Unbeaten Rams hold off Franklin challenge - from Asheville Citizen-Times (9/24/07)
After the first quarter of Friday night’s game against Roberson at the Panther Pit, Franklin’s fans were thinking upset. For the rest of the game, it was upset stomach.
The Rams, undefeated and ranked first in the Citizen-Times Best of the West poll, rallied from an early 14-0 deficit to down the Panthers 24-17 in the Mountain Athletic Conference opener for both teams. Workhorse tailback Justin Wynn ran for 216 yards and a score, and caught a touchdown pass and quarterback Tripp Weaver passed for 131 yards and a touchdown to lead the Roberson to the win.
“We want to win a championship this year, and we know championship teams have to fight back from adversity,” Wynn said.
“We have good chemistry, and we kept our confidence up after we fell behind. I think they gave us a good test early on, but I was never worried because we came here to win tonight.”
Boasting the mountains’ stingiest defense entering the game, Roberson’s defenders became more aggressive after the early scare from the Panthers and didn’t allow Franklin to reach the end zone after the opening quarter.
Leading by three points at halftime, the Rams (5-0, 1-0) added a touchdown run by Wynn early in the third quarter, and the Roberson defense stayed tough enough in the second half to preserve the victory.
Franklin got past the Roberson 10-yard line twice in the fourth quarter but came away with only three points as Andrew Raby kicked a 24-yard field goal with just more than three minutes remaining in the game before the Rams’ offense ran out the clock on the final possession.
“I’m proud of how we fought back tonight,” said Roberson coach Jim Beatty. “We had good senior leadership, and even though our defense had some letdowns tonight, we stepped it up when the game was on the line in the fourth quarter.”
Franklin (3-3, 0-1) grabbed the early momentum by reaching the end zone on two straight possessions to open the game before the Rams’ offense came to life. Roberson’s fortunes changed after the Rams downed Panthers quarterback Christian Vose in the Panthers’ end zone for a safety early in the second quarter to pull within 14-2.
The Rams offense then used a pair of razzle-dazzle pass plays to pull ahead 17-14 at halftime, highlighted by a hook-and-ladder 35-yard touchdown pass from receiver Artis Gilmore to Wynn that gave the Rams the lead for good with just more than three minutes remaining in the second quarter.
“We knew it was going to be a long game even after we got an early lead,” said Franklin coach Josh Brooks. “They did a good job fighting back, and even though we played hard, I think the better team won tonight.”
Vose led Franklin with 175 passing yards and a touchdown throw