With loaded roster, Franklin looks like the area’s No. 1 team
In advance of the high school football season, the Journal Sentinel will take a closer look at the top teams in the Milwaukee area.
Today the countdown continues with our top-ranked team, Franklin.
We're not hear to predict state champions, but we can say this: Going into the 2021 high school football season, no team in southeast Wisconsin looks better on paper than the Franklin Sabers.
The defending Southeast Conference champion returns nine starters on offense and depending on how you count them, six to eight on defense.
When you add In the Sabers' track record of success – they've averaged 9.6 wins per season over the past decade – there is legitimate reason to believe the sky is the limit this season.
Here is quick look at what we like about the Sabers.
Three reasons Franklin will be fantastic
Offensive weaponry: How good could the Sabers' offense be? Senior Myles Burkett, the Wisconsin recruit, is a three-year starter who completed 63% of his passes last season. Senior Chad Schuster, a Division I prospect, is one of four returning starters. The team also has back leading rusher Tanner Rivard and top receiver Keaton Arendt, two more seniors. Experience and talent is a dangerous combination and the Sabers have a lot of both.
Speed guys: While most will gush over the offense's potential, Franklin coach Louis Brown is excited about the potential of the defense, which returns senior Daniel Martens, an outside linebacker who led the team in tackles, allconference cornerback Logan Matthews, another senior, and three other all-conference performers. It is a unit with the potential to cover a lot of ground. That speed, overall, is a characteristic of the defense and the team overall. This has the makings of one of the Sabers fastest teams.
Senior motivation: The team has a record 32-man senior class and best believe the group has a long memory when it comes to last year. To recap, the school district pulled the team from the postseason due to the high rate of COVID-19 cases among its entire student body. The decision denied the Sabersa shot at Muskego in the WIAA's shortened postseason in what would have been the game of the year. The unfortunate ending could provide additional fuel.