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| Franklin & Marshall won its season opener under the lights at Lebanon Valley, lost to Westminster (Pa.) in Week 2, and has rattled off eight consecutive wins since. Gary Lewis photo by Franklin & Marshall athletics |
By Brian Lester
D3sports.com
When Franklin & Marshall trailed Johns Hopkins by 21 points a couple of weeks ago in a game that would decide the Centennial Conference championship, the connection of this Diplomats team shined through.
“Even when we were down 21-0, no one was pointing fingers,” wide receiver and league offensive player of the year Gary Lewis said. “We were all focused on the next play. Everyone on this team believes in each other.”
That belief produced a 29-28 comeback win in overtime as well as a conference title and the first NCAA Division III playoff berth in program history for the Diplomats.
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“It’s unbelievable. We’ve come a long way since my freshman year,” Lewis said. “We’ve worked our behinds off, and I’m not really surprised we made it. We’ve earned this every step of the way.”
First-team all-conference linebacker Connor Hille feels the same way about the team claiming a conference title and punching a ticket to the postseason.
“It means a lot, and we definitely have come a long way as a team,” Hille said. “We had a lot of doubters. We proved it to ourselves and to others. It feels amazing.”
If you ask head coach Michael Phelan about the success of the program, he’s hardly surprised. Of course, he also knows nothing has come easy for his team.
Five of the Diplomats’ final eight regular season games were decided by a touchdown or less, including two by a single point. Both of those narrow wins were against nationally ranked opponents, with Johns Hopkins being ranked third at the time.
“We’ve been in close games all year,” said Phelan, the conference coach of the year in his first season at the helm here. “Our guys are battle tested and we have great leadership. At the end of games, when things get hard, we have a bunch of leaders making plays.”
F&M, ranked 16th in the final D3football.com poll of the regular season, was 7-4 a year ago. But it was determined to have a different outcome this season.
“I was optimistic,” Phelan said. “We knew we had good players, but we play in a great league. You never know what is going to happen. Our guys came through in big moments.”
The Diplomats’ backs were against the wall to a certain extent after a 27-7 loss in week two against Westminster.
“We knew we had to run the table after that,” Lewis said. “We’ve been playing win or go home football since week two. Now we just hae to keep doing the things that got us here. We can’t get too high or too low. We just have to keep doing what we have been doing.”
The Diplomats have won eight in a row and are 9-1 heading into a second-round game against Eastern (9-1) on Saturday.
What a year it has been so far for F&M.
“It’s been a ton of fun this year,” Phelan said. “We feel we have the best alumni in the country, a great coaching staff and we coach great kids. The combination of all those things has made it fun.”
For the Diplomats, it’s all about the details and staying true to the process en route to making this a season to remember.
“Our success goes back to how we’ve gone about everything,” Hille said. “We are more detailed focused this year, more focused on the little things. Our offseason work and even the practices leading up to games, it’s all detail oriented and I think it’s made a difference.”
The focus on the present has played a part in that.
“The motto this year is that now matters most,” Lewis said. “We are focused on the present in every practice, every meeting. It’s a rep by rep thing. We took our time with it all and it got us through to this point.”
F&M averages 338.8 yards per game and Lewis has helped lead the way, catching 56 passes for 981 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Ty Tremba has thrown for more than 2,000 yards (2,241) and 21 touchdowns to help fuel the passing attack.
On defense, Hille is one of three players with more than 60 tackles. He has 68 stops on the year. Kyle Checchio and Sam Keenan have 64 and 62 tackles, respectively.
Phelan points to the experience of the team as a reason for its success on the field.
“We have great senior leadership at key positions. It’s been outstanding. It’s been a big reason for our success,” Phelan said.
With a bye in the opening round, the Diplomats have had extra time to prepare for their playoff debut.
“We’ve been locked in. It’s kind of like the NFL right now because we don’t have class because of Thanksgiving break. We are focused only on football. It’s been good for us.”
And the team has a one day at a time mentality.
“The big thing is we are taking it day by day and trying to win each day,” Hille said. “We have the same mindset we have had all year getting ready for this game.”
It is important to stay focused, too, as Eastern is coming off a MAC championship and is also making its NCAA playoff debut, in just its third year as a varsity football program.
Like the Diplomats, the Eagles also had a bye in the first round.
“Eastern has a good football team. Everyone at this time of the year is a good football team,” Phelan said. “The extra time for us has allowed guys to get healthy, but we are still practicing hard in spots to get ready for the game.”
Lewis, one of those senior leaders Phelan talked about earlier, said it’s been fun helping the team thrive. The conference championship was a great moment, but he hopes more big moments are ahead.
“Winning the conference was the greatest moment so far. It was incredible to share that with teammates, but we hope to keep going,” Lewis said. “We are working hard to be ready.”
Phelan is enjoying the fact that he has gotten to coach his team a little longer in 2025.
“We’re thankful to still be playing. Our guys love football,” Phelan said. “This is great for the school, the alumni and most importantly, our players.”