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HANOVER, Ind. – Thanks to a dominant second half on both sides of the ball, the coveted Victory Bell is coming back to Franklin after the Grizzlies' 27-16 win over arch-rival Hanover on Saturday (Nov. 13) afternoon.
After being shut out in the first half, Franklin (6-4, 4-3 HCAC) shook off a double-digit deficit with a 17-point third quarter. The Franklin defense buckled down in the second half, allowing just one Hanover score over the final 30 minutes of action to capture their first Victory Bell win since the 2017 season finale.
How it Happened
The two defenses dictated play in the opening half, but the Panthers' league-leading scoring defense held serve when the teams broke for halftime with the home side leading 10-0.
With the Panthers set to receive the opening kickoff of the second half, Franklin's defense set the tone for the final 30 minutes by forcing a three-and-out that gave the ball back to the offense in Hanover territory. The Grizzlies got on the board with a four-play, 41-yard drive that ended with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Kai Ross to Dylan McKinney that made it 10-7.
After forcing another Hanover punt, the Grizzlies took their first lead of the day with 7:03 to go in the third when Ross connected with Jarrett Gibson on a 14-yard pass that made it 14-10. The Panthers responded with a touchdown right away to re-take the lead, but Franklin responded with a third straight scoring drive, ending with a 38-yard field goal from Derek Baldin that made it 17-16 heading into the fourth quarter.
Carter Brown added to the lead early in the fourth with a 28-yard field goal and the Grizzly defense followed it up with their two biggest stops of the day, resulting in two Hanover punts that gave Franklin the ball back deep in their own zone with five minutes to play.
Facing third-and-13 from their own 13, Ross and McKinney connected for the play of the day. Ross launched a pass down the sideline that McKinney hauled in against tough coverage before speeding into the end zone for a career-long 87-yard touchdown catch.
Inside the Box Score
-Franklin's defense held one of the league's top offenses to just 298 yards on the day. Hanover finished the game with just 70 net yards rushing after averaging more than 200 per game entering the day.
-Senior linebacker Jason Pigg was all over the field in his final career game, finishing with a game-high 14 tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss.
-Ross finished the day 15-for-28 with career highs in yards (264) and touchdown passes (three). McKinney hauled in five passes for a career-high 164 yards and recorded his second career multi-touchdown game.
-Sophomore Jireh Ojata recorded a sack for the ninth straight game, giving him 14 for the year and moving him into a tie for first place in the country.
-It was a sweet end to the career for Franklin's 18 graduating members. Fifth-year defenders Evan Stambaugh and Noah Ryan earned their second career Bell victory while the rest of the Grizzly seniors all closed their careers with their first win in the Victory Bell Game.