Franklin wins the national showdown of Elk Grove

ELK GROVE, Calif. - Mike Johnson's football team surrounded him, all taking a knee, and absorbed every word of his sudden postgame reality moment.

"We haven't done anything yet," the Franklin (Elk Grove) High School coach explained to his giddy group, which was only partly true.

The Wildcats did indeed do something significant on Friday night, beating longtime Sac-Joaquin Section power Elk Grove 17-7 in a Delta Valley Conference game pitting highly ranked 7-0 regional teams that are fast emerging on the Northern California scene.

This was the top game in Northern California this week and one of the top national showcase affairs as viewed by MaxPreps, and it played the role in front of a packed crowd of some 3,500 at Elk Grove.



With 17 starters back from its first playoff winning team of last fall, the Wildcats used offensive balance, poise, patience and execution, and a smothering, swarming, fast defense to halt Elk Grove's section-leading 17-game regular-season winning streak.

Johnson, the only coach in Franklin's 10-year varsity run, was pleased to beat a program that has been a regional factor or force since the 1950s, but his program craves more. More than one playoff win. A section Division I championship. A NorCal Regional berth and triumph.

Shoot, why not invite De La Salle (Concord) up for a rumble right here and now?

It's too early too forecast playoff matchups, and you wouldn't catch Johnson or any of his players peeking any farther ahead than Monday's practice, but this is what the media does: project.

Franklin has emerged as the top large school in this section and came into this game ranked second in the weekly MaxPreps rankings. It was ranked third in the MaxPreps NorCal Top 25, behind No. 1 De La Salle and Elk Grove with changes sure to happen with the next rankings.

Franklin will also be The Sacramento Bee's top-ranked team, a first.



Franklin and Elk Grove are right on par talent scheme wise with Bay Area and NorCal heavies Bellarmine (San Jose) and Serra (San Mateo), but anyone who doesn't agree that De La Salle is still the standard in California hasn't been paying attention.

"We're good but we've got a long way to go before we're great," Johnson said this week.

Franklin compiled 331 yards of offense to Elk Grove's 130. That Elk Grove was without the services of starting quarterback Tommy Arnold was a factor, sure, but Arnold alone wasn't going to topple Franklin.

It's the Wildcats' time.

Arnold was home on Friday, stewing for his role in a fight with a junior varsity player who stole his cell phone.

Franklin can run with power and speed with Christian Fonbuena, who rushed for 81 yards, and Kyran Harris, who pulled for 65, including the back-breaking 27-yard touchdown for the final points early in the fourth quarter.



Tre Lampley scored on a 7-yard run for Franklin and had 65 yards receiving from steady senior quarterback Trent Spallas, who had 148 yards. He hit Dionte Young for 97 of them.

On defense, Franklin is paced by defensive lineman William Vi, linebacker Joey Banks and cover men such as Lampley and Marcus Green.

There is speed, depth, skill and hunger in this program.

Robert Frazier of Elk Grove managed 83 rushing yards, but it took 25 carries and included a 16-yard run. Wadus Parker scored Elk Grove's touchdown on a 9-yard run.

"My kids were very serious this week in practice, most serious they've been," Johnson said. "We even had Fonbuena and Harris take over on scout team and say, 'no, no, no. Frazier doesn't run like that for Elk Grove. He's much better. We'll show you.'"
Joe Davidson has covered prep sports at The Sacramento Bee since 1988. Follow him on Twitter: @SacBee_JoeD and at sacbee.com