FRA Defeats Lausanne Collegiate, Advances to State Title Game

<p>To continue my coverage of the TSSAA Playoffs, I stopped by FRA in Nashville to watch the Panthers take on Lausanne Collegiate in the D2-Class AA State Semifinals. Following Franklin Road Academy's commanding victory over the Lynx, 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">In the first place spot on my list is [player_tooltip player_id='903033' first='Omarii' last='Sanders'], a linebacker/defensive back at Franklin Road Academy. Sanders was a key contributor on both sides of the ball. In the first half, Sanders was one of several Panthers to put a touchdown on the board. In the second half, Sanders was able to read the offense like a book and haul in the interception. With outstanding size, speed, and versatility down the stretch, Sanders is nearly impossible to contain.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Establishing himself offensively was [player_tooltip player_id='860627' first='Jawell' last='Rodgers'], an athlete at Lausanne Collegiate School. Rodgers was a huge offensive weapon for the Lynx as he would go on to haul in several throws, including one touchdown pass. Rodgers has an excellent wingspan that makes it very easy for him to get to the ball before the defense.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Another playmaker to show off his talent was [player_tooltip player_id='1556594' first='Lawrence' last='Britt'], an athlete at Lausanne Collegiate School. Britt was locked in during the second half, putting two touchdowns on the scoreboard for the Lynx. Britt's electric speed and versatile edge made a huge difference down the stretch as he was able to create seperation from the defense to haul in the long ball.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Making a difference offensively was [player_tooltip player_id='1106238' first='Michael' last='Hassell'], a running back/defensive back at Franklin Road Academy. Hassell was a monster for the Panthers on the ground, finding his way into the endzone twice on the night. Hassell's size and durability make him difficult to tackle as he could bulldoze through the defense and fight for those important extra yards.</p>     <p class="text-gray-700">Making his presence known at the helm of the offense was [player_tooltip player_id='1037670' first='Jackson' last='Nimitz'], a quarterback at Franklin Road Academy. Nimitz was extremely composed, could easily adapt to pressure, and proved his ability to run the ball into the endzone himself. I also liked Nimitz's passing performance as he threw for a number of impressive touchdowns throughout the contest.</p>    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Game Recap</h2>   <p>Franklin Road Academy would take an early lead over Lausanne Collegiate as [player_tooltip player_id='1037670' first='Jackson' last='Nimitz'] connected with Cam Glenn for the touchdown pass to give the Panthers a 7-0 lead over the Lynx with 9:30 left in the first quarter. Nearing the end of the first quarter of play, Nimitz held onto the rock and blasted into the house from a few yards out to give FRA a 14-0 lead. The Lynx would lock in offensively as [player_tooltip player_id='860627' first='Jawell' last='Rodgers'] hauled in the long pass from TJ Jenkins to put a touchdown on the scoreboard. With less than a minute remaining in the second quarter, Nimitz found a wide open [player_tooltip player_id='903033' first='Omarii' last='Sanders'] in the endzone for the touchdown. FRA held a 21-7 lead over Lausanne Collegiate at the half. The Panthers quickly found their way back into the endzone in the third quarter as Nimitz found his second connection of the night with Glenn, who would be wide open in the house for the touchdown pass. The Panthers went up 28-7 on the Lynx with 8:25 left in the third quarter. The Lynx would respond on their next drive as Jenkins connected with [player_tooltip player_id='1556594' first='Lawrence' last='Britt'] for the touchdown. Franklin Road Academy kept rolling offensively as [player_tooltip player_id='1106238' first='Michael' last='Hassell'] would extend the lead by running into the endzone from a few yards out to give the Panthers a 35-14 advantage. Hassell would also find the endzone on FRA's next drive to push the Panthers' lead to 49-14. Before the end of the contest, Lausanne Collegiate forced their way back onto the scoreboard as Jenkins found Britt again for the touchdown pass. Franklin Road Academy went on to defeat Lausanne Collegiate 49-14 and advance to the D2-Class AA title game against Battle Ground Academy in Chattanooga.</p>

To continue my coverage of the TSSAA Playoffs, I stopped by FRA in Nashville to watch the Panthers take on Lausanne Collegiate in the D2-Class AA State Semifinals. Following Franklin Road Academy's commanding victory over the Lynx, here's my full game recap as well as my top performers.