By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
Last night, the Franklin Quakers and the Lincoln Lynx faced off in a Week 3 matchup at the South West Athletic Complex, located at Chief Sealth High School.
Lincoln received the opening kickoff and quickly went to work, starting at its own 35-yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, Avery Jones broke through for an 11-yard gain, giving the Lynx an early boost. Jake Marion followed with a pair of short runs totaling 10 yards, but the drive stalled at 4th-and-13 from the 43-yard line, forcing a Lincoln punt.
Franklin began its opening drive deep in its own territory at the 5-yard line. On first down, Leandro Spruill was met behind the line of scrimmage by Lincoln’s stout defensive front for a 1-yard loss. Deurian McNeil clawed that yard back with a quick gain, and quarterback Devion Frazier then connected with Noah Castro for a 3-yard pickup. A final 3-yard rush by Steven Mpila wasn’t enough to move the chains, and the Quakers turned the ball over on downs.
After regaining possession, the Lynx were quick to attack. Jones then rushed for a 5-yard touchdown, and with the help of the extra point by Lincoln’s kicker Lukas Larsson, the Lynx took an early 7-0 lead.
The first half turned into a defensive standoff. Lincoln strung together promising drives with contributions from Jake Marion, who consistently picked up tough yardage on the ground, and Landon Jones, who added an 11-yard rush and a 17-yard reception. But the Franklin defense, led by Leandro Spruill and Corde Frazier, made timely stops, including a key sack and multiple tackles behind the line of scrimmage.
Franklin started their possession off rocky, struggling to break through Lincoln’s tough defense, only managing short gains. The confidence of the Quakers became even lower after a sack by Lincoln’s Raffi Whaley, until McNeil ducked and dodged past Lincoln defenders for a 20-yard run that placed the Quakers at the 27-yard line for a first down. Carrying on the momentum, Franklin maintained control by keeping the offense moving and time on the clock.
Facing 4th-and-8 at the 21-yard line, Franklin chose to punt, and Lincoln’s Josiah Smith had a 15-yard return, setting up the Lynx at their own 34. Jones and Ward added short gains of 2 and 5 yards, but Lincoln’s drive fell short on 4th-and-3.
Franklin took over and quickly responded, with Devion Frazier connecting on a 10-yard pass to Spruill before being sacked by a Lincoln defender. With just seconds left in the first half, the Quakers pushed for a final effort during the first half, but Franklin’s Tyus Gainer was shut down by Roben Silva to close the quarter, as Lincoln maintained a 7-0 lead over Franklin.
The Quakers started with the ball to begin the second half, and Echols and Gainer slowly got to work, but unfortunately, they were stopped by Lincoln’s strong wall of defensive players during the series, quickly turning the ball back over to the Lynx.
The contrast between the two offenses quickly became clear. While Franklin continued to struggle for traction, Lincoln’s unit remained steady and effective. Avery Jones and Jake Marion combined for 13 yards on two carries apiece, pushing the Lynx down to the 17-yard line. Facing fourth down, Lincoln turned to Larsson, who connected on a 17-yard field goal to extend the lead to 10-0.
Late in the third quarter, Franklin faced a 4th-and-7 from the 27-yard line when quarterback Devion Frazier lost control of the ball. Though a teammate recovered the fumble, the Quakers failed to convert and turned the ball over on downs.
Lincoln then quickly got to work. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Brandon Ward broke free for a 9-yard gain but fumbled on the tackle. He managed to recover his own miscue, keeping the drive alive. Marion then closed out the quarter with a small but useful 4-yard gain on third down, sending the game into the final quarter with Lincoln still grasping on to a 10-0 lead.
Silva opened the final quarter with a 16-yard touchdown for Lincoln, followed by the extra point that helped push Lincoln’s lead to 17-0.
The Quakers were continuing to feel the pressure of Lincoln as Devion Frazier opened the series with an incomplete pass and was sacked by Lincoln’s Logan Perrault on the following play. Gainer, who was determined to lift his teammates’ spirits, started powering through Lincoln’s defensive line but fell 4 yards short of a first down.
Then, something clicked for Franklin’s defense. Steven Mpila and Spruill made their presence known on the field, tackling Jones for a loss on back-to-back plays. Ward couldn’t connect on his next pass, and Matteus Alin was pushed back to the line of scrimmage on Lincoln’s 4th down.
As the final quarter wound down, possession shifted rapidly between the teams, with both sides digging deep for a strong finish. Franklin’s Devion Frazier, Tyus Gainer, and Leandro Spruill led a late offensive push, while Lincoln’s Jake Marion, Alex Larsson, and Avery Jones responded with matching intensity on defense, keeping the pressure high despite the scoreboard.
In a dramatic late-game moment, Frazier, facing a critical fourth down, launched a 50-yard pass to Deurian McNeil, converting the Quakers’ most pivotal first down of the night. On the next play, Spruill was stopped for no gain, but Frazier took matters into his own hands. With just minutes left, he sprinted into the end zone on a 6-yard run, putting Franklin on the board and cutting the deficit to 17-6.
On Lincoln’s final possession, they decided to kneel and run out the clock, securing a 17-6 victory over Franklin.
After the game, Lincoln’s head coach, Clay Packard, congratulated his team on a hard-fought battle.
“It was a battle, and the guys left everything on the field,” said Packard. “I am proud of all the communication, keeping their heads up, and talking on the sideline. All that comes together to make this thing move forward.”
