What We Saw: Franklin, Greenville Rally Past A.C. Flora
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In a contest that featured playmakers on both sides of the field, the final drive certainly didn’t disappoint.
<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="102962" first="Prometheus" last="Franklin II"]</strong> dodged a would-be tackler and rifled a 4-yard touchdown strike to <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="91149" first="Tyler" last="Brown"]</strong> with 28 seconds remaining to give Greenville a 27-26 comeback victory over defending Class 4A state champion A.C. Flora in the second of the 2021 SCHSL playoffs.
It capped off a night that saw Franklin make play-after-play to keep the Red Raiders alive. The senior finished 26-of-37 for 361 yards and three touchdowns. He also added 26 yards rushing as he was under heavy pressure most of the night. The final drive covered 73 yards and his scrambling ability allowed him to keep several plays alive, including the final one.
“To see Prometheus execute like that with the game on the line shows a lot about his character,” Greenville coach Grep Porter said.
Franklin wasn’t the only hero for Greenville (9-2). Sophomore <strong>Mazeo Bennett</strong> showed why he might end up being one of the most touted players of the 2024 Class. He caught four passes for 136 yards that included a nifty 80-yard catch and run that gave Greenville a 14-8 halftime lead. He also played the entire game at defensive back.
Brown, a junior, had eight catches for 69 yards to go with his game-winning grab. Clemson-bound senior <strong>Josh Sapp</strong> added five catches for 55 yards and a 13-yard touchdown reception. He also added a 3-yard touchdown run out of the Wildcat formation for the first score of the game.
Offensive lineman <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="59461" first="Collin" last="Sadler"]</strong>, another Clemson commitment, paved the way up front for the over 400 yards of total offense.
A.C. Flora (9-2) ended its season with a second one-point loss on the season. But they were not without their highlights as well. Junior <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="202726" first="Markel" last="Townsend"]</strong> ran for 121 yards on 28 carries and played defensive end/linebacker in several key situations. His one-yard touchdown run in the third quarter gave the Falcons a 18-14 lead.
Franklin and Sapp connected on the 13-yard touchdown with 7:56 remaining for a 21-18 Greenville lead but that set the stage for the most exciting play of the game. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="202725" first="Chris" last="Lofton"]</strong> took the ensuing kickoff at his own 25-yard line near the right sideline. He weaved his way all the way back to the left sideline, made a cut near the 50 all the way back to the right sideline before making one final move back to the middle of the field for the score.
<strong>[player_tooltip player_id="200664" first="Tyrell" last="Green"]</strong> and <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="200667" first="Boyce" last="Bankhead"]</strong> made big plays on the defensive side for the Falcons. Bankhead recovered a fumble that led to a 21-yard A.C. Flora field goal.
Greenville will host Irmo in the third round next Friday night.
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