HANOVER, Ind. – For the 93^rd time in history, Franklin and Hanover met for bragging rights and the coveted Victory Bell on Saturday (Nov. 11) afternoon with this year's version at Alumni Stadium in Hanover.
 
Mistakes on the opening drive proved costly as Franklin (4-6, 4-3 HCAC) played from behind all afternoon, eventually falling to the Panthers (7-3, 4-3 HCAC) 36-17 to close out the year.
 
How it Happened
The Grizzlies forced Hanover into a third-and-long on the opening drive before mistakes started to creep in. An offside penalty negated an interception from Haidyn Bulmer but Franklin was able to force a punt. But the kick was muffed, recovered by Hanover and a roughing the kicker penalty moved the Panthers even further into Franklin territory.
 
A roughing the passer penalty two plays later moved the hosts into the end zone where they would score the game's first touchdown with 11:16 to go in the opening period and make it a 6-0 game. That score held until the early stages of the second quarter when Gabe Crutchfield capped a long drive with a 26 yard field goal to cut the Panther lead in half.
 
But Franklin's offense would sputter until the fourth quarter, allowing Hanover to score the next 16 points before a Kai Ross touchdown to Dylan McKinney early in the fourth quarter. Ross connected with Owen Wright for his second score of the day with seven minutes to go, capping Franklin's scoring output.
 
Inside the Box Score
-Ross went 32-for-53 for 310 yards through the air. Wright was his top target on the day, setting career highs with nine grabs for 110 yards.
-Garrett Cora carried the ball 27 times for 98 yards. He finishes the year with the second-most rushing yards in a season in program history with 1,419 and tied the school record for touchdowns in a season with 17.
-McKinney hauled in seven passes for 72 yards in the game.
-Hayden Kermode led the defense with seven tackles.
-Jireh Ojata and Beau Hess each recorded two tackles for loss with Ojata recording the Grizzlies' lone sack of the day.