By Owen Whitsett
Coffee County Central battled back from a two-touchdown halftime deficit and had the football with a chance to win late Friday night, but the Red Raiders came up just short in a 26-20 district loss to Franklin High School.
Franklin struck first behind junior quarterback Ryder Gregg. Gregg threw for 61 yards on the Admirals’ opening possession and finished the drive with a 27-yard touchdown pass to senior Brox Bousslot. Franklin missed the extra point to leave the score at 6-0.
Coffee County answered with a lengthy drive of its own. A long completion to Cam Stafford was erased by an illegal man downfield penalty, but Kaysen Lowery responded with a 31-yard scramble. Later in the drive, Lowery connected with Stafford for 32 yards on fourth-and-short to move the Raiders deep into Franklin territory.
Coffee County worked its way to the goal line before the first quarter expired, and Lowery finished the drive on the first play of the second quarter with a quarterback keeper for the touchdown. The extra point was no good, leaving the game tied at 6-6.
Franklin quickly regained control. Gregg connected with Bousslot for a 50-yard gain to set the Admirals up at the Coffee County 10, and senior Joseph Panaia scored from 10 yards out. The PAT put Franklin back in front 13-6.
Coffee County responded with another methodical drive and reached the Franklin 6-yard line with a chance to tie the game late in the first half. On third-and-goal, Lowery was hit while scrambling and lost the football, with Franklin recovering.
The Admirals immediately made the turnover hurt. Gregg found senior Hudson Reed for an 87-yard touchdown, stretching the Franklin lead to 20-6 with 1:11 remaining before halftime.
Coffee County opened the second half with a 21-yard completion from Lowery to Stafford, but the drive eventually stalled. The Raiders attempted a fake punt on fourth down, with Matthew White taking the direct snap, but he was forced out of bounds short of the first-down marker. A lightning delay followed immediately after the play.
When play resumed, Franklin drove inside the Coffee County 10 with an opportunity to extend the lead. The Raider defense stood tall near the goal line, including a key pass breakup from White, and Franklin eventually missed a field-goal attempt to keep the deficit at 20-6.
Coffee County took advantage and began working its way back into the game. Lowery converted a third down with his legs and later found White over the middle for 15 yards and another first down.
The Raiders eventually faced fourth-and-2 from the Franklin 20. With pressure coming, Lowery put the ball up for freshman Luke Christian, who went up and made a big catch to put Coffee County near the goal line.
Tez Garrett carried the Raiders down to the 1-yard line before punching it across on the following play. The extra point was good, cutting Franklin’s lead to 20-13.
But just as Coffee County had seized momentum, Franklin took it right back. Sophomore Chet Miller returned the ensuing kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown. The extra point was no good, but the return pushed the Admirals’ advantage back to 26-13.
The Red Raiders refused to go away. Coffee County put together another long drive that carried into the fourth quarter, and Lowery finished it by finding the corner on an 11-yard touchdown run. The PAT cut the Franklin lead to 26-20.
Franklin responded by chewing time off the clock and eventually drove inside the Coffee County 10 with a chance to put the game away.
The Red Raider defense had other plans.
Junior defensive end Kellan Hershman made a big stop near the goal line and continued creating pressure in the backfield. After an incomplete pass brought up fourth down, Franklin tried to get to the edge, but junior Samuel “Rambo” Patrick was waiting. Patrick brought the ball carrier down in the backfield to complete the goal-line stand and give Coffee County one final opportunity.
The Raiders took over at their own 7-yard line needing to go 93 yards for a potential game-winning touchdown. Lowery immediately took a deep shot toward Christian, drawing a defensive pass interference penalty to move Coffee County away from its own goal line.
The drive stalled from there. A false start eventually left Coffee County facing third-and-long, Lowery’s pass intended for White fell incomplete, and Franklin brought Lowery down for a sack on fourth down to end the comeback attempt.
The Admirals kneeled out the remaining time to secure the 26-20 win.
Lowery turned in a strong all-around performance, rushing 12 times for 67 yards and two touchdowns while completing 13-of-28 passes for 154 yards. Garrett added 57 yards and Coffee County’s other touchdown on 13 carries.
Stafford led Coffee County through the air with three catches for 59 yards. Joe Jordan caught four passes for 37 yards, Garrett added two catches for 23 yards and Christian finished with two catches for 16 yards, including his crucial fourth-down grab near the goal line.
Coffee County’s defensive front came up with several big plays in the second half, with Hershman consistently creating problems near the line of scrimmage and Patrick delivering the fourth-down stop that gave the Raiders their final opportunity.
For Franklin, Gregg turned in a strong night at quarterback, completing 19-of-25 passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns. The Admirals finished with 379 total yards, while Coffee County totaled 293.
Coffee County stats
- Kaysen Lowery: 13-of-28 passing, 154 yards; 12 carries, 67 yards, 2 TD
- Tez Garrett: 13 carries, 57 yards, 1 TD; 2 catches, 23 yards
- Cam Stafford: 2 carries, 5 yards; 3 catches, 59 yards
- Matthew White: 2 carries, 9 yards; 1 catch, 15 yards
- Jett Trussler: 1 carry, 4 yards; 1 catch, 4 yards
- Joe Jordan: 4 catches, 37 yards
- Luke Christian: 2 catches, 16 yards
- 293 total yards
- 16 first downs
- 1 turnover
- 2 turnovers on downs
- 2 punts
- 3 penalties for 15 yards
Franklin stats
- Ryder Gregg: 19-of-25 passing, 266 yards, 2 TD; 4 carries, 13 yards
- Joseph Panaia: 14 carries, 55 yards, 1 TD; 1 catch, 3 yards
- Corey Cooksey: 7 carries, 45 yards; 2 catches, 8 yards
- Brox Bousslot: 5 catches, 93 yards, 1 TD
- Hudson Reed: 5 catches, 87 yards, 1 TD
- Conner Miller: 2 catches, 30 yards
- Chet Miller: 2 catches, 30 yards; 93-yard kickoff return TD
- Coleman Lassiter: 1 catch, 10 yards
- Kyle Pearman: 1 catch, 5 yards
- 379 total yards
- 10 first downs
- No turnovers
- 3 turnovers on downs
- 7 penalties for 63 yards
Coffee County falls to 2-2 overall and 0-1 in district play, while Franklin improves to 3-1 overall and 2-0 in the district.
The Red Raiders will return home next Friday to host Independence High School, with the game live on Thunder Radio.
