johnson chipped in 32 more on just four tries. Jon Michael Dryer caught a 79-yard touchdown toss, and Trévions Rouchon scored on a 59-yard pass.

Drew Landry returned Frankin’s game-opening kickoff to the Berwick 27-yard line. The Panthers were hit with two successive five-yard penalties, moving them back to the 17. On first-and-20 Boudreaux threw complete to Reed Leonard, but the play lost two yards. A fumble on the snap lost six more yards and, after a two-yard run by Josh Engleton, Brooks Richard came on to punt the ball away.

Engleton’s 28-yard boot gave Franklin the ball at the Berwick 39. On first down, Jarion Brown wove his way to the end zone, VC Caruso scored on the two-point try, and the Hornets had an 8-0 lead at the 9:52 mark of the opening period.

Landry received the kickoff at the Berwick three-yard line and returned it out to the Berwick 23. On first down, Engleton gained a yard. On second down, Boudreaux kept the ball and picked up five more yards. The Hornets were hit with a 15-yard face-mask call that gave Berwick a first-down at their own 44.

Three snaps netted five yards and brought up a punting situation. Richard faked the kick and hit Luis Hernandez for 22 yards and a first down at the Franklin 32. Then, Hernandez lost five yards, and Colar gained five. On third-and-10, Colar bolted for 22 big yards and a first down at the Hornet 10-yard line.

The drive stalled and the Panthers found themselves facing a fourth down at the Franklin 16-yard line. Richard came on to attempt a 33-yard field goal, the kick went awry, and Franklin took over at their own 16.

Brown threw incomplete on first down and Robertson gained five on second down. On third-and-five from the Hornet 21, Brown hooked up with Dryer on a 79-yard touchdown strike. The try for two failed, but Franklin still held a 14-0 lead with 3:02 remaining in the first period.

Berwick’s next possession started at their 24 yard line, but stalled at the 30. Richard’s fourth-down punt rolled dead at the Franklin 29. From there, Robertson ran twice for six and three yards, and Brown picked up the first down on a three-yard carry. On the next play, Brown threw to Rouchon for 59 yards and a touchdown. A pass on the two-point try failed, and Franklin led, 20-0, with 11:22 to go in the second period.

Just as the first half came to a close, the Panthers were in position to score after Nicholas Osburn returned a Franklin punt from his own 42 yard line down to the Franklin 14. Brown-to-Russo gained 11 yards for a first down at the Hornet three-yard line. Colar gained a yard to the two but there, Franklin’s Robertson scooped up a Berwick fumble at the six and scampered 94 yards to score. This time, the two-pointer was good, giving Franklin a 28-0 advantage with just 35 seconds remaining until halftime.

Berwick kicked off to begin the second half. Franklin moved from their 37 out to the Berwick 41. There the drive stalled, and Brown punted away. The Hornets got the ball back, though, when Berwick failed to gain any ground and had to punt.

Franklin took possession at their own 30 yard line and drove to the Berwick 14 yard line where Aaron LeCompte picked off Brown’s fourth-down pass at the Berwick 2 yard line. However, Berwick couldn’t move the ball and was also forced to punt.

The next Franklin drive was snuffed when Berwick’s Justin Morvant intercepted Brown’s pass and returned it to the Franklin 38. From there, a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against the Hornets gave Berwick a first down at the Franklin 37. A two-yard gain by Colar, a five-yard illegal procedure call, and two incomplete passes brought up a fourth-and-13. The Panthers went for it, but Boudreaux’s three-yard scramble failed to pick up the first down.

The Hornets took over on downs and their next three plays lost eight yards. A 32-yard punt gave Berwick the ball at their own 39. Lomas ran four straight times, picking up 18 yards. Then, Boudreaux gained six yards and two yards before connecting with Engleton for 10 and first down at the FHS 18.

Lomas carried for six yards and nine yards, giving the Panthers a first down at the Hornet three-yard line. Here, the penalty flag struck again, and Berwick was assessed five yards for illegal procedure. Lomas then lost three yards and gained back one yard, bringing up fourth-and-goal at the Franklin 10 yard line. Here, a Panther fumble lost 17 yards, Franklin took over on downs, and Brown knelt on the next play to run out the clock, taking a 28-0 victory back to Franklin.