FRA completes comeback to win 21-14 on Senior Night

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Nashville, Tenn. – </strong>It was Senior Night for Franklin Road Academy against Battle Ground Academy on Friday night. A day that's supposed to be filled with joy for everyone involved with the program, but there was one problem. The Panthers were in a 14-0 hole at halftime.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>However, FRA clawed back slowly, eventually taking the lead late in the fourth quarter and never giving it back. The Panthers scored 21 unanswered points to clinch a 21-14 victory, starting 5-0 for the third consecutive year.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>BGA got the scoring started in the first quarter when the Wildcats drove down the field and [player_tooltip player_id='914547' first='Kaedyn' last='Marable'] hit [player_tooltip player_id='902961' first='Jayden' last='Cannon'] on a pass to the back of the endzone.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Battle Ground Academy added on midway through the second quarter when Marable found Cannon wide open for his second touchdown score of the game. FRA drove down the field with little time to go and completed a pass to [player_tooltip player_id='1167514' first='Jayden' last='Rush'] inside the red zone. But the time ran out as BGA led 14-0 at the intermission.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It wouldn't be easy, but FRA had what it took to make the comeback. 2027 running back Cam Glenn scored early in the third quarter to cut the lead in half. That's when both offenses began to stalemate for the rest of the quarter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After less than a minute in the fourth, [player_tooltip player_id='903954' first='Kwadir' last='Fletcher'] tied things up with a short touchdown where his offensive line helped him get into paydirt.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>With 1:54 left in the ball game, a good return by [player_tooltip player_id='903033' first='Omarii' last='Sanders'] set up the Panthers at midfield. The offense drove down the field quickly, and with just seconds left, Fletcher ran in from 19 yards out to give FRA its first lead of the game.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:embed {"url":"https://twitter.com/connersmith04/status/1971768872748585460","type":"rich","providerNameSlug":"twitter","responsive":true} --> <figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper"> https://twitter.com/connersmith04/status/1971768872748585460 </div></figure> <!-- /wp:embed --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Panther defense clutched up on the final drive, highlighted by a [player_tooltip player_id='866750' first='Keilan' last='Neal'] sack to complete the comeback and win 21-14 on Senior Night.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Player of the Game</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["903954"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations":1,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"mode":"preview","alignText":"left","anchor":"acf-block-68d76e0242eb7"} --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">Fletcher was quiet for most of the game but shined when the lights were bright. The junior running back scored the final two touchdowns of the game to seal a victory for his team and start the 2025 campaign 5-0.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph {"placeholder":"Add evaluation here...","className":"text-gray-700"} --> <p class="text-gray-700">The 2027 RB has nice size with plenty of power, athleticism, burst and elusiveness on the gridiron. He's a good runner, but can also catch passes and block, making him a complete back.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- /wp:acf/evaluation-block --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong><em>Other Notable Players</em></strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2027 DL [player_tooltip player_id='866750' first='Keilan' last='Neal'] – FRA</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Neal is an absolute dog on the defensive front. He had multiple sacks, a batted pass and clogged run lanes all night. He can do it all on the defensive front, while starring as the starting left tackle for FRA.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The 2027 trench guy may be the most underrated player in Tennessee, but that should change soon. Neal possesses good athleticism, nice burst and is quick off the ball while using his hands well.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2027 DB [player_tooltip player_id='903033' first='Omarii' last='Sanders'] – FRA</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>There's a reason why Sanders is a consensus four-star prospect, and he showed it tonight. The 2027 athlete played a key part in the Panthers' passing game as a wide receiver, while playing great coverage in the back end of their defense.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>He has excellent size and length while covering a lot of ground efficiently. Sanders can also tackle well and adjust nicely to passes, as he intercepted the BGA quarterback tonight.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:image {"id":1911109} --> <figure class="wp-block-image"><img src="https://prepredzone.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/3/2024/01/99-Jayden-Cannon-crop-2421x1589-1758948030.jpg" alt="" class="wp-image-1911109" /><figcaption class="wp-element-caption">2027 linebacker [player_tooltip player_id='902961' first='Jayden' last='Cannon'] at a Prep Redzone camp.</figcaption></figure> <!-- /wp:image --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2027 TE/LB [player_tooltip player_id='902961' first='Jayden' last='Cannon'] – BGA</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>If the Wildcats had won, Cannon would have undoubtedly been my player of the game. He recorded two touchdowns with a sack and several tackles. While he was solid as a tight end, he projects more as a linebacker.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>At that backer spot, he showed the ability to cover ground well while communicating with the rest of the defense. Cannon is good at rushing the passer, but can also handcuff opposing teams' running backs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>2026 OL/DL [player_tooltip player_id='866788' first='Nate' last='Fleming'] – BGA</strong></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='866788' first='Nate' last='Fleming'] was another standout from BGA, playing well on both sides of the ball but excelling on the defensive line. The Columbia commit did a great job stopping the run and attacking offensive linemen.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Fleming recorded a sack with a few more pressures to prove he can be effective in all facets of the game. He was among many underrated linemen in this game, but the senior was arguably the best.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->