Brentwood Outlasts Franklin (Game Recap/Top Performers)

<p>It was an action-packed week nine of Tennessee high school football action as I stopped by Brentwood High School to catch the Bruins take on Franklin in a heated district showdown. After catching Brentwood's close 21-14 victory over the Admirals, here's my full game recap as well as my top performers.</p>   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Top Performers</h2>    <p class="text-gray-700">Establishing himself at the helm of the offense was [player_tooltip player_id='904978' first='Gavin' last='Strang'], a quarterback at Brentwood High School. Strang had a huge game, proving himself as a dangerous signal caller. In addition to excellent size and passing ability, Strang caught my attention with his ability to find wide open receivers down the stretch and make the clutch touchdown pass in crucial moments.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Another talented playmaker that caught my attention was [player_tooltip player_id='903953' first='Jones' last='Merrill'], a wide receiver at Brentwood High School. Merrill made his presence known throughout the contest, proving he could make the big catch on third-down, break tackles on the run, and haul in the impressive touchdown pass. I also liked how Merrill could deceive the defense with his strong footwork, proving his ability to pick up a lot of yards after the reception.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Impressing me on both sides of the ball was [player_tooltip player_id='1597026' first='Jackson' last='Allen'], a defensive back/athlete at Brentwood High School. Allen made a huge difference with his ability to read the offense and make huge stops in crucial moments. Allen also stood out offensively, hauling in an impressive pass that he would take all the way to the house for the score. It would be called back due to a flag, but still showed Allen's ability to make big plays on the offensive end.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Also standing out offensively was [player_tooltip player_id='1662624' first='Parker' last='Cates'], a wide receiver at Brentwood High School. Cates helped the Bruins to get going offensively, getting wide open in the endzone for the touchdown. In addition to his outstanding catching ability, Cates stood out with his ability to beat defenders off the snap, using his electric speed to break free from coverage.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">I also was really impressed by [player_tooltip player_id='1142009' first='Caleb' last='Shin'], a wide receiver at Brentwood High School. Shin was a huge playmaker for the Bruins' offense in the second half, getting wide open for the touchdown pass. What stood out most about Shin's playstyle was his ability to quickly get open for the pass, juke out defenders on the run, and pick up speed after the catch. Shin's ability to make the big play in crucial moments made a huge difference.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Another high-level playmaker to showcase his talent was Hudson Reed, a wide receiver at Franklin High School. Reed made an assortment of impressive plays on the offensive end, hauling in the first touchdown of the night for the Admirals. Reed also proved himself in crucial third-down or fourth-down situations, getting wide open in the backfield for the deep pass.</p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Game Recap</h2>   <p>Franklin was locked in on their first drive of the contest as Ryder Gregg connected with Hudson Reed for the touchdown pass to give the Admirals a 7-0 lead over the Bruins with 3:31 remaining in the first quarter. The Bruins had a great chance to capitalize on a Franklin fumble with 4:13 remaining in the second quarter, but Strang's pass was picked off by Ryder King. Brentwood's defense locked down Franklin and had one more chance to score before the end of the first half. Brentwood's offense tied things up with 1:32 left on the clock as Strang found [player_tooltip player_id='1662624' first='Parker' last='Cates'] all by himself in the endzone for the touchdown. Brentwood and Franklin were tied 7-7 at the half. Brentwood's offense went back to work in the third quarter as Strang connected with [player_tooltip player_id='1142009' first='Caleb' last='Shin'], who would break through the defense and take it to the house for the score. The Bruins held a 14-7 lead over the Admirals with 3:38 left in the third quarter. Brentwood continued to extend their lead as [player_tooltip player_id='903953' first='Jones' last='Merrill'] hauled in an impressive touchdown pass from Strang with a little over a minute remaining in the third quarter. Franklin would quickly rally and score in the fourth quarter as Joseph Panaia marched into the endzone for the touchdown to make it a one-possession game. Brentwood's defense would lock in for the remainder of the contest as the Bruins defeated the Admirals 21-14.</p>

It was an action-packed week nine of Tennessee high school football action as I stopped by Brentwood High School to catch the Bruins take on Franklin in a heated district showdown. After catching Brentwood's close 21-14 victory over the Admirals, here's my full game recap as well as my top performers.