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Sports

Franklin Kicks Off Northern League Play Against Marshall

Panthers open up at home before heading on the road for three games.

football team will get a clean slate tonight when they take on Marshall High School in the first Northern League showdown of the season.

The Panthers are looking to bounce back from last week’s 16-12 loss against Verdugo Hills High School and head into league play with a 3-2 record. Franklin’s two losses were by a combined nine points.

Marshall (3-2) is the defending Northern League champion and is coming off a 71-0 thrashing over Sherman Oaks CES.

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“They are good,” assistant coach Erick Valadez said. “Last year they won the conference and every year they give us a challenge.”

FHS lost to the Barristers 38-28 on the road last season. It was the first time Marshall had beaten Franklin at home since 1991.

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Keys to the Game

Franklin’s defense will be put to the test as Marshall’s offense is averaging 42.4 points per game, 173.4 passing yards and 200 rushing yards per game.

Despite a few lapses in coverage last Friday night, the Franklin defense played well and limited Verdugo leading rusher Ricky Gonzalez to 46 yards on 11 carries.

“We were out of position a little bit with our linebackers and our outside linebackers didn’t play tough enough,” head coach Eric Jaimes said about last week’s defensive effort.

If FHS wants to pull out a win tonight, Valadez said tackling and sticking to their defense is what’s going to get the job done.

With five games under his belt, newly converted quarterback Joshua Taylor is still learning the ropes.

The junior was all over the field last week as he grabbed an interception, caught a touchdown and threw for another, but he struggled to get the offense going.

He went 1-for-8 for 8 yards in the first half against Verdugo, but completed 50 percent (4-of-8) of passes and threw for 65 yards in the second half.

Taylor will have to develop a rhythm early if the Panther offense is going to put some points on the board.

Northern League Outlook

Franklin finished in the middle of the pack last season (3-2) right behind Marshall and Lincoln. If they can manage to get by Marshall tonight, the Panthers could put themselves in a good position to win the conference this year.

According to Valadez, winning won’t be easy.

“Everybody wants to beat Franklin so it’s going to be tough for us. We have to pay attention to what we practice and come out swinging,” he said. “We just have to take it one game at a time right now.”

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