Franklin’s Mid-State Conference football game against visiting Martinsville would have made a great episode of "Lost."
As in lost opportunities, chances and touchdowns.
The second-ranked Artesians used the arm of senior quarterback Travis Griffey and the legs of senior tailback Isaac Osborne to power past the Grizzly Cubs.
Griffey threw for 227 yards and Osborne rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Artesians past Franklin, 30-7.
“We found out a little about ourselves,” said Franklin coach Chris Coll. “That’s a good team, and for the better part of the night we had a chance.”
Martinsville, known for airing it out, used the ground for its two first-half scores, with Griffey and Osborne doing the honors from 2 and 4 yards out.
Franklin (2-3, 1-2 Mid-State) briefly tied the game at 7-7 when junior quarterback Drew Byerly ran it in from the 3 in the second quarter.
Franklin was its own worst enemy in this game, dropping a first-quarter pass in the end zone, and getting inopportune penalties — like a 15-yard personal foul after Byerly rambled for a 46-yard run to the Martinsville 34 line in the second quarter.
Mistakes notwithstanding, Franklin was in this game at the half, down only 14-7. Unfortunately for the Cubs, the mistakes weren’t limited to the first half.
“Our defense played well, but when we didn’t score, it got harder to keep them from scoring,” Coll said. “I’m proud of the guys. They fought hard.”
Griffey scored again from the 2 to give Martinsville some space at 21-7, and Franklin continued to hurt itself with miscues.
More dropped passes when wide open, a bad snap on a punt that led to a a safety, missed tackles and a questionable pass interference penalty all helped the Artesians.
Osborne then ran in for another score from the 28 for the final tally.
It won’t get any easier for the Grizzly Cubs next week, as they travel to Class 4A No 10 Mooresville.
