Franklin Sabