2006 F-S Wildcat Football Team

Thursday, August 24, 2006

Once again, the early portion of the Franklin-Simpson Wildcats schedule will be the toughest stretch of the regular season.

The opponents in the first four games – Warren Central, Trigg County, Whitehouse, Tenn. and Russellville – are highly ranked in their respective classes.

Another factor for F-S early on could be a lack of depth, causing several players to go both ways. Head Coach Tim Schlosser, beginning his ninth season at Franklin-Simpson, also faces replacing returning quarterback John Akin, who was injured in an auto accident over the summer.

However, all news from the Wildcat camp is not bad. An experienced offensive line and defensive line along with good speed in the offensive backfield are definite pluses for the Wildcats. Returning senior kicker Will Allen will make the kicking game one of the best in the district. Allen, who also plays soccer, will spend time in the defensive backfield as well, and with his great speed, the senior may occasionally line up as a receiver.

Schlosser has been pleased with his defense early on. Starting at defensive ends will be juniors B.J. Huff and Matt Martin. The defensive tackles will be a pair of seniors – Craig Hansen and Austin Humphreys. The nose guard position will be manned by senior Brandon Perry. Back up help for the front five is still questionable, but sophomore Jim Murphree will see some playing time. Schlosser said he hopes to find some younger linemen who will progress to the point where they can give some relief to the starters. Senior Ben Rafferty and junior Corey Jones will be the starting linebackers with backup coming from senior Josh Phillips and junior Braxton Dyer. Starting at strong safety is senior Michael Escue with senior Katario Young as the relief man. At free safety, Donovan Lea gets the starting nod after returning Colby Clark decided not to come back out. Allen is Lea’s back-up. The cornerbacks will be senior Robert Kennedy and sophomore Zac Herrington, with Brandon Kinnaird handling the back-up chores.

The offensive line has the most experience and the most depth of any position, but two of the three starters will be going both ways. The tackles will be senior Matt Burnworth and Humphreys. The guards are Josh Phillips and Rafferty, and the center is senior Kendrick Adams.

Sophomores Caleb Carpenter, Josh Atkins and Dustin Jones along with Hanson and Huff will also see playing time on the offensive line. The three receiver positions should have good depth and speed. The three starters are senior Stephen Moore, Lea and Kennedy. Junior Matt Martin along with Herrington, Young and Dyer will provide the depth. Cory Jones is the starting fullback, and sophomore Jacob Walton is also expected to see some playing time. Junior Jereece Payne returns to the halfback spot. Last season, he played in all 12 games, running the ball 53 times for 338 yards (an average of six yards per carry) and scored three touchdowns. Sophomore Nick Rice and freshman Patrick Flippin will be the backups.

Schlosser says it will be hard to replace the experience at quarterback Akin would have brought to the offensive. Last season, he completed 62 of 116 passes for 958 yards and 14 touchdowns. The starting assignment falls on the shoulders of sophomore Courtney Dalcourt. Dalcourt played in four games last season completing three of six passes for 58 yards and one touchdown. He also logged some playing time in the backfield, running the ball 14 times for 158 yards and five touchdowns. Schlosser said he is pleased with the progress Dalcourt is making. Murphree and fellow sophomore Brandon Kinnaird are working behind Dalcourt.

The Wildcats have been to the playoffs 13 consecutive seasons. Last season, F-S posted an 8-4 overall record and a second-place district finish behind Bowling Green. The Cats’ season came to an end in the second round of the playoffs last year at the hands of Hopkinsville.

Schlosser’s record at Franklin-Simpson is 60 and 33, and he has coached the Wildcats to district championships in 1999 and 2001. Schlosser expects Bowling Green to be the class of the district once again and probably AAA. The Purples, which sport two Mr. Football candidates in offensive lineman Stuart Hines and running back Avery Hibbitt – has been selected in the preseason as the No. 1 team in Class 3-A.

Schlosser’s record at Franklin-Simpson is 60 and 33, and he has coached the Wildcats to district championships in 1999 and 2001.

A complete F-S roster and schedule can be found in this week’s Franklin Favorite.