FRANKLIN—After being down 12-14 in the first half of play in round 2 of the Division Region 1A East Playoff Games, the Franklin High School Broncos came back to the field on fire to have a big second half and claim another victory.

During the second half of the game, the Broncos scored the final 27 points against the Rappahannock Raiders on the way to a 39-14 victory and the right to advance to the quarterfinals next Friday against the Altavista Colonels.

It wasn’t looking good for the home team Friday night at the Armory Drive football stadium, as the Broncos coughed up and lost a fumble on their opening drive to the Raiders. But the Raiders turned it back over to the Broncos as Corey Porter picked off a Raider pass. Going back on offense after a good drive, the Broncos coughed it up again. This time, the Raiders would capitalize on the recovery and run it in for a Tevin Fisher touchdown. Triston Sebra kicked the extra point to give the Raiders a 7-0 lead.

It wasn’t until early in the second quarter that the Broncos got on the scoreboard, after Marcus Stephens broke free on a 37-yard touchdown run. The Angel Padilla kick missed its mark and the Broncos trailed the Raiders 7-6.

Striking again quickly, the Broncos Terry Warren scored from the red zone on a 2-yard touchdown run. The two point conversion failed, but the Broncos went ahead 12-7.

The Raiders, using a rotation in the quarterback position, used a combination of runs and passes and advanced to score on a quarterback keeper by Tevin Fisher. The kick by Sebra was good, and the Raiders took over the lead 14-12, which held until halftime.

The Broncos exploded in the start of the second half, as Terry Warren pounded and outran all defenders en route to a 30-yard touchdown. Padilla missed a second extra point, but the Broncos took the lead 18-14.

Head Football Coach Darren Parker remarked during comments after the game that “We were bent, but we didn’t break. We made adjustments and our team came back to play a great second half.”

And a great half it was, as the Broncos pumped in 20 points in the third quarter. Following a pass interception by Stephens, Terry Warren got his second touchdown of the quarter, this one on a 6-yard run. The Padilla kick found its mark and the Broncos went ahead 25-14.

Stephens added his second touchdown of the night on a 6-yard run with Padilla adding the extra point to increase the Bronco lead to 32-14.

In the fourth quarter, Quayshawn Jefferson added 6 more points for the Broncos as he crashed over the goal line on a 6-yard run. Padilla with the kick put the final points on the board in the 39-14 victory.

The Broncos rushed for a total of 344 yards, with Marcus Stephens leading the way with 132 yards, and Terry Warren followed with 98 yards.

Alson Cromwell led the Broncos in tackles with 6, followed by Javonte Baker with 5.

“God is awesome,” added Coach Parker. The Broncos will hit the road next Friday for the quarterfinal game at Altavista. The Colonels (11-1) are coming off a 49-12 victory against Sussex Central.