Caption: Lincoln’s Henry Kozu fights for yards during the Linx 14-7 victory over Franklin. Photo/Chris Bennett.
By Karrington Kincaid, The Seattle Medium
The matchup between the Lincoln Lynx and the Franklin Quakers did not disappoint Friday night at Memorial Stadium, as Franklin (0-2) was looking to get their first win, and Lincoln looked to extend their win streak after defeating Lakeside last week.
As Lincoln Lynx coach Tony Slater locked in with his team during pregame warmup, head coach of the Franklin Quakers Terry Green had a brief thing to say leading up to the matchup against the Lynx.
Going into the game, Franklin head coach Terry Green was excited about the matchup and felt that his team was up for the challenge.
“They’re well-coached, they always present a good battle for us, you know, and I think it’s going to be a good test for us tonight,” said Green.
The game started with an illegal kick out of bounds by Franklin on the opening kickoff, which gave Lincoln possession of the ball at the 35-yard line. Lincoln set the tone early by handing the ball off to running back Matteus Alin for a 6-yard gain. Quarterback Jacob Smith later connected with wide receiver Henry Kozu for 6 yards to pick up the first down, and Alin sliced through the defense on the following play for a gain of 20 yards to set up Lincoln in Franklin territory. A holding penalty, a dropped pass, and a great defensive play by Franklin’s Malachi Edwards stalled the drive for the Lynx, forcing them to punt the ball to the Quakers.
On the punt return, Franklin running back/kick returner Jack Russell advanced the ball to the 45-yard line after a 23-yard return, setting the Quakers up with great field position. On their first play from scrimmage, Russell picked up 9 yards to get the Quakers into Lincoln territory. Franklin followed up with a couple of 4-yard carries by running back River Dejong. A few plays later, on 3rd and 14, Russell fumbled the football, which was recovered by Lincoln’s Josiah Smith, giving them the ball for the second time.
After taking possession of the ball, Lincoln continued their ground attack as Alin picked up 16 yards on 2 carries. Running back Emmett Ramambason-Hendren got his first carry of the game, picking up 19 yards to move the ball deep into Franklin territory. However, Franklin’s defense, led by Malachi Edwards, Ibrahim Abdulqadir, and Mohamed Madey, forced a turnover on downs when Lincoln’s Jacob Smith failed to connect with wide receiver Roben Silva on 4th down.
The Quakers continued to run the ball, very much like their counterparts, with Russell picking up 5 yards and Dejong picking up 10 yards as the 1st quarter came to an end with a score of 0-0.
To begin the 2nd quarter, Lincoln’s Josiah Corner made a huge tackle on Franklin quarterback Josiah Echols, putting the Quakers into a 3rd and long. A run that was stuffed by Avery Jones and Raffi Whaley forced a Franklin punt.
Starting on their own 40-yard line after the punt, the Lynx took advantage of the defensive stop by continuing to run the ball behind Alin, who picked up 31 yards on 3 carries. Running back Oliver Grathwol-Sear picked up 9 yards to put Lincoln at Franklin’s 22. A few encroachment penalties against the Quakers set the Lynx up at Franklin’s 3-yard line. Those penalties came back to bite the Quakers as Lincoln’s Benjamin Mekuria scored a 3-yard touchdown run to put the Lynx up 6-0 after a missed extra point.
The following possession by the Quakers started off great as Dejong picked up 6 yards on 1st down, followed by a 2-yard gain on 2nd down. On 3rd down, Dejong put the ball on the ground on a mishandled handoff that he recovered himself. This set up a punt for the Quakers as they gave the ball back to the Lynx with 3:56 left to go in the half.
Led by Grathwol-Sear, who had 23 yards on 2 carries during their final drive of the half, Lincoln quickly set themselves up to score. Jacob Smith found Josiah Smith on a 34-yard connection to set up the Lynx deep in Franklin territory at their 25-yard line with 1:08 left to go in the half. With 5 seconds left, Smith connected with Josiah Smith for a 21-yard touchdown to give Lincoln a 14-0 lead after a successful 2-point conversion by Alin to end the half.
