The Franklinton Demons kicked off their 2024 season in great fashion as they defeated the #6 ranked Amite Warriors 19-12. The game was a thriller all the way as the Demons scored twice in the fourth period to tie, then take the lead with under a minute left to play.
Skyler Williams intercepted an Amite pass on their initial drive to give the Demons the ball but a fumble recovery by Amite that was returned for a touchdown gave the Warriors a 6-0 lead with 11:30 to go in the second period. The Demons responded with a nice drive to Amite's 18 before turning the ball over on downs there. After a short punt by Amite the Demons took over at the Amite 33. Jacob Crain found DaMikies McClain for a nice 17 yard touchdown reception with just :55 left in the first halt. The extra point was no good and the score stood at 6-6 at the half.
The Warriors put together a nice drive to start the second half and drove 60 yards for a score when the quarterback snuck it into the end zone. The extra point was blocked and the score stood at 12-6 Warriors. After that neither team could do much before the Demons benefitted from another short punt and took over at the Amite 38. Jacob Crain capped off the drive with a one yard run to tie the game. A bad snap on the extra point kick attempt spoiled their chance to go ahead.
Amite was forced to punt and again the Demons took over in the Warriors’ territory at the 42. Sy Austin slammed his way into the end zone with :36 seconds left in the game to put the Demons ahead. Gabe Ezell kicked the extra point and the Demons led 19-12.
Amite managed to move the ball to the Demons’ 15 before time ran out on them there.
Coach Nick Saltaformaggio was excited about the win, but saw areas to improve on.
"Whenever you get a chance to beat the #6 ranked team in 3A, you did something right. I felt it was a great contest for us against a quality opponent. There's not going to be anybody on our schedule better than them. There may some equal but not better. We came out and battled and came back twice but we still had a lot of breakdowns, our kicking game is still a little bit of an issue, we got better in the punt and punt return game but our kickoff game stunk, although the coverage was good. We got in the middle of the game and they pushed us around a little and that shouldn't happen. But there is no such thing as an ugly win, especially against Amite. It was a good night for us, we'll celebrate and tomorrow we will start thinking about Covington."
Sy Austin was the Demons statistical leader with 26 carries resulting in 122 yards and a touchdown. Conner Magee rushed for 48 yards on 11 carries. Jacob Crain rushed four times for 13 yards and a touchdown. He also passed eight times with six completions for 72 yards and a touchdown. DaMikies McClain caught three passes for 24 yards and a touchdown while Austin caught two for 28 and Conner Magee caught one for 20 yards.
The Demons will host Covington this Friday night at Demon Stadium. The Lions were victorious over Bogalusa last week. The Demons defeated the Lions last season in Covington.
