Franklinton is preparing for their first conference matchup of the season on Friday. After each having a week off, they and the Knightdale Knights will shake off the cobwebs and hit the field against one another at 7:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Last Friday, Franklinton blew past Riverside-Durham, posting a 35-7 victory.
Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead Franklinton to victory, but perhaps none more so than Alijah Durham, who rushed for 79 yards and one touchdown on only nine carries.
Franklinton's run defense was locked in: Riverside-Durham could only muster 1.1 yards per carry. The team can thank Xavier Eaton for the heroic effort on defense: he. Franklinton didn't have any issues in that department, having averaged 7.4.
Franklinton didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Gebriel Gaskin.
Meanwhile, Knightdale was not the first on the board last Friday, but they got there more often. They had just enough and edged out South Granville 38-35. Things were looking grim for the Knights in the second quarter (they were down by 22) but they stormed back to get the contest.
Franklinton better keep an eye on Jamel Perry. He was instrumental in Knightdale's win, throwing for 318 yards and four TDs while completing 74.1% of his passes, and also rushing for 35 yards and one score. Those 318 passing yards gave Perry a new career-high. Jalen Moore was another key player, picking up 108 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Knightdale's defensive line made their presence known, laying out Evan Zollo three times. In that department, Kris Jones was the leader with two sacks.
Franklinton's win bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Knightdale, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-4.
| Passing Yards | 1,077 |
| Passing Touchdowns | 11 |
| Passer Rating | 101.9 |
| Rushing Yards | 32 |
Friday's matchup will pit two of the most dominant signal callers against one another: Keith James and Perry. James just won't slow down this season and has thrown 11 touchdowns (and and only 2 picks) while averaging 215.4 passing yards per game. Perry has been a dominant force too and has thrown 12 touchdowns while averaging 259.4 passing yards per game.
