By JON WEBB
FRANKLIN — It’s just a part of the game.
Glasgow coach Rick Wood knows injuries happen to every team. It’s no excuse, but he couldn’t help but wonder what the Scotties could have done against Franklin-Simpson Friday night had they been healthy.
“At full strength, I feel like we could have made a run at them,” Wood said. “We ran into a good football team, and in the state we were in we competed and we battled.”
Glasgow wasn’t able to pull out a victory, however, and fell to Franklin 34-14 in its last regular season game of the year.
The Scotties went into the game without the services of leading rusher Tavion Parrish and running backs Jaleen Sublett and Griffin Smith, but still managed to rush for 146 yards and two touchdowns on the night.
It was Franklin tailback Patrick Flippin that would strike first.
Flippin ran for a 64 yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage to give Franklin a 6-0 lead just 21 seconds into the game. About seven minutes later, Scottie quarterback Parker Cash answered, scoring on a nine-yard run to give Glasgow a 7-6 advantage that would last for the remainder of the first quarter.
The rest of the half, though, would belong to Franklin.
An 11-yard run by Darius Wickware, a one-yard quarterback keeper from Hayden Williams and a 46-yard Jerrell Wickware run gave Franklin a 27-7 lead heading into the second half.
Wood said Glasgow played well in the first frame, and gave Franklin’s quickness credit for the three touchdown advantage.
“We played well in the first quarter,” he said. “(But) Franklin’s just got so much speed that they were able to break some of those plays on us early.”
Neither team was able to break a play in the third quarter. Both squads went scoreless in the fame, perhaps due to an increasingly-heavy rain that slowed down both offenses.
“The weather condtions were unbelievable. I don’t think it ever quit,” Wood said. “It was just a driving rain all night, but we battled.”
That battling kept Franklin out of the end zone until well into the fourth quarter, when Flippin added his second touchdown of the night — a two-yard run — with 9:15 remaining in the game.
After the Flippin score, Glasgow embarked on its longest drive of the evening: a 12 play, 73 yard drive that ended in a six-yard Jaleel Wood rushing touchdown.
Glasgow couldn’t overcome Franklin’s early offense, and ended its regular season with a 34-14 loss.
Cash led the Scotties statistically, garnering 139 total yards and a touchdown. Michael Bradley added 41 yards on the ground, while Hunter Bowles grabbed two Cash passes for 37 yards.
The Scotties close the season at 5-5: a major improvement on their winless 2008 campaign.
“The kids fought hard (this season) and we’re proud of them,” Wood said. “There aren’t a lot of teams that improve by five wins. (And) the season isn’t over yet.”
Glasgow will now turn its attention to Danville, its first-round opponent in the Class 2A Commonwealth Gridiron Bowl.
Wood said he expects many of his injured players — including Parrish — to return in time for the Danville game.
The Scotties played the Admirals in the first round of last year’s tournament and lost 45-6.
