Wed Feb 08 2012
Franklin County's football team remembered what happened against East Jessamine last year in the regular season.
The Flyers made sure it didn't happen again.
FCHS closed out the regular season Friday night with a 25-15 victory over East Jessamine at Benny Watkins Field.
"We knew they'd come ready to play," Franklin County lineman Patrick Brown said. "Last year we felt we were the better team but they beat us anyway. This year we were prepared for it."
The Jaguars, who defeated FCHS 14-13 last year in Nicholasville during the regular season, led briefly Friday, but the Flyers scored two touchdowns in the last 3:15 of the first half to take an 18-7 lead at halftime.
"We were missing our head coach, and that had something to do with it," Brown said about the Flyers' start Friday. FCHS head coach Dennis Ledford missed the game due to a personal matter.
Franklin County scored on the opening drive of the game, moving from its own 44-yard line to the East Jessamine 5. Terry Metcalf ran the ball in for a touchdown from the 5. The point-after kick was no good, and FCHS led 6-0 with 9:01 left in the first quarter.
The Flyers didn't score again until just 3:15 remained before halftime.
"We should have run the ball more in the second and third quarters, but we didn't," FCHS assistant coach Joey Thacker said. "We're a lot better when we're balanced. Terry and Sean (Thompson) did a good job running the ball, and DeRon (Hicks) had two big plays that broke the game open for us."
East Jessamine (5-4) was on the move at the end of the first quarter, thanks in part to a roughing the kicker penalty on an EJHS punt that put the ball at the FCHS 32-yard line.
The Jaguars' Derrick Green scored on an 18-yard run with 11:49 left in the second quarter, and Matt Prewitt kicked the extra point for a 7-6 East Jessamine lead.
The Flyers caught a break when East Jessamine fumbled the ball near midfield with 5:28 left in the first half. Metcalf recovered the ball, and FCHS began its second scoring drive.
Hicks scored on a reverse that went 33 yards for a touchdown. The conversion attempt failed, and FCHS led 12-7 with 3:15 remaining.
Hicks' second big play of the half came when he intercepted a pass thrown by Zach Minks and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown with 1:34 remaining. The conversion run came up short, and FCHS led 18-7 at halftime.
"East Jessamine always plays us tough," Brown said. "We just grinded it out and came away with the win."
Neither team scored in the third quarter although the Jaguars threatened. Prewitt missed a 30-yard field goal on the last play of the period.
FCHS took over to start the fourth quarter, but its drive ended at the EJHS 36-yard line when Matt Whitley intercepted a pass thrown by Thompson.
The Flyers returned the favor when Brown intercepted Minks with 3:45 remaining at the East Jessamine 40-yard line.
The Flyers drove 35 yards, and on third-and-inches from the 5-yard line, Metcalf ran the ball in for a touchdown and a 24-7 lead. Eliott Potts kicked the extra point, and FCHS was ahead 25-7 with 44 seconds left.
East Jessamine closed out the scoring with a 40-yard pass from Minks to Zac Cantrell with seven seconds left, and Minks ran for the conversion to make the final score 25-15.
Friday was senior night for the Flyers, who finish the regular season at 8-2.
"The effort was good but the execution wasn't great," Thacker said. "East Jessamine worries me more than anyone on our schedule because of their scheme. We didn't do a great job tackling on the edge, but all in all we gutted it out."
FCHS will host Bourbon County Nov. 9 in the first round of the playoffs. In the first round of the playoffs last year, the Flyers got revenge by defeating East Jessamine 41-13.
"I knew we'd be pretty good," Brown said, "and the season's gone good. We just have to keep it up and get ready for the playoffs."
>Prior to Friday's game, a moment of silence was observed to honor Dr. Porter (Butch) Ramsey. Ramsey, the Flyers' team physician for several years, passed away Monday.
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