FAYETTE — Friday night Franklin County’s Darrin Wiley, a 6-foot, 252-pound senior fullback and defensive lineman, spent most of his evening either wrapping up Jefferson County Tigers or running them over in a winning effort.
The Bulldogs beat Jefferson County 30-6, behind two touchdowns from Wiley to secure third place in Region 7-3A. Franklin County will travel to Seminary Friday night to open the Class 3A State Playoffs.
Wiley forced a fumble in the game’s opening minutes that set up Denzel Allen’s recovery in the end zone for a touchdown. Senior DeMarrius Tyler added the two-point conversion.
Jefferson County answered the quick Bulldogs score in the second quarter with one of their own. Running back Arthur Norton scored a 1-yard touchdown, but couldn’t find the end zone on the conversion run. FCHS held an 8-6 lead with 10:56 remaining in the first half.
Needing a big play to keep the momentum on their side, Wiley came up big for the Bulldogs with a 6-yard touchdown run. Junior Bernard Selmon added the two-point conversion run.
Moments later, Wiley grabbed a Jefferson County pass out of thin air and returned it 10 yards for a score. It was the third game in a row that Wiley has scored a touchdown on both sides of the ball.
Coached by Chris Calcote, the Bulldogs (6-4, 3-2) kept their aggressive defensive play up with big hits from Wiley and company. Selmon added a touchdown plunge from four yards out in the third quarter to put FCHS ahead comfortably.
Selmon led the Bulldogs with 78 yards rushing on 19 carries. Bulldogs starting running back Chris Robinson left the game early with an ankle injury, which sidelined him the rest of the game. Robinson finished with one carry for 15 yards.
Through the air, Malik Moore was 7 of 11 for 76 yards.
For Jefferson County, Norton had 78 yards rushing on 19 carries. He also scored a touchdown.
Defensively, the Bulldogs held an always explosive Jefferson County (3-6, 2-3) squad to a season-low 119 yards of total offense. Jerry Hannon led the Bulldogs with 11 tackles, two sacks and a pass deflection.
Wiley added six hits, an interception return for a touchdown, a sack, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Senior defensive end Troy Norman had six tackles and a sack. Allen finished with five hits, an interception and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. Greg O’Quinn had five tackles, two pass deflections and an interception.
The Bulldogs’ big plays on defense halted several drives by Jefferson County. FCHS defensive coordinator Adam Barron’s hard hitting crew forced five turnovers and had five sacks in the game.
