A year after Franklin fell to Canadian 35-34 in heartbreaking fashion in the 3A Division II State Title Game, Lions running back Malcolm Murphy was not about to let his team come up short again.
The Lions went into the fourth quarter with Gunter tied at 35, but rushing touchdowns of 61 and 86 yards and two interceptions by Murphy in the final period sealed a 49-35 victory for Franklin at AT&T Stadium on Thursday night.
“Big-time players make big time plays, and I’m a big-time player,” Murphy said of his fourth quarter outburst.
He won Offensive MVP after finishing with 280 rushing yards and four touchdowns, just 19 yards away from Jonathon Brooks’ 3A State Title Game rushing record set last year for Hallettsville. After the game, Murphy confirmed he scored on the same play all four times and gave credit to his offensive line for paving lanes.
“It started with the front line,” Murphy said. “Without them, I wouldn’t be able to do anything I do back in the backfield. I’m thankful, and I love them.”
Fellow back Bryson Washington contributed 165 yards and three touchdowns himself on the night, helping Franklin’s slot-T offense finish with 523 rushing yards on the ground, which broke the all-time single-game rushing record in a UIL State Title Game. The Lions were so dominant on the ground, they didn’t need a single passing yard to secure victory.
“[Washington and Murphy] are special players,” said Mark Fannin, Franklin’s head coach. “I tell everybody all the time that I’m glad they’re in green and white and not opposing colors. They’re not only outstanding athletes but outstanding human beings. I couldn’t be more proud of them.”
The victory secured Franklin’s first-ever state title after the Lions had come up empty in their two previous attempts. Fannin could barely contain his joy after the game, dancing with his team in the postgame celebrations.
“It’s one of the best moments of my life bringing home the first-ever state championship here in Franklin,” Fannin said. “This town has been waiting a very long time for this, and I couldn’t be more proud to bring this trophy home.”
Gunter returned to the state title game for the second time in three years touting a 15-0 record. However, Tiger head coach Jake Fieszel conceded afterwards that his team simply didn’t come up with the plays it needed in the fourth quarter in order to walk away with the trophy.
“It was two really good football teams going at it,” Fieszel said. “We took it down to the fourth quarter and unfortunately we didn’t make the plays there at the end to stay in the game, and they did, but I’m super proud of our team. I thought that not only this game but all year long, they did what we asked them to do.”
Murphy started his Offensive MVP campaign from the very beginning of proceedings after he dodged multiple Gunter defenders on a 59-yard touchdown run on his first touch of the game.
Just 67 seconds later though, the game was tied after Cole Lemons skied over his defender to come down with a touchdown catch on a 25-yard pass from Gunter quarterback Hut Graham.
“In my opinion, Cole is the most underrated receiver in Texas,” Graham said. “He’s good at catching that jump ball. It makes my job easy. All I have to do is put it within five yards of him and he’ll come down with it.”
Franklin’s slot-T kept chugging as the half progressed, and Bryson Washington struck next on an 18-yard touchdown with his team facing a third-and-11. Although two minutes later, the game was tied again on a touchdown by Gunter running back Ethan Sloan.
Washington scored again on a short yardage rushing touchdown after a botched punt by Gunter gifted Franklin the ball in the red zone. But yet again, Gunter answered as Hut Graham found Lemons for a five-yard score following a 54-yard run by Saul Rodriguez.
However, a missed extra point by the Tigers and an illegal motion penalty against them on a successful Hail Mary on the final play of the half meant Franklin led by one at the interval.
The start of the second half belonged to the defenses as Lane Dophied forced and recovered a Franklin fumble before Franklin linebacker Colby Smith intercepted Graham on the ensuing possession.
However, that defensive reign lasted just three minutes as the teams spent the rest of the third quarter trading touchdowns.
Bryson Washington and Malcom Murphy broke free for touchdown runs of 66 and 34 yards, while Graham connected with Sloan for a 20-yard touchdown before Sloan added a two-point conversion on a reverse. Brayden Hinton then found paydirt from four yards out on the next possession to tie proceedings up at 35 heading to the fourth, which was dominated by Murphy’s heroics.
After Gunter was ousted in the state semifinals a year ago, Graham said he was proud of his team for making it one step further this year even if they didn’t get the result they wanted in the end.
“I couldn’t be more proud,” Graham said. “Me and Lane [Dophied] and all the seniors. We’ve been leading the whole team through the whole season. Obviously, I’m not very proud of the way it ended tonight, but I’m proud we kept fighting back every time that we faced adversity.”
For Franklin, Fannin and his team have been preaching the word “finish” since the Canadian game a year ago. On Thursday night, Franklin did finish, sending its seniors out on the highest note possible.
“It’s been very emotional knowing it’s my last time playing with my senior brothers,” Washington, a junior, said. “I am very grateful to have this team, and I’m glad we got this dub.”
See all Playoff Final Scores Here: live-scores-texas-high-school-football-scoreboard
2021 Championship Magazine – Pre-Order
Brought to you by:
