Seventh-ranked Franklin has reloaded once again
Each day the Journal Sentinel will count down the area's top teams heading into the start of the prep football season Aug. 22.
No. 7 Franklin
Louis Brown is feeling much better, but the Franklin football coach opened camp with a few concerns.
He boasted of a talented group of receivers but was unsure if his new quarterbacks would have time to get them the ball. On defense, he had an all-state senior end, Gavin Meyer, but not much experience around him.
However, as Franklin nears the close of preseason camp and begins preparing for opponents, the Sabers continue to epitomize the “next man up” philosophy as well as any program around.
So what about the offensive line that needed to replace three starters?
That unit appears to be on solid ground with the emergence of Chad Schuster, a sophomore, and juniors Payton Hartje and Nick Stauber, a couple of converted defensive linemen. Those three will team with all-Southeast performers John Pekar and Cameron Wilson.
“The O-line was a big concern and now it might turn out to be somewhat of a strength,” Brown said.
And what about the defense that needed to replace six starters?
A band of newcomers has emerged to fit a unit that returned starters at each level: Meyer, junior end Noah Jessup, seniors Connor Dertz (outside linebacker/safety) and Drew Nackel (inside/outside linebacker) and junior safety Dyson Klubertanz.
“We’ve got a lot of kids who still have to prove themselves under the lights, but our kids all run well and they’re versatile…,” Brown said. “We’ve got kids who can move around and play various positions, which is very important to me as a defensive guy.”
Not only have the Sabers won more games (45) than any other team in the area over the past four seasons, but they’re the only program to reach double-digit victories in each of those seasons.
It is a streak that has a good chance of continuing in 2019. The Sabers are the pick to win their sixth Southeast Conference title in the past seven seasons.
“We’ve got a really strong sophomore class, pretty solid juniors,” Brown said. “We’re going to have to use them all.”