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the team celebrates after the close victory over the Panthers
Hannah Styles
hstyles@thesmokymountaintimes.com
Last week’s Friday Night Lights turned into a muddy gridiron brawl for the Swain Maroon Devils and the Franklin Panthers that left fans on the edge of their rain drenched seats.
As spectators poured into Panther Pitt stadium in Franklin, so did the rain, but that didn’t stop Swain from slipping and sliding into the winner’s circle.
The close scoring game began with neither team getting points in the first quarter, but with 9:39 left on the clock in the 2nd, quarterback Reece Winchester passed to Josh Collins to complete a touchdown followed by a point after kick by Brendan Lanning bringing the score to 7-0 for the Devils.
It was looking good for Swain until the Panthers pounced back in the third quarter, tying the game 7-7 after a hand-off touchdown. The game remained tied, going into overtime as both teams fought back and forth, but couldn’t get a score on the other.
Fans watched in anticipation as a coin toss determined Swain would take defense first in overtime. Franklin got a 10-yard field goal adding three more points to their score, making it 13-7 and turning up the pressure on Swain. The Devils didn’t mind the heat, as Reece Winchester carried a handoff touchdown 10 yards into the endzone for six points. Swain ended the nail-biting game 13-10 for the win, as the team celebrated on the field.
Josh Collins had a game high of 69 yards with 19 carries, Reece Winchester had 38 yards with 12 carries, and Josiah Glaspie had 25 yards with 5 carries. Nathan Bogdanowicz had two catches and 29 receiving yards while Josh Collins had one catch for 27 yards and Austin Jenkins had one for 7 yards.
Riley Winchester had five unassisted tackles, while Josh Collins had four and Gabe Lillard had three.
For the game, Swain had 136 rushing yards and 63 passing yards, outpacing Franklin by 61 yards. This win makes Coach Holt’s 2nd win with the Maroon Devils and brought the team record to 2-1.
This Friday, the Devils are back in action at home, facing the Pisgah Bears.