Franklin escapes Charles City 30-22 with last minute touchdown

Charles City's Kyle Jones (1) reaches in and eventually strips Franklin running back De'Marque White of the football as teammate Cameron Vaden (9) makes a diving tackle attempt.

Andre' Jones photo

“It was a different atmosphere; one I haven’t felt in a long time.”

Those were the words Charles City Panthers head coach Steward Greene said after a contest against the Franklin Broncos Friday night.

It was a quarterback sneak by Bronco signal-caller Fredquon Lassiter on the final drive that made the difference as the eighth-ranked Group 1A team escaped Charles City with a 30-22 win. And despite being outgained statistically, the hosts made key plays and stops when they mattered the most.

“That team we put out there on the field tonight was phenomenal,” Greene said. “While we came up short, if we play like that in every game, we’re going to make some noise and cause some havoc.”

And the visitors saw firsthand the havoc reaped by the Panthers. A Panther pooch kick on the opening kickoff slipped through the hands of Broncos return man DaShaun Butts. Charles City senior Justin Thomas recovered the ball. The hosts quickly capitalized as they drove down the field 38 yards, capped off by a Mason Jefferson to Troy Crawley 14-yard toss and an early 8-0 lead.

Franklin’s offense was able to rebound, marching the ball down to the one-yard line. On fourth and one, Bronco tailback De’Marque White attempted to get in over the left edge. But his extra effort caused him to bobble the ball, with the Panthers recovering what would be the first of four fumble recoveries on the night. Charles City garnered breathing room and made it to midfield, when Jefferson launched a 51-yard pass to receiver Craig Jones, beating a defender and finding the end zone to give the hosts a 14-0 advantage heading into quarter two.

With the Panthers defense bearing down on the visitors, Franklin found themselves in a fourth and long. Instead of punting, the guests took to the air as Lassiter connected with tight end Natron Lee on a crossing route. Lee shook off two defenders, received a block from White, and galloped 67 yards for a score, closing the gap to eight (14-6) heading into halftime.

After Charles City controlled the Broncos for a majority of the third quarter, they ran into difficulty thanks to the visitors’ pressure. A bad snap over Jefferson’s head resulted in a safety and points on the board for the visitors. After Franklin regained the ball courtesy of a free kick, Charles City was hit with two unsportsmanlike penalties. With the ball moved to the 10-yard line, White toted the ball in to know the score at 14 apiece. Dariun Everett’s conversion run gave the visitors the lead for the first time in the game (16-14).

Matters only got worse for the hosts, as another high snap resulted in another Franklin recovery. Lassiter would call his own number at the beginning of the fourth quarter, plunging in from one-yard out to increase the margin to eight (22-14).

With the clock ticking at the five-minute mark and pinned deep in Broncos territory, the Panthers quarterback made a move that returned momentum to the hosts. Jefferson used his athleticism to escape the pocket on a designed pass play. Jefferson gained blocks from the offensive line and wide receivers as he dashed 67 yards for a Panthers touchdown. His pass to Thomas tied the game at 22 with 4:14 remaining.

After taking possession on a short kickoff, the Broncos methodically moved the ball down the field. Burning up nearly three minutes on the ground, Lassiter’s quarterback sneak returned the lead to the guests. Another Everett conversion put the Panthers in an eight-point hole once again (30-22).

With no timeouts, Charles City made one last attempt to force the game into overall. Charles City’s last opportunity saw Jefferson get sacked twice. After he left with an injury, Crawley took over the quarterback position. Crawley was sacked on third down while his fourth down pass fell short, sealing the final score of the game.

After the game, Greene gave all the credit to his players and coaching staff.

“This coaching staff prepared this team in the best way possible,” he said. “These players came out and gave a performance that I have not seen in years.

“We are one big family and as you can see, this family is getting stronger and sticking together and we will see results very soon.”

Charles City drops to 1-3 and will return to action at home on Sept. 30 when they host Colonial Beach.

1st Quarter
CC (9:14)- Jefferson 11 yard pass to Crawley (Jefferson to Thomas pass) 8-0
CC (2:45)- Jefferson 51 yard pass to C. Jones (run fail) 14-0
2nd Quarter
F (3:12)- Lassiter 67 yard pass to Lee (run fail) 14-6
3rd Quarter
F (2:13)- Safety (bad snap) 14-8
F (1:38)- White 10 yard run (Everett run) 16-14
4th Quarter
F (11:57)- Lassiter 1 yard run (run fail) 22-14
CC (4:14)- Jefferson 67 yard run (Jefferson to Thomas pass) 22-22
F (1:16)- Lassiter 1 yard run (Everett run) 30-22

Passing (completions/attempts/yards)
F- Lassiter 3/6/114, 1 TD
CC- Jefferson 7/14/120, 2 TD, 1 int.; Crawley 1/2/-1

Receiving (receptions/yards)
F- Lee 3/114, 1 TD.
CC- C. Jones 1/51, 1 TD; Thomas 1/28, Crawley 2/27, Tyler 3/14, K. Jones 1/-1.

Rushing (attempts/yards)
F- White 27/141, 1 TD; Everett 13/55, Butts 8/42, Lassiter 8/33, 2 TD; Lawson 1/15, Wilkerson 2/4, Wiggins 2/2, Lee 2/-1.
CC- Jefferson 17/6, 1 TD; Tyler 7/1, Gardner 1/0, Crawley 1/-1, Dobson 1/-3, K. Jones 1/-9.