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Mustangs to resume play Friday night at Franklin
Following an open date, Smoky Mountain's football team will return to action Friday with a 7:30 p.m. Mountain Athletic Conference contest at Franklin's Panther Pit.
Depending on which Franklin team shows up, the Mustangs (1-7, 1-4) could find themselves in a competitive game or a blowout if comparative scores mean anything.
The Panthers (5-4, 3-3) lost Friday to Erwin (39-31). SM's only win was over the Warriors (28-8).
Both teams lost to East Henderson by similar scores. East topped the Panthers (24-17) and the Mustangs (28-21) by a touchdown.
On the other hand, Franklin shocked Tuscola (24-21) while the Mountaineers blitzed SM (41-14). The Panthers blasted North Buncombe (49-0) after the Black Hawks edged the Mustangs (13-12).
It's hard to draw a conclusion from the other common opponent, Asheville. The Cougars ripped SM (55-6) and beat Franklin (17-0). However, the Franklin game was called at halftime due to heavy rain associated with Hurricane Ivan.
Franklin also has wins over Rabun County, Ga. (30-7), Murphy (27-3) and Enka (43-17) and a loss to Robbinsville (23-20).
"They seem to be an up and down team," Coach Tim Hawkins said. "They're fairly young in the skill positions. They've got solid players in the line. I'm impressed with the talent level they have."
The Panthers have some of the top skill position players in the conference in tailback Alex Croteau, quarterback Chase Holland and wide receiver Dustin Cabe.
Hawkins said Croteau is a hard runner and compared him to former SM standout David Kelly.
Nic Leatherman helps anchor the Franklin offensive line, according to Hawkins.
Leading the defense are end Mitch Odom and tackles Grant Dawson and John Bowles.
The Panthers operate from an offset I on offense and utilize a 50 defense.
"We're going to have to play well offensively and not get sloppy," Hawkins said. "We must have a running game. Defensively, we're going to have to play sound and stop some of the base things they do. They don't do a lot of different things, but what they do, they do well."
He said the off week has given the Mustangs a chance to heal some injuries. As of Monday afternoon, Hawkins said the primary injuries were to Cory Siler (shoulder, probable), Matt Gibson (shoulder, questionable) and Randall Crowe (knee, doubtful).
The Panthers have won nine of the past 10 games in the series to take a 9-7 series lead. Included was a 14-7 Franklin win last season.
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