Sabers use defense, strength to overpower Park

Franklin - The old adage is speed kills, but the Franklin football team proved Friday night that power can be just as deadly.

The Sabers used a swarming defensive effort to keep Racine Park's skill players under control in rolling to a 30-6 victory at Franklin.

With the win, Franklin kept its WIAA state playoff hopes alive at 3-2 in Southeast play and 5-2 overall. The Sabers will try to clinch that state berth when they host Kenosha Tremper (2-3, 4-3) for the annual 7 p.m. homecoming tilt on Friday.

Defense shines again

As it has been the case all season, Franklin relied on its defense against the Panthers.

Park brought to the table a strong, athletic quarterback in senior Jordan Payne, a lightning-quick running back in Javail Thomas and a big receiving target in Richard Flores, but the Sabers won the battle in the trenches all night long and were able to derail the Panthers' playmakers before they built up any steam.

As a result, Park did not advance the ball past midfield the entire first half.

"It being a little bit damp on the field here probably helped us - I wouldn't say this is a fast track," Franklin coach Louis Brown said. "I felt it was going to come down to the front three on defense and the front five on offense, and I think that was the difference."

Brown credited a cooperative team effort on defense as well as a focused week of practice for the Sabers' dominating performance.

"We worked all week on pursuing the football and getting 11 hats on the ball," he said. "(Park has) some special athletes back there, and you have to try to keep their shoulders turned sideways. If they turn them square, then they can beat you two ways. (Payne) is awfully good and awfully strong, so you definitely don't want to tackle him in the open field. I thought we played well in all three facets of the game."

Field position yields TD

Franklin's defense also jumpstarted its offense after the Sabers' first two possessions ended in a three and out and interception, respectively. Starting on their own 21-yard line, the Panthers promptly lost eight yards in three plays, and a poor punt gave the Sabers the ball on Park's 35-yard line.

The Sabers quickly took advantage of the excellent field position, scoring on the drive's second play when senior Ben Miller caught a short pass from quarterback Sean McGuire and turned upfield for a 29-yard touchdown late in the first quarter.

Franklin made it 10-0 early in the second quarter on a 26-yard field goal by Matt Ward, capping a 59-yard drive.

On Park's ensuing possession, Payne was picked off by junior linebacker Shaun Quirk near midfield. Seven plays later, McGuire hooked up with fellow sophomore Chad Walton for a 25-yard touchdown pass and a 16-0 halftime lead.

Yards after the catch turned out to be a big factor in Franklin's offensive outburst. Running backs Miller and Walton and tight end Joe Falzon all turned short receptions into gains of 25 yards or more. The end result was a solid night for McGuire, who went 7-of-18 passing for 125 yards and two touchdowns.

"Sean's a big, strong kid with a huge upside," Brown said. "Probably the best part about him is his demeanor; for a sophomore he's pretty mature and doesn't get down on himself."

Rushing takes precedence

Franklin extended its lead to 23-0 in the third quarter on a 69-yard scoring drive. This time, the Sabers switched things up inside the red zone as Walton ran four consecutive plays taking a direct snap out of the shotgun, the last of which resulted in a 5-yard touchdown run.

"Muskego shut us down twice on the goal line (last week), so we obviously worked on some goal line stuff," Brown said. "I'm really happy with the offensive line and running backs and the offensive package that we put in this week to get that yard or two because that's always been a weakness for us."

Park broke up the shutout on the first play of the fourth quarter, a 7-yard touchdown run by the diminutive Thomas, but the Sabers answered right back with a 72-yard scoring drive. Walton gained nearly half the drive's yards on a 35-yard sweep, and Miller picked up the final yard for his second touchdown of the game.

Once again, Franklin's three-man shotgun rotation was highly effective. In addition to McGuire's yards through the air, Miller had 139 yards rushing on 25 carries and added 58 yards on four receptions. Walton, who also scored twice, finished with 92 yards rushing on only 11 carries.

"It's so different than what we've had in past years with (one) great quarterback (in place)," said Miller, referring to his jack-of-all-trades role. "If we need a good run game out of the backfield, (the coaches) put Chad and I in (at QB) to mix it up a little."