BROOKHAVEN — Franklin County head coach Rickey O’Quinn was looking for the same kind of intensity for four quarters Friday night at Loyd Star that the Bulldogs had in their upset win over North Pike a week earlier.

He was also hoping that his team would cut down on the number of penalties and do better on kickoff coverage. Mission accomplished — for the most part.

Fred Coleman scored touchdowns on offense, defense and special teams and Jimmy Barnes ran for 125 yards on 14 caries with one touchdown as the Bulldogs jumped out to a big lead and never looked back in a 54-14 win over the Hornets.

“I thought we played well, especially in the first quarter,” Franklin County head coach Rickey O’Quinn said. “We ran the ball well. That set the tone for the game.”

Troy Norman scored on a 10-yard run, then Coleman scored on a 41-yard pass from Jadarius Davis and on an 80-yard interception return to give the Bulldogs a 20-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Trey Hannon scored on a 7-yard touchdown run, then Barnes added a 7-yard touchdown run of his own late in the second quarter that allowed Franklin County (2-0) to take a commanding 34-0 lead at halftime.

“Jimmy Barnes, Chris Robinson and Trey Hannon ran the ball well. I think we had eight different players run the ball,” O’Quinn said. “The offensive line performed well. We ran the ball well on first and second downs. That’s why we only threw the ball twice. We normally average 13 or 14 passes a game.”

Hannon scored again on a 12-yard run nearly midway through the third quarter for a 41-0 lead. Early in the fourth quarter, Hollis Hunt scored on a 9-yard run and Matt Brasher’s extra point gave the Bulldogs a 48-0 lead. Brasher ended up making 6 of 8 PATs in the game.

Robinson finished with 77 yards on nine carries while Hannon had one catch for 33 yards to go with his two touchdown runs. Davis completed both of his passes for 74 yards.

Loyd Star finally got on the scoreboard when Marquis Sims scored on a 30-yard run with 7:07 to go in the ball game. Cori Crowe added the extra point. But on the ensuing kickoff, Coleman capped off his amazing all-around performance with a 90-yard return for a touchdown.

The Hornets scored again on a 42-yard run by Josh Butler with 3:37 remaining. Sims was the lone bright spot for their offense with 119 yards on 25 carries.

And while O’Quinn was thrilled about his team having just five penalties for 35 yards, he said the kickoff coverage team still has some room for improvement.

“I think we had single-digit penalties. That’s the first time that’s happened in the (one-plus) season I’ve been here,” he said. “We’ve still got to get better (on kickoff coverage). It wasn’t what we had hoped for. We gave up two or three long returns. They started at midfield a few teams.”

Even though Loyd Star (0-2) had 235 yards rushing on 53 attempts, Franklin County’s defense forced three turnovers.

“The defensive line stood out. Defensively, we played a lot of guys tonight. We subbed a lot starting in the third quarter. We played a lot of young guys tonight,” O’Quinn said.

Franklin County plays at Tylertown next Friday with a 7:30 p.m. kickoff.

Wilkinson County 20,

Amite County 12 (OT)

LIBERTY — Former longtime Region 7-3A rivals met Friday night as the Amite County Trojans, who are once again in Class 2A, played host to the Wilkinson County Wildcats.

And it was the Wildcats who prevailed with a hard-fought win in overtime to even their overall record at 1-1. Wilkinson County is off next Friday before playing at South Pike on Sept. 9.