Franklin County had opportunities to change the course of Friday night’s game at Lawrence County. An early interception put the Rebels near midfield, a touchdown was wiped out by holding, and a chance to cut into a two-score deficit disappeared after halftime.
Those missed opportunities added up to a 31–13 loss on Oct. 16, dropping Franklin County to 2–6 overall and 0–2 in region play. Lawrence County improved to 4–4 and 2–1 in the region with its third consecutive victory.
The Rebels opened on defense and created an opportunity when Austin Heath intercepted a pass and returned it to midfield. Franklin County followed with an 11-play possession but came away without points.
Monte Johnson appeared to provide a breakthrough when he caught a pass and worked through the middle of the defense into the end zone. A holding penalty erased the touchdown, leaving another promising offensive moment without a score.
Franklin County moved the ball during the first half but could not finish its drives. Lawrence County took a 14–0 lead into halftime, while holding penalties affected both teams throughout the night.
Receiving the second-half kickoff gave the Rebels a chance to make it a one-score game. Instead, Franklin County went three-and-out, and Weber Bradford’s punt was blocked and recovered deep in Rebel territory. Lawrence County converted that opportunity into another touchdown.
Penalties continued to disrupt Franklin County in the second half, and the Rebels’ scoring came too late to close the gap.
JT Baxter caught a bubble-screen pass for a touchdown late in the game. Johnson added another score on a deep pass down the sideline, beating his defender to reach the end zone. Those two touchdowns accounted for Franklin County’s late offensive response, but the Rebels could not overcome the earlier missed chances.
Franklin County returns home Friday, Oct. 23, to face Tullahoma in another region matchup. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Original score graphic: 931Go.
