WESSON — With Jacob McDaniel out with an injury, Franklin County head coach Anthony Hart had to reshuffle his backfield heading into Friday night’s MHSAA Division 7-3A game against Wesson.

De’Martre Collins made his first start at quarterback in 2015 and Courtney Smith was the featured running back for the Bulldogs, who were playing at Wesson on the Co-Lin campus. It did not matter as Franklin County cruised to a 23-7 win over the Cobras.

“We played well in spots. But we didn’t put them away like we should have,” Hart said. “Overall, I was pleased. The kids played hard.”

Collins completed seven of 10 passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns. Smith ended up with 186 yards and one touchdown on 25 carries.

“He did well for the first time out at quarterback,” Hart said about Collins. “Made a mistake here or there.”

As for the performance of Smith, Hart said the majority of his rushing yards were in the first half and early in the third quarter. He added that he wanted to make sure that Smith stayed healthy and ready for the postseason.

Collins had touchdown passes of nine yards to Isaiah Elam in the first quarter and 39 yards to Antonio Christmas in the second quarter. Thomas Slagle started the scoring with a 27-yard field goal midway through the opening quarter and by halftime Franklin County enjoyed a 17-0 lead.

Smith scored on a 35-yard run just past the midway point of the third quarter to put the Bulldogs up 23-0. Wesson (3-7, 0-4) avoided being shut out when Matthew Craft recovered a fumble and ran it back 28 yards for a touchdown.

The defense for Franklin County had another stellar performance, allowing the Cobras just six first downs and 40 yards of total offense while quarterback Peyton Burns was picked off by Ryan Johnson and Keonte’ Bee.

“They were lights out. Their only score was on defense, so we basically pitched a shutout,” Hart said.

Franklin County (6-4, 3-1) plays at Jefferson County next Friday at 7 p.m. with playoff implications for both teams.