Franks, Erie-Prophetstown rain on Bureau Valley

MANLIUS - Kolby Franks did just about everything for the Erie-Prophetstown Panthers Saturday at Bureau Valley. If the concessions stand was open at Bureau Valley, he might have sold popcorn, too.

The Panthers junior quarterback rushed for two touchdowns and passed for two more touchdowns and three conversions to lead the Panthers to a 44-0 win in the rain over the Storm. It was the Panthers (1-2) first win of the 2021 spring season.

“He’s quite an athlete. He can do a lot of things for us,” E-P coach Jesse Abbott said. “The more games he gets under his belt, the more confident he gets. You could see that this afternoon. He’s starting to call his own number a little bit more, taking advantage of things they gave him. And that was good to see because he’s been a little hesitant.”

Franks passed for two touchdowns in the second quarter - 17 yards to Jase Grunder and six yards to Connor Sibley - and two conversions to stake the Panthers to a 22-0 halftime lead.

The junior quarterback called his own number for a pair of 40-yard touchdown runs in the second half to finish off the Panthers’ runaway victory. He racked up 89 yards rushing on 12 attempts and completed 4-of-5 passes for 40 yards.

Stopping Franks was easier said than done, BV coach Mat Pistole said.

“Franks was the guy we knew we had to stop to win and we didn’t stop him,” he said.

The Panthers totaled 344 yards on the day, led by Sibley, who rushed for 130 yards on 24 attempts and a touchdown. In addition to his TD reception, Grunder also rushed for 58 yards and one touchdown.

Abbott said the Panthers did a good job handling the elements thrown at them on a rainy Saturday afternoon.

“One of things we talked about was worrying about the things we can control,” he said.

Bureau Valley’s offense stalled for much of the game, totaling just 102 yards (96 rushing), and did not handle elements well, fumbling six times, losing two.

“The turnovers and getting off the field on third and fourth down was the difference,” Pistole said. “They executed much better than us and dealt with the elements much better. Credit to them and their coaches for their effort today.”

The Storm (0-3) will finish out their spring season at home next Saturday vs. St. Bede (3-1), which fell to Newman 35-6 Saturday. E-P closes out Friday at home vs Morrison.