The Franklinton Demons football team won a very critical game last Friday in Demon Stadium, defeating the Pearl River Rebels, 42-20.
The win moves the Demons’ overall record to 5-3 and 1-1 in district. They are currently at #7 in the non-select Division II power ratings with two weeks to go before the playoffs. The Demons are still fighting for a home playoff game in the first round.
FHS will travel to Loranger this week to play the 4-4 Wolves in another critical district battle.
The Demons scored on their first drive as DaMikies McClain scored on an eleven yard run with 5:13 to go in the first. Chris Gonzales added the extra point for a 7-0 lead.
After a Rebel punt the Demons added another score as Rayden Raborn went in from eleven yards out to increase the lead to 14-0. The Demons’ next possession was a good one as well, as Raborn scored on a 22 yard run with 7:01 left in the second to go up 21-0 as Liam Young added the extra point.
The Rebels scored on their next possession as they punted but the ball was muffed and the Rebels recovered in Demons territory to set up a short field and made the score 21-7. The Demons bounced back and scored before halftime on Raborn's ten yard run for a 28-7 halftime advantage.
The Demons increased the lead to 35-7 in the third on Ricardo Burris’ three yard run. The teams then traded scores as Pearl River scored on a fourteen yard run before the Demons scored on an eight yard catch from Jacob Crain to Jayden Burkhalter for a 42-13 score. The Rebels scored late for a final score of 42-20.
FHS HEAD Coach Nick Saltaformaggio saw some good things in the win. "We played well early, which is what we needed to do. We got a little sloppy at the end. But a win is a win, it gives us five and five will get us in the solid hunt for a high seed in the playoffs. The guys that played well for us have played well all year. Defensively we still have to get some things together, but we're better than we have been. I'm happy for the win, happy for the school and the community, obviously. It's been since 2015 since we've had back to back winning seasons here and a win next week gives us a winning record. There's a lot of good football left in the tank."
Quarterback Jacob Crain passed for 186 yards and one touchdown with one interception on 13 completions of 17 attempts. Jayden Burkhalter caught five for 87 yards and a touchdown, DaMikies McClain also caught five for 68 yards, Dalton Freeman caught two for 18; and Rayden Raborn caught one for 13 yards.
Raborn was the leading rusher with 103 yards and three touchdowns on 12 carries while Ricardo Burris had 11 carries for 53 yards and a touchdown. Rajon Covington had four carries for 17 yards, Stephen Tate had 3 for 5 yards and McClain had one for 11 yards. Chris Gonzales was 2 of 2 on extra points and Liam Young was 4 of 4 on extra points.
