Willow handles Ben Franklin, 38-7

FINAL STATS

Willow freshman RB Darryl Franklin was a jack of all trades as the Lions routed Falcons in the “Nerd Bowl” by a score of 38-7.

A series of first half turnovers came back to haunt the Falcons.

Willow QB Jacob Guichet was picked off by Noah Bercy at the Ben Franklin 45-yard line and it was returned 25 yards to the Willow 20-yard line. A few plays later, the Falcons fumbled on a pitch, and the ball was recovered by Willow senior LB Jack Trotter.

On their next drive, the Falcons once again fumbled, and it was recovered by the Lions defense.

The Willow offense got off to a slow start but that did not last for long.

After a 26 yard run by Ben Franklin QB Thomas Gross, the Falcons landed at the Lions 19-yard line as the clock ran out in the 1st quarter. At the start of the 2nd quarter, Gross was picked off by sophomore DB Tyrell Johnson at the Willow 1-yard line and he returned it for 42 yards.

Willow immediately answered as Jacob Guichet found Darryl Franklin open on a deep post and he scored on a 57 yard TD pass. The XP by Maddox Maillho was good to give Willow a 7-0 early in the second quarter.

The Falcons again marched deep into Willow territory, but Thomas Gross was picked off by Tyrell Johnson for the second time at the 5-yard line. Johnson finished with 4 tackles (2 solo and 2 assist) and 2 interceptions.

Willow escaped from deep in their own territory via a 25 yard rush by Darryl Franklin and a 15 yard rush by sophomore RB Mark Rhodes, Jr. On 3rd and 9, Jacob Guichet found his reliable freshman receiver Ahmad Vappie on a 21 yard completion down to the Falcon 28-yard line. Facing a 4th and 16 from the 34-yard line, Guichet connected with senior receiver Corey Watson on a 20 yard completion down to the Falcon 14-yard line. After a 7 yard QB keeper by Guichet and a time out, Maddox Maillho kicked a 24 yard FG as time expired in the half to give the Lions a 10-0 lead. That drive spanned 12 plays, covering 88 yards and taking 6:35 off the clock.

Willow continued the momentum into the 2nd half after forcing a 3 and out on Ben Franklin’s opening drive of the quarter. On 4th and 21 from their own 14-yard line, Silas Meister punted the ball to Darryl Franklin who initially let the ball drop. He picked up the ball, evaded multiple defenders, took it up the other side of the field and scored on a 43 yard punt return TD. The XP by Maddox Maillho was good to extend the lead to 17-0.

The Lions defense forced another 3 and out and took over at the Falcons 22-yard line after a 12 yard punt out of bounds. They couldn’t capitalize on the good field position though as Jacob Guichet was picked off again by Noah Bercy at the Falcons 3-yard line.

Ben Franklin was able to get out from deep in their own territory with the help of trio of first down runs by Seth Sylve, Thomas Gross, and Thomas Gross. A sack by Graham Williams and a tackle for loss by Zachary Breaux on consecutive plays backed them up, and they were forced to punt.

A penalty on the punt return gave Willow the ball at their own 18-yard line. Mark Rhodes, Jr. had two long carries of 17 and 22 yards to put the Lions in Falcon territory. A couple of plays later, Jacob Guichet pitched the ball to Darryl Franklin who then threw it to a wide open Corey Watson for a 25 yard TD pass. The XP by Maddox Maillho was good to make the score 24-0 with 2:44 left in the third quarter.

On the Willow drive, Jacob Guichet connected with Darryl Franklin on a 17 yard completion. Guichet finished 7-13 for 136 yards, 1 TD and 2 INT. Runs of 12 yards by Darryl Franklin and 24 yards by Mark Rhodes, Jr. put the Lions deep inside of Falcon territory. A couple of plays later, Mark Rhodes, Jr. cap off the drive with a 16 yard TD run. He finished with 8 carries for 108 yards and 1 TD. The XP by Maddox Maillho was good to give the Lions a 31-0 lead early in the fourth quarter.

The Falcons finally found the endzone on a 33 yard TD pass from Thomas Gross to Aarion Owens. Gross finish 5/12 for 81 yards, 1 TD and 2 INT. The XP by Silas Meister was good to cut the Willow lead to 31-7.

Darryl Franklin busted free on a 33 yard run down to the Falcon 15-yard line. A couple of plays later, he notched his 3rd score of the game on a 10 yard TD run. Franklin finished with 10 carries for 95 yards, 3 catches for 87 yards, a passing TD, 244 all-purpose yards, and 3 total TDs.