By Dan Barile
Eagle Times Correspondent
LANGDON, NH — The undefeated Campbell Cougars traveled to Fall Mountain on Friday, Oct. 27, for a regular season finale which many predicted would be a one-sided affair.
Despite entering the game missing five starters—and losing three more during the first half—Fall Mountain refused to quit in front of their largest crowd of the season on Senior Night.
Campbell raced out to a 20-point lead before Eric Franklin Jr. connected with Tyson Patch on a 7-yard touchdown pass. Troy Tenney added the extra point to cut the deficit to 20-7 with 27 seconds remaining in the first half.
The Cougars extended their lead on their first possession of the second half when Braydon White scored on a 9-yard touchdown run. The Cougars added a 2-point conversion to take a 28-7 lead with 6:16 left in the third quarter.
Campbell then maintained its 28-7 lead through the rest of the third quarter to put themselves in the familiar position of having the game seemingly locked up entering the final frame.
Fall Mountain had other thoughts, though, as their remaining healthy seniors began to mount a comeback with the help of a few underclassmen. On the second play of the fourth quarter, junior Tyson Patch prevented Campbell from adding another score by stopping them in the backfield on fourth and goal.
On the very next play, senior Franklin Jr. energized the crowd when he broke a tackle and flew down the sideline for a 47-yard gain. As exciting and impressive as Franklin Jr.’s run was, what ensued over the rest of the drive is what will likely be remembered for years to come.
In what has become a tradition of sorts under Fall Mountain Head Coach Orion Binney, senior offensive lineman Owen Waysville and Murray Spaulding each had opportunities to carry the ball. Waysville ran for gains of 5 and 11 yards before Spaulding powered ahead for 5 yards of his own. Following Spaulding’s run, Franklin Jr. sliced and diced his way for a 16-yard gain to set up first and goal from the 1-yard line.
As the coaches were deciding on the play call, both Waysville and Spaulding could be seen vying for an opportunity at another carry. The coaches elected to give the ball to Waysville, who ran the ball up the middle for the touchdown. The score cut Campbell’s lead to 28-13 with 8:25 remaining.
After forcing a quick punt, Fall Mountain regained possession at their own 21-yard line. When a couple of running plays sent the Wildcats backward, they called timeout to set up a play on third and 13. No one was caught off-guard when Franklin Jr. dropped back to pass, though the Campbell defense sure looked surprised by the speed of his intended receiver. Senior kicker Troy Tenney put his speed from the soccer field on full display as he blew past the secondary and caught Franklin Jr.’s pass in stride for an 82-yard touchdown. The Wildcats added the 2-point conversion on a pass from Franklin Jr. to senior Brandon Bator to cut the lead to one score (28-21) with 3:35 left in the game.
Campbell recovered an onside kick following the touchdown to begin their drive at the 50-yard line. After a couple of runs brought them to the Fall Mountain 29-yard line, it looked like the odds of a Wildcats win might be fading away. This quickly changed on the next play when Bator pounced on a fumble to return the ball to the home team.
With their undefeated season on the line, Campbell turned up the defensive pressure on the final drive. After forcing a fourth and 24, the Cougars intercepted the ball to hold on for a 28-21 victory.
Senior reserves Kameron Gibbs, Joe Fisher, Jacob Hearne and George McCall saw significant playing time in their final high school football game. Gibbs recorded several tackles at linebacker for the Wildcats.
“It felt amazing to play as much as I did tonight,” said Gibbs.
Fall Mountain was without the services of senior two-way starters Charlie Dussault and Josh DeVore. Fellow senior two-way starters Evan West and Owen Riendeau exited the game in the first half due to injury. Despite minimal action on Senior Night from Dussault, DeVore, West and Riendeau, they all played major roles for the Wildcats throughout the season.
The Wildcats finished the season at 5-4 and fell just short of the fourth and final playoff spot after Monadnock (5-4) defeated Kingswood (2-7). While it was a tough end to the season, Binney expressed how proud he was of the team before the 13 Wildcat seniors exited their home field one last time.
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