Montgomery got up, looked at his teammates and told them — in not so many words — there was no way they were going to lose the final game between the border rivals.
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“It felt like they (Carlisle) wanted it more in the first half,” Montgomery said after scoring four touchdowns in what turned into a 47-14 season-opening road win for Franklin at Laughlin Field. “This is the last time we were ever going to play Carlisle, we were going for eight in a row against them. There was a lot on the table, and I didn’t want to leave anything out there.”
Montgomery, one of the top running backs in the area, helped guide Franklin from a 14-14 tie at the half to a 41-14 lead before departing with a minute remaining in the third quarter.
“The game plan was to not let him get outside,” Carlisle coach Mike Brown said. “He is a very special athlete and makes them go. I thought we were able to do some things against him in the first half to slow him down, but in the third quarter, he took over.”
After Franklin quarterback Braden White found Jared Kinzer in the corner of the end zone for a 21-14 lead, Montgomery scored on runs of 3 and 18 yards to give the Wildcats a 35-14 advantage with 2:48 left in the third quarter. White added a 27-yard scoring strike to tight end Cameron Craft for a 41-14 lead.
Brandon Woods scored on a 79-yard run to start the running clock with 2:57 remaining.
“We talked a lot about adversity at halftime,” Franklin coach Brad Childers said. “We are in a competition and adversity is going to face us at some point in the game, and we had to take advantage when we could. But it doesn’t hurt to have 22 (Montgomery) in the backfield.”
While the Wildcats were churning out 251 yards in the second half, the defense was holding the Indians to 44 yards. Carlisle did not record a first down in the second half until after the Franklin starters had exited.
Franklin’s defense, which was an issue at times in 2016, allowed just 177 yards, including 31 yards on the ground on 33 carries.
“Our defense has come a long way,” Childers said. “There is a lot of energy over there, and I am really pleased with the adjustments they made and how they played in the second half.”
Carlisle did most of its damage through the air with quarterback Jake Moore completing 11 of 19 passes for 146 yards.
Franklin finished with 407 yards of offense, with Montgomery accounting for 160 on just 17 carries. White was perfect through the air, completing all 11 of his passes for 137 yards and a pair of scores.
Franklin jumped to a quick 14-0 lead on scoring runs of 6 and 44 yards by Montgomery, the latter saw him cut back across the field and break three tackles with 11:47 remaining in the first half.
Carlisle answered with a 11-yard scoring strike from Moore to D.J. Chambers before Spencer Mays bulled in from the 1 with 21 ticks remaining in the first quarter.
“When it is Week 1 and you get down 14-0 that quick, things can go south,” Brown said. “But I think we showed resiliency and battled back. We just have to find a way to have that for four quarters.”
While Montgomery was glad to close out his four years undefeated against Carlisle, he admitted the moment was a little bittersweet.
“All four years I have been in high school we have beat them, but it is bittersweet that this is the last time,” Montgomery said. “It is always good to play those guys and it is going to be kind of sad because I can come back for Week 1 next year and it won’t be against Carlisle.”
The Wildcats will host Edgewood next Friday, while the Indians travel to Washington Court House Miami Trace.
Franklin 7-7-27-6—47
Carlisle 0-14-0-0—14
F: Ryan Montgomery 6 run (Matt Schneider kick)
F: Montgomery 44 run (Schneider kick)
C: D.J. Chambers 11 pass from Jake Moore (Kick blocked)
C: Spencer Mays 1 run (Chambers run)
F: Jared Kinzer 2 pass from Braden White (Schneider kick)
F: Montgomery 3 run (Schneider kick)
F: Montgomery 18 run (Schneider kick)
F: Cameron Craft 27 pass from White (Kick blocked)
F: Braden Woods 79 run (Kick failed)
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