Behind Cole, Haynes Oil City, Franklin Get Season-Opening Wins

| August 25, 2018


CONNEAUT, Pa. (EYT) – Christian Cole ran for 253 yards and five touchdowns to help visiting Oil City pull away from Conneaut (Pa.) for a 46-27 season-opening win.

After leading 14-0 early, Oil City found itself down 21-20 late in the third quarter before scoring four of the game’s final five touchdowns, including three of the four in the fourth quarter.

Cole scored all three fourth-quarter touchdowns for the Oilers (1-0) scoring on runs of 6, 36 and 9 yards. His 36-yard scamper with 4:10 to play gave Oil City a 40-27 lead, and a Max Lantona interception then set up a 9-yard Cole run 17 seconds later to put the cherry on the ice cream for Oil City.

Cole also had a 16-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and a 12-yard scoring run midway through the third quarter that broke a 14-all halftime tie.

Demarco Francis (25-yard interception return) and Noah Petro (31-yard run) also scored for Oil City. Petro added a 100-yard game on the ground rushing for 146 yards on just eight totes. All but 17 of Oil City’s 461 yards game on the ground.

Kyle Sheets scored three rushing touchdowns for Conneaut scoring on runs of 1, 11 and 5 yards. He ran 21 times for 138 yards. Sheets was also 8 of 16 passing for 89 yards and two interceptions.

FRANKLIN 34, NORTH EAST 21

NORTH EAST, Pa. – Franklin’s 2018 opener didn’t start well but it sure ended in grand fashion, as the Knights erased a 13-0 second-quarter deficit by scoring 34 straight points on its way to a 34-21 win at North East.

Alex Furmanek’s 2-yard scoring run four minutes into the second quarter but the Grapepickers ahead 13-0., but Franklin scored twice in the final 2:47 of the first half thanks to the arm of Ian Haynes to take a 14-13 halftime lead.

Haynes first found Eli Stewart with a 53-yard pass to make it 13-6 with 2:47 left before the break then hit Dalton Buckley with a 10-yard pass with just 11 seconds left in the half before connecting with Dorian Gordon on the 2-point conversion to give the Knights (1-0) the lead.

It was more of the same from Haynes in the second half, who added some defense to his game in helping Franklin go up 34-13 midway through the fourth quarter.

In the third quarter, he connected with Eli Stewart on a 67-yard pass to make it 20-13 and then he hit Gordon with a 20-yard pass to make it 27-13 with just under six minutes to play in the game.

Haynes sealed the victory when he picked off a pass and went 31 yards for a touchdown 46 seconds later.

On the night, Haynes was 15 of 26 for 266 yards and four touchdowns while adding 18 yards rushing and the interception return for a score.

Stewart had four catches for 131 yards with Buckley adding seven for 71 and Gordon three for 57.

Furmanek, who closed out the scoring with a 69-yard touchdown run, led North East (0-1) with 198 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 20 carries.


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