As the 3rd quarter began, Franklin came out on fire as Jack Russell got a 50-yard kick return to set the Quakers up with amazing field position to begin the half. Russell got the ball early as he gained 13 yards on a couple of carries. On a crucial 4th and 1, Mohamed Madey picked up 9 yards to keep the chains moving for the Quakers. The quarter moved quickly as the Franklin running tandem of Dejong and Russell picked up critical yards before setting them up with another crucial 4th down. Lincoln ultimately stopped the Quakers on 4th down, giving them the ball back with 7:23 left to go in the 3rd. An 8-yard run by Alin once again set the tone for the Lynx offense. Smith followed up with a 16-yard pass to the Franklin 41-yard line. Alin then sliced through the Quakers’ defense for a gain of 10 yards to pick up another 1st down. A holding penalty threw off the momentum of the offense, which eventually led to a 4th and 5 play from Franklin’s 26-yard line, where Smith connected with Kozu for 17 yards, setting the Lynx up with a 1st and goal from the 9-yard line to end the 3rd quarter.
The first play of the 4th quarter ended in disaster for the Lynx as Montrese Weaver, Jr. put the ball on the ground, which was recovered by Franklin’s Lucian Steel.
Franklin’s Mohamed Madey opened the drive with a 2-yard carry. On 2nd-and-8, Jack Russell broke out for a 70-yard run but fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Lincoln’s Ben Mekuria. However, Franklin’s defense, led by Dante Jumping Bull Jr., held strong, forcing Lincoln to punt and giving Franklin possession with six minutes left in the game.
The Quakers executed a steady ground game, with Russell and River Dejong running the ball effectively for nearly 4:30, bringing them to Lincoln’s 16-yard line with 1:26 remaining. Russell followed up with a 13-yard run to the Lincoln 3-yard line, setting up a prime scoring opportunity. Madey then capped the drive with a 3-yard rushing touchdown. After a successful extra point, the score stood at 14-7, Lynx, with just 1:08 left on the clock.
In a last-ditch effort, Franklin attempted an onside kick, but Lincoln’s Makalo Roskams-Hieter recovered, putting the Lynx in control. Franklin’s defense fought hard, forcing a 4th-and-3 after stopping three consecutive run plays. However, a costly encroachment penalty gave Lincoln an automatic first down, allowing them to run out the clock and secure a 14-7 victory.
Lincoln’s quarterback Jacob Smith praised his team’s efforts after the win. “We had a lot of fun out there, and it was a great team effort,” said Smith.
Franklin’s head coach Terry Green expressed frustration with his team’s performance but remained optimistic.
“It sucks, you know; we just can’t get over the hump,” said Green after the game. “I tell our guys, it seems like every week the only team that can beat us is wearing our colors… it’s been proven every game, but we’ll get back to the drawing board and get back after it.”
Franklin’s Jack Russell finished the game with 167 all-purpose yards, including 11 carries for 84 yards, while River Dejong had 11 carries for 50 yards, and Mohamed Madey scored Franklin’s lone touchdown. Defensively, Madey recorded 8 tackles, including one tackle for loss, and teammate Steven Mpila recorded 6 solo tackles.
Lincoln quarterback Jacob Smith completed 5 of 7 passes for 150 yards to lead the offense. Defensively, the Lynx were led by defensive back Landon Jones, who registered 5 tackles and a forced fumble, while Avery Jones had 4 total tackles. Josiah Corner recorded 2 tackles for loss, and Benjamin Mekuria had a fumble recovery.
The Lincoln Lynx will hit the road to face West Seattle on Friday, September 27, at 4:30 p.m. The Franklin Quakers will play at home against the Cleveland Eagles on Thursday, September 26, at 6:00 p.m.