FRANKLIN, Ind. – The Franklin College football team welcomed the Mount St. Joseph Lions to Faught Stadium on Saturday (Mar. 20) afternoon for a showdown between Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference (HCAC) foes.

The Grizzlies (2-1, 2-1 HCAC) found the end zone on the game's first drive before the Lions (1-1, 1-1 HCAC) took over. Franklin suffered their first loss of the spring, falling 56-19.

How it Happened
Franklin started things off with a bang, scoring just 2:09 into the game when freshman Derek Thompson took a handoff and raced 52 yards for the game's first touchdown. It was the fourth rushing score of the year for Thompson and capped a six-play, 74-yard drive.

But Franklin struggled to build on their great start and the Lions rattled off a long scoring rally that was broken when Cam Johnson punched one in from three yards out to make it 49-13 with 3:58 to go in the third quarter. Ryan Poole hauled in his first touchdown of the year early in the fourth quarter to cap the Franklin scoring.

Inside the Box Score
-Thompson recorded his second career 100-yard rushing game, picking up 102 yards on 14 carries. Three of the four touchdowns this spring for the Vallonia, Ind.-native have gone for 50 yards or more.
-Poole and Jarrett Gibson tied for the team lead with four catches each. Freshman Dane Andrews threw for 163 yards on 17 completions.
-Senior Evan Stambaugh and freshman Charlie Moore tied for the team lead with eight tackles each.
-Sophomore Kody Wilkerson had six tackles and picked off his second career pass, leaping to snag a pass at the line of scrimmage in the second half. 

Up Next
Franklin is on the road for each of their next two games, the first coming next Saturday (Mar. 27) against the Bluffton Beavers. Kick-off is set for 1:30 p.m.