Broncos avenge last year’s West Point loss

Published 9:15 am Tuesday, October 5, 2010

Franklin High School's Justin Grant catches a pass for a 53-yard touchdown in the second quarter of Monday night's game. The Broncos are 5-0. -- Frank Davis | Tidewater News

FRANKLIN—It was the game Franklin High School football fans had been waiting for since last year when the Broncos were eliminated from the state playoffs during the final minutes on a cold Friday night in West Point.

When the final horn sounded, the Pointers advanced to the next round with a 24 -27 win over Franklin.

On Monday night, the Broncos revenged that loss with a 48-30 rescheduled homecoming win over West Point at Armory Park Football stadium.

The Broncos are 5-0 and will travel to King and Queen for a 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8, game.

The Broncos won the coin toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff. After moving the chains twice, quarterback Trey Kigler scampered across the goal line untouched on a 24-yard run. Martinez Hill added the 2-point conversion, and the Broncos were on the board 8-0 at 10:22 in the first quarter.

The Pointers on their first possession, using the double-wing formation, drove the ball into Bronco territory, but fumbled, and the Broncos recovered it on their 18-yard line.

Starting a drive at 9:22, Broncos running backs Lavon Evans and Hill continued to grind out yards on the ground and move the chains. Evans powered the ball over the goal line at 1:36 and added the 2-point conversion to put the Broncos up 16–0.

The Pointers’ offense on their next possession moved the pigskin down the field using their double-wing — when the ball was snapped, it would go to different runners in the backfield. Driving deep into Bronco territory, the Pointers scored on a 1-yard run and added the 2-point conversion.

The Broncos offensive team ran like a freight train down the field, and Evans scored at 8:12 to put the Broncos up 22-8; the 2-point conversion failed.

Bronco Justin Grant then picked off a Robert Anerton pass on the Bronco 20-yard line and returned it 80 yards for a touchdown. Kigler’s run failed, and the Broncos led 28-8 with 5:53 remaining to the half.

The Pointers, using the magic of mix-up running plays, scored on a 7-yard run by Jahlil Green and added the 2-point conversion to close the score to 28-16 with 1:37 left in the half.

The Bronco machine was not through scoring, and on a seemingly Evans run, he threw a 53-yard pass to Grant, who went high in the air to catch it and beat his defender to the goal line. The 2-point conversion failed, but the Broncos took a 34-16 led to the locker room.

In the second half, Pointer running back Aaron Roane, who led the rushing for the team with 207 yards, scored on two runs; the first in the third quarter, and the other in the fourth quarter.

Putting the game away, the Broncos used Hill, who scored twice. The second touchdown came after a more than 6-minute scoring drive late in the fourth quarter.

In rushing, the Broncos’ ground game produced 360 yards. Hill led with 171 yards followed by Evans with 80 yards. Kigler was 1-2 for 12 yards and 1 touchdown.

The Franklin defense was led in tackles by Melquan Mitchell with 12 followed by Justin Boone with 10.

Coach Darren Parker said the Broncos had defeated a good team. He felt that the team had executed well.

“We were bent, but we did not break, and God is good,” Parker said.

Pointer Head Coach John Fulks remarked that the Broncos are a good team and his team just didn’t have the answers on what to do.