Photo Credit: Livonia Franklin Football Facebook Page
The Livonia Franklin Patriots looked to bounce back from a tough defeat at the hands of a fantastic opponent as they squared off with Dearborn on Friday night. The Pioneers have had their own struggles as well this year, as both teams came in with a 2-3 record. A strong start offensively and a strong finish defensively helped carry the Patriots to a 28-10 victory.
On the opening drive of the game, Connor Hatfield rushed for a nine-yard touchdown for Livonia Franklin. This would be the lone score in the first quarter, as the Patriots led 7-0.
In the second quarter, Zac Olesuk and Hatfield paired up for a thirty-three yard strike in the opening seconds. This touchdown doubled Franklin’s lead to fourteen points. At the midpoint of the frame, Cordell Mabins broke across the plane from five yards out to give Livonia Franklin a 21-0 lead.
Dearborn would respond with ten points to close out the first half. Ali Murray and Noah Dobert connected on a thirty-nine yard touchdown with 2:38 to play in the quarter. In the closing seconds, the Pioneers booted a thirty-four yard field goal. This brought the halftime margin to 28-10 in favor of Livonia Franklin.
The only second half scoring play was a fourth quarter touchdown by Livonia Franklin. They scored on a quarterback keeper by Zac Olesuk. This run with eight minutes to go all but sealed the contest. More importantly for Franklin, they got three turnovers in the second half. Gary Morris Jr. and Don Ufferman each hauled in an interception, while Tyler Whisman scooped up a fumble for the Patriots.
Next week, both of these teams will start their playoff push. The question of who that will be against, and where that game will take place will be answered on Sunday. You will be able to find the pairings on the MHSAA website and the Michigan Sports Radio site as well.
