By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
Yesterday afternoon, the Franklin Quakers faced off against the Garfield Bulldogs in a thrilling season opener for both teams. But this wasn’t just the first game of the season — it was a chance for Franklin to break a 17-year losing streak against their longtime rivals.
Garfield received the opening kickoff but struggled to find their rhythm offensively, until Taepion Epting made some timely runs to set up a 4th-and-2 at the Franklin 24-yard line. On the fourth-down play, Franklin’s Absalom Jenkins made a huge stop, forcing the Bulldogs to turn the ball over on downs after maintaining the ball for most of the first quarter.
By the time Franklin took over, there were less than three minutes left in the first quarter — but the Quakers wasted no time getting points on the board, as Gabriel Tsegai darted 29 yards for the first touchdown of the game. Corde Frazier followed with the extra point, giving Franklin a 7-0 lead.
Garfield responded with a 29-yard kickoff return by Steven Baker, who was brought down by Noah Castro at the 38-yard line. After two incomplete passes, the Bulldogs faced 3rd-and-12 at the 34-yard line, but a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty against Franklin gave them a first down at the 49. The Bulldogs began to build momentum as they marched down the field to the Garfield 10-yard line. A pass interference call moved the ball to the Garfield 5-yard line, which set up a 5-yard touchdown run by Epting, as the Bulldogs went into the second quarter trailing 7-6.
Garfield kicked off to Franklin and was flagged for a 15-yard penalty on the return. On the next play, Franklin’s Deurian McNeil picked up 10 yards before being tackled by Garfield’s Gabriel Burns. The drive, which was aided by penalties against Garfield, eventually saw the Quakers facing a 4th-and-1 at the Garfield 18, but the drive stalled as Garfield’s Kasey Frost stuffed a run by Castro, forcing a turnover on downs.
With eight minutes left in the half, Garfield leaned on Epting, who kept the chains moving with some tough runs. But on 3rd-and-4 at the 46, the Bulldogs fumbled and recovered the ball for a six-yard loss. A false start on fourth down pushed them back again, and they were forced to punt.
Franklin’s next drive stalled, and the Bulldogs blocked the Quakers’ punt attempt on fourth down, giving them excellent field position and the boost of energy that they needed.
Garfield’s Michaal Wayman capitalized on the momentum as he connected with Steven Baker on a touchdown pass with under a minute to go in the half. But another unsportsmanlike conduct penalty backed up the extra point attempt by 15 yards. Franklin’s Steven Mpila blocked the kick, making the score 12-7, with Garfield in the lead at the end of the first half.
Franklin opened the second half with back-to-back penalties — delay of game and a false start. Then, facing 4th-and-29 from their own 1-yard line, the Quakers fumbled the ball into the end zone for a safety, giving Garfield two points and extending their lead to 14-7.
However, Garfield’s momentum didn’t last long. Two quick penalties — false start and offsides — disrupted their next possession. The Quakers would regain possession after recovering a fumble by Wayman at the 44-yard line.
From that point on, the game was riddled with flags. Holding, encroachment, false start, face mask, delay of game and illegal motion were called in rapid succession, dragging out the remainder of the third quarter, which ended with Garfield still leading 14-7.
The fourth quarter was filled with just as many penalties, but Franklin began to take control of the game. Despite the ejection of Castro on a disputed call, the Quakers stayed focused. Franklin’s De’Vion Frazier threw a touchdown pass to Corde Frazier, but the two-point attempt was unsuccessful, as the Quakers trailed 14-13.
Mpila blocked Garfield punter Ardon Liffmann’s punt, and that started a domino effect of adrenaline and high spirits on the rest of his teammates. With roughly six minutes remaining in the game, De’Vion Frazier threw another 42-yard touchdown pass to Henry Moore. Josiah Echols added a successful two-point conversion, as the Quakers took a 21-14 lead.
At this point in the matchup, the Bulldogs were showing signs of defeat after receiving multiple penalties in the remaining minutes of the game. De’Vion Frazier closed out the game with a 4-yard touchdown run, and Christian Rivera converted the extra point attempt, as the Quakers posted a 28-14 win over the Bulldogs.
After the game, Franklin’s head coach Terry Green was grinning from ear to ear as he pointed to his players jumping up and down and said, “This is what I do it for.”
“Man, [it’s been] 17 years since Franklin won this game, we needed that,” said Green. “I don’t coach for victories. I coach for the culture. I coach for the memories of these kids. And what I’m seeing right now is the reason why I’m here, that’s the only reason I’m here.”
“That’s what I’m talking about right there,” said Green as he pointed to his celebrating players. Josiah Echols led the Quakers with 88 yards rushing and a touchdown, while De’Vion Frazier passed for 84 yards and two touchdowns to power Franklin to a 28-14 win.
Pictorial Highlights of Garfield vs Franklin
Photo/Tyler Artis
