Franklin High School is currently in the process of honoring the Franklin Bronco football team’s student-athletes, trainers, school administrators and coaches by awarding them special jackets and rings commemorating their 2008 Virginia High School League Group A Division I state championship.

The rings and jackets are visual symbols of the team’s accomplishments and the honor they have brought to Franklin. The school division spent more than $3,600 on travel, food and lodging for the team’s state championship appearance, and its budget is strained.

Typically, when past teams have won the state championship, the purchase of the rings and jackets has come primarily from the financial support of the community.

We are delighted to report that through the various donations of several individuals, organizations and churches, we are able to purchase the rings, which have been ordered.

Presently, we are still seeking funding for the commemorative jackets.

The estimated cost of outfitting the team’s student-athletes, trainers, school administrators and coaches with jackets is $10,500. Again, donations are needed to help purchase these commemorative items.

The commemorative jackets will have a navy blue body with gray leather sleeves, with a personalized name and number on the left chest, and a memorial dedication to Josh Willis and Coach Greene on the right chest. The back will list the team name, year and record.

The commemorative rings will be silver, made of ultrium, with a square blue stone with an F in the middle. Around the stone and on the sides will be the announcement of the state title, the team’s record, a football helmet, a depiction of the state and initials memorializing Coach Greene and Josh. The inside of the ring will be personalized.

To make a donation, please send a check or money order payable to Franklin High School, with Football Team on the memo line. The address is Franklin High School, 310 Crescent Drive, Franklin, VA 23851.

It will be deposited into a school account created solely for the purpose of honoring the team’s state championship.

The names of all the individuals and businesses that made contributions will be published when the jackets and rings are presented, which we would like to accomplish before the end of the school year.

Again, the jackets and rings are a tangible, individual reward for the extraordinary accomplishments of the Franklin High School State Championship Football Team as representatives of our school and city.

Franklin High School would like to thank everyone who contributes in advance for your assistance. Contact people for this project are Sam Jones, principal, and me, athletic director.

We can be reached at 562-5187.