Franklin reaches 5,000 mark in Olathe North’s win

Friday October 30, 2009 7:00 PM
Team (Record)	1^st	2^nd	3^rd	4^th	Total
Olathe South (4 - 5)	0	0	7	0	7
Olathe North (12 - 0)	14	27	7	0	48

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Source: The Star

Andy Lundberg | special to the star

James Franklin got a lift after his 6-yard touchdown run that started the Eagles’ onslaught in their 48-7 victory against Olathe South. He rushed for 168 yards in 20 carries Friday.

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With a 31-yard rush in the second half, Olathe North senior running back James Franklin joined rarefied territory Friday during a 48-7 rout of Olathe South.

The Eagles, who are ranked No. 1 in The Star’s big-class poll, scored on every possession, racked up 270 yards rushing in 35 carries, picked up 17 first downs in the first half alone, and built a 41-0 lead at the break.

When Olathe’s oldest rivals came back to the field for the second half, Franklin had only two carries, but he’d already done his damage.

Entering the game with 4,870 career rushing yards, Franklin had reached 100 yards in 13 carries by the Eagles’ third drive.

He capped North’s first possession with a 6-yard TD run and reached the century mark with a 2-yard touchdown early in the second quarter.

In between, senior quarterback David Blazevic had connected on a 10-yard TD pass to junior Adonis Saunders, and Franklin had bowled in for a two-point conversion, making up for a bad snap on the first extra-point try.

With the Eagles in front 21-0, the only drama remaining was Franklin’s quest for 5,000 career yards. And he didn’t make North’s faithful wait long.

On the first play of the Eagles’ next drive, Franklin popped that 31-yard run up the gut, complete with a hip shake at the line, jump cut and a juke when he reached the linebackers and a 360-degree Maddenlike spin off a safety to reach 5,001 career yards. It was a perfect play for the milestone, displaying the balance, shiftiness and burst that combined to help him reach such lofty heights.

Franklin, who finished with 168 yards in 20 carries, joins Darren Sproles as the only backs in Eagles history to reach 5,000 yards. He needs another 192 yards to match Sproles’ career rushing record of 5,230 yards.

“It means I have a tremendous team,” Franklin said. “That’s all I can say. Every ounce of credit and credit for every yard, every inch, goes to my teammates. I couldn’t do anything without them.”

North, 9-0, added touchdowns 7 seconds apart after that.

Olathe South, 4-5, mishandled the kickoff after Blazevic scored on a 1-yard QB sneak and started at its own 1.

Sensing blood in the water, senior Lucas Vincent, a Missouri commit, broke through the Falcons’ line for a sack and forced fumble, which fellow senior Phillip Huntley recovered in the end zone for another touchdown.

submitted by TOD PALMER - 2009-10-30 23:22:03