Richland knocks Franklin out of playoffs, 10-0

Published 12:00 am Sunday, November 9, 2003

MEADVILLE &045; Everything thing that could go wrong went wrong.

The Franklin County Bulldogs magical season ended in with mistakes and turnovers that gave fourth-seeded Richland a 10-0 win. The Rangers held the Dawgs to 200 yards of total offense.

&uot;I’m speechless,&uot; said Richland head coach Doug Holder. &uot;Our guys never said no, despite being seeded fourth, and having a sub-par record coming into the game. We played our butts off tonight.&uot;

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Led by standout quarterback/linebacker Bryant Jenkins, the Rangers (6-5) dressed out 29 players for the game, that included nine of them being freshmen.

Jenkins, who has already received scholarship offers from Southern Mississippi and Mississippi State was as smooth as he was quick.

The 6-foot, 205-pound Jenkins gave the Rangers a 7-0 lead heading into halftime, off a one-yard quarterback keeper. Jenkins setup the score off 6- and 4-yard runs, with less than a minute remaining.

&uot;Bryant’s good in the clutch.&uot; Added Holder. &uot;I’ve coached a lot of players in my time, but he’s by far the best one. He just makes plays.&uot;

In the second half, Jenkins continued his damage with fakes and bootlegs that stunned the Dawgs (8-3). He also went to the air, as he connected with teammates Reggie Smith and LaAndrew Smith with 10 and 12 yard passes to setup a key 38 field goal by Trey Britt. The Rangers led 10-0, with 52 seconds remaining in the third frame.

&uot;They Franklin got things going in the fourth, but thankfully we held on at the end.&uot; Continued Holder. &uot;They have a well coached team.&uot;

With time becoming a factor, the Dawgs were force to abandon the run and go to the air late in the fourth period. Bulldog senior quarterback Tommy Gibbs tried to mount a rally, but tipped and dropped passes killed any efforts of that.

&uot;This one hurts,&uot; said Bulldog senior lineman Chris Brown. &uot;We couldn’t get nothing going, and when we did it was to late.&uot;

Gibbs threw a desperation pass with 0:30 remaining in the game on fourth and six, but Richland safety Reggie D. Smith picked the pass off returned it 20 yards before being upended. Gibbs threw six interceptions on 4 of 15 passing.

For the Rangers, Jenkins was two-of-seven for 12 yards in the air. On the ground he rushed for 15 yards on five carries. Senior running back Timmy Sander finished with 43 yards on 13 carries.

Franklin County junior running back Jasper O’Quinn finished with a game high 133-yards on 22 carries. O’Quinn ended the year with a school-record 1,494 yards rushing.