Saturday, Oct. 31, 2009

Franklin reaches 5,000-yard plateau in North rout

Scoring on every possession, Olathe North racked up 270 yards rushing on 35 carries, picked up 17 first downs and slaughtered Olathe South 41-0 on Friday. Then the city's oldest rivals came back to the field for the second half.

“We needed to do that,” Eagles coach Pete Flood said. “We didn't want to give them an opportunity to try and stay in it. Our kids came out very focused on this game, which is what we need to do. We did some good things on both sides of the ball. Special teams was better, and we've just got to keep doing that — stay in the here and the now.”

The Eagles, who went on to a 48-7 victory, overmatched the Falcons from the opening kickoff stopping a fourth-down run in South territory on the game's opening drive and scoring six plays later on a 6-yard run by James Franklin.

The win gives North, 9-0, its first undefeated regular season since 2004, but the squad is weary of that record at the same time.

“It's nice to go through that first nine and be 9-0, but right now it's about being 1-0,” Flood said. “I believe in these kids and I know we'll approach it that way. But I'm proud of them.”

And don't call it a perfect season.

“I wouldn't say perfect,” Franklin said. “Nobody is perfect and we definitely have our flaws and imperfections, but it means a lot to this community that this team is winning again like it should. But we can't afford to think we're perfect, because we have to get better every week.”

By the time North marched 59 yards to the end zone on its second drive, capping the 10-play possession with a 10-yard TD pass from David Blazevic to Adonis Saunders, the only remaining drama was when Franklin would top 5,000 career rushing yards.

Franklin, a senior tailback, entered the game with 4,870 career rushing yards. He already had 100 yards on 13 carries after the Eagles' third drive, which Franklin capped with a 2-yard TD run early in the second quarter.

Franklin popped a 31-yard run up the gut — complete with a hip shake, jump cut and a juke and a 360-degree Madden-like spin — on the first carry the next drive, putting him at 5,001 career yards. It was a perfect play for the milestone, displaying the balance, shiftiness and burst that combined to help him reach such lofty heights.

“It's a product of what he does and a product of good offensive lines in front of him,” Flood said. “They compliment one another well.”

Franklin, who finished with 168 yards on 20 carries, joins Darren Sproles as the only backs in Eagles history to reach 5,000 yards. He needs another 192 yards to match Sproles' career rushing record of 5,230 yards.

“It means I have a tremendous team,” Franklin said. “That's all I can say. Every ounce of credit and credit for every yard, every inch, goes to my teammates. I couldn't do anything without them.”

Blazevic capped that drive, a 12-play, 79-yard effort, with a 1-yard QB sneak for a TD and a 28-0 lead. South then mishandled the ensuing kickoff, taking over its own 1.

Sensing blood in the water, senior Lucas Vincent broke through the Falcons line for a sack and forced fumble, which fellow senior Phillip Huntley recovered in the end zone for another touchdown.

The Eagles' defense, which allowed only 9 yards rushing on eight first-half carries, forced another three-and-out, which led to a 17-yard TD jaunt by Saunders in the final minute as the lead ballooned to 41 points.

“We know we're capable of that and we came out with the intention of burying them,” Franklin said. “There's I wouldn't say outstanding hate for Olathe South, but it's a big rivalry and everybody knows that.”

Victor Simmons, who rushed for 100 yards on 12 carries, added an 11-yard TD on the opening drive of the second half, making it 48-0 before North put in its sophomores.

South sophomore Fritz Wilbur broke up the shutout with a 49-yard touchdown run later in the third quarter.

The fourth-quarter highlight came in the final minutes when seldom-used defensive back Peter Rogers, a senior, intercepted Falcons quarterback Tanner Dutton in the end zone and rumbled 77 yards to the South 25 before he was tackled.

“It felt good,” Rogers said. “I just backpedaled and saw it coming, so I jumped up and caught it. I just ran as fast as I could after that and tried to score a touchdown. But it's still an amazing moment for me, because it's my first pick. It feels like I contributed to the win.”

OLATHE NORTH 48, OLATHE SOUTH 7

OS (4-5) 0 0 7 0 — 7

ON (9-0) 14 27 7 0 — 48

Scoring summary

First quarter

ON: James Franklin 6 run (pass failed), 9:01

ON: Adonis Saunders 10 pass from David Blazevic (Franklin run), 3:11

Second quarter

ON: Franklin 2 run (Jared Morss kick), 10:24

ON: Blazevic 1 run (Morss kick), 3:29

ON: Phillip Huntley 0 fumble return (Morss kick), 3:22

ON: Saunders 17 run (kick blocked), 0:31.6

Third quarter

ON: Victor Simmons 11 run (Morss kick), 10:20

OS: Fritz Wilbur 49 run (Brad Gourley kick), 4:15

Team statistics

OS ON

First downs 10 22

Rushing-yards 19-124 57-357

Passing yards 110 29

C-A-I 9-18-2 2-7-0

Total yards 234 386

Fum/Lost 1-1 1-0

Pen/Yards 6-51 6-75

Individual statistics

Rushing

Olathe South: Barry Sargent 6-18, Tanner Dutton 4-6, Cooper Steinman 3-5, Teddy Colbert 1-39, Fritz Wilbur 2-58, Nick Sands 3-(-2). Olathe North: James Franklin 20-168, Victor Simmons 12-98, Tre Walker 3-12, Adonis Saunders 2-26, David Blazevic 2-4, Connor Mashek 9-11, Terrence Brown 9-38.

Passing

Olathe South: Dutton 9-18-2 110. Olathe North: Blazevic 2-6-0 29, Simmons 0-1-0 0.

Receiving

Olathe South: Brad Gourley 3-57, Stephen King 1-5, Sargent 3-13, Steinman 1-11, Jordan Toutges 1-24. Olathe North: Saunders 1-10, Jason Peete 1-19.

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