FRANKLIN – Playing in front of their home crowd for the final time this season, the Franklin football team put on a dominant display for all 60 minutes in a 36-0 rout of Manchester on Senior Day at Faught Stadium. 

Franklin (4-5, 4-2 HCAC) took the lead five plays into the game and never let off the gas, holding Manchester (0-9, 0-6 HCAC) to just 101 total yards of offense in the team's first shutout since the 2021 campaign. 

How it Happened
Freshman Jason Pierre-Louis got the scoring underway on the game's fifth play, picking off an Eric James pass and racing 77 yards to the house for a 7-0 lead and the first interception of his career. After recovering a fumble on the Spartans' next drive, Franklin added to their lead with a career-long 41-yard field goal from Gabe Crutchfield and the offense found the end zone for the first time late in the quarter with a one-yard sneak from Jack Henninger that made it 17-0 after 15 minutes of play. 

Garrett Cora scored a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter to stretch the lead and move him into a tie for the most rushing scores in a season with 17 touchdowns. Franklin capped the scoring with a fourth quarter safety and a 25-yard field goal from Crutchfield with five minutes to play. 

Inside the Box Score
-Cora matched the single-season touchdown record that is still held by Ron Doyle in 1973 and R.J. Hartsfield in 2007. The Lizton-native rushed 21 times for 165 yards and heads into the final regular season game just 166 yards shy of Rick Etienne's single season record of 1,487 rushing yards. 
-Making the first start of his Franklin career, Henninger went 10-for-21 for 85 yards and the one rushing touchdown. 
-Owen Wright led the Franklin pass catchers with 57 yards on four grabs. 
-Senior Jireh Ojata was dominant up front for the FC defense, leading the team with 10 tackles, two sacks and he forced and recovered the fumble that set up Crutchfield's first field goal of the day. 
-Before the game, the Griz football program recognized its senior class playing at Faught Stadium for the final time. Seniors include: Ojata, Crutchfield, Peyton Ruble, Dylan McKinney, Blake Scheer, Shay McRath, Ryus Moore, Drake McLochlin, Derek Thompson, Spencer Wright, Jordan Meyer, Darian Porter, Andre Harlan, Dylan Nelms, Charlie Moore, Ethan Corwin, Jake Jones, Max Johnson, Colby West, Owen Ogle and Isaac Lawrence. 

Up Next
Franklin closes out the regular season next Saturday (Nov. 11) with the Victory Bell Game against the Hanover Panthers. Kick-off from Hanover is set for 1:30 p.m.