Franklin wins 18-14
By:Rudy Brandl
The Hillsborough High football team showed guts and determination Friday night but lost a heart-breaker to Franklin and fell to 0-3 on the season.
Trailing 11-0 at the half, the Raiders gave the home fans some excitement with a rally that produced their first fourth quarter lead of the year. Hillsborough had a chance to put the game away but Franklin took advantage of a late turnover and made a big play to notch a dramatic 18-14 victory.
Franklin quarterback Mike Yackanin connected with Joe Porter for a 57-yard touchdown with 1:58 remaining. Porter beat the Raider secondary and was wide-open in the middle of the field.
"We busted a coverage," HHS head coach Rick Mantz said after falling to 0-3 for the first time in his eight years as head coach. "We can’t make key mistakes like that late in games. We can’t put people away. We’re still an immature football team."
The Raiders bounced back from the 11-0 deficit thanks to two big plays. Steve Hess got the home team on the board with a 94-yard scoring jaunt midway through the third period. Danny Phillips raced 51 yards down the right sideline to set up Devin Powell’s go-ahead touchdown from eight yards out.
"I was proud of the kids for battling back," Mantz said. "We showed some toughness in the second half."
Unfortunately for the Raiders, all those encouraging signs turned into despair in the final two minutes.
Hillsborough will try to start some momentum with a win next Friday night at Watchung Hills.
For the complete story on the Hillsborough-Franklin game, see Thursday’s Hillsborough Beacon.

