Photos by Pat Carrigan / Championship game coverage brought to you by Ja-Mar Roofing & Sheet Metal
With the 3A Division I State Championship tied at 14, Franklin kicker Cort Lowry prepared to kick the potential game-winning field goal.
According to him, he was the calmest man in the building.
“We practice field goals in practice every day,” Lowry said. “I just went out there and did my thing.”
Lowry missed a 37-yard field goal in the first quarter, but he delivered with the game on the line, nailing the ball through the uprights from 20 yards away to earn Franklin a wild 17-14 victory and its second-straight state championship.
“It felt amazing,” Lowry said. “Coming off that miss, I didn’t doubt myself because I know I can do it, but making that last one sure did feel good.”
The State Championship Winning Kick #TXHSFB https://t.co/7c0ds9xGBM
— Texas HS Football (@texashsfootball) December 16, 2022
On Franklin’s final drive, the Lions went 65 yards on 16 plays and took the final six minutes off the clock. Franklin head coach Mark Fannin said it was a drive designed for Franklin’s slot-T offense.
“That’s Franklin football; that’s what we’re about: controlling the clock, three to four yards a carry,” Fannin said. “It couldn’t come down to a better situation for us. That’s our philosophy on offense, and they did a great job on that last drive.”
Franklin now possesses the longest winning streak in the state with 32-straight victories. Fannin said it’s a testament to the special group of players he has in Robertson County.
“I’m fortunate and blessed that we could go back-to-back,” Fannin said. “The athletes I got here in Franklin are special all the way around. They buy in. They trust us. They understand the process. It’s sure been fun.”
Before this game, the five prior 2022 UIL State Championships had all been decided by 20 points or more.
Brock head coach Billy Mathis said the slugfest between his team and Franklin was exactly what you’d want from a state championship.
“That’s the way you want football to be played,” Mathis said. “You got two great teams going out there going head-to-head. Unfortunately, there has to be a loser, and tonight, Franklin got the best of us.”
The game was a defensive grind from the very beginning.
Lowry missed his field goal on Franklin’s opening possession after a 15-play, 49-yard drive by the Lions.
Brock opened the second quarter with a long drive of its own into the Franklin red zone. However, Brock quarterback Tyler Moody made an ill-advised throw off his back foot right into the waiting arms of Franklin’s Brayden Youree.
Eventually, the Franklin offense found a way through. Jayden Jackson broke for a 45-yard run to move the Lions into Brock territory. Five plays later, Jackson got the Lions on the scoreboard as he dove into the end zone for a four-yard touchdown to give Franklin a 7-0 halftime lead.
With Brock focusing a lot of attention on Bryson Washington, Jackson had a big game for the Lions as he finished with 146 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries.
Brock began to turn the tide in the third quarter after Eagle linebacker Hyatt Dunaway recovered a Franklin fumble deep in Lion territory.
On the ensuing play, Reid Watkins went on a winding 22-yard touchdown run to tie the game at seven.
The score would stay tied until four minutes into the fourth quarter. On a crazy play, Moody found Zachary Brewster for a nice gain.
However, in a scrum of players, Franklin defensive back Fragiel Owens emerged with the ball before racing 64 yards for the score to put Franklin up 14-7.
“Devyn [Hidrogo] is really the reason that play happened; he took it and gave it to me,” Owens said. “And then I was like, ‘I gotta go score.’ I took off running, and I saw the first dude miss, and it was off to the races.”
A 64 YARDS STRIP AND SCORE?!?!?!? Yep… that’s what happens at AT&T Stadium during State Championships.
@brock_football 🦅 : 7@FranklinLionFB 🦁 : 14@uiltexas | #TXHSFB | 📺: BSSW Extra pic.twitter.com/ZvMz8lFMWW— BallySportsTXHS (@BallySportsTXHS) December 16, 2022
Brock needed just four plays to knot proceedings back at 14. Moody found his running back Brett Tutter for a jump ball 34-yard touchdown. Even though Tutter wasn’t a conventional target for Moody, he said he fully believed his running back would get the job done.
“I went through my progression, and he was the dude that I saw,” Moody said. “He’s not the most ideal receiver and that’s why he’s our running back, but I trust everyone on this team to make a big play and he did.”
WHAT A GRAB BY @BrettTutter22 🤯🤯
The Eagles tie it after an INCREDIBLE throw by QB Tyler Moody!
@brock_football 🦅 : 14@FranklinLionFB 🦁 : 14@uiltexas | #TXHSFB | 📺: BSSW Extra pic.twitter.com/f17uF0VlfI— BallySportsTXHS (@BallySportsTXHS) December 16, 2022
Unfortunately for Brock, that would be the last time the Eagles would touch the ball as the Lions bled out the rest of the clock on their game-winning drive.
But still, the fact Brock was there on Thursday night was a remarkable achievement considering the Eagles started the season 0-4 and only had 10 seniors on their roster this season.
“It was definitely a journey, lots of ups and downs,” Brock senior lineman Trace Roger said. “But we stuck together. Those underclassmen really stepped up for us too. They fought their tails off for us.”
For Franklin, Thursday was the final game for star running back Bryson Washington, who finishes his Franklin career with nearly 5,000 rushing yards. He was quick to give credit to his teammates after the game for their part in his illustrious career.
“I’m grateful for my team and everything we did for each other,” Washington said. “It has been the best time of my life playing here at Franklin. And without the line, there wouldn’t be no Bryson.”
Franklin played football for over 100 years before it earned its first state championship last season.
Now, with another state title to add to the trophy case, Fannin said his players have set the bar high for the future Lion teams to come.
“These kids, they expect to win,” Fannin said. “That’s just a big piece of what we’ve done here. It takes a special group of kids to do that week in and week out, and I’m just so proud of these guys of how they’ve come in and bought into that.”
Offensive MVP: RB Jayden Jackson, Franklin
Jackson was the more productive of Franklin’s two main slot-T running backs on the night as he racked up 146 yards and a score on 24 carries.
Defensive MVP: DB Fragiel Owens, Franklin
Owens only had three total tackles, but he had the defensive play of the game as he returned a Brock fumble 64 yards for a touchdown that gave Franklin a 14-7 lead in the fourth quarter.
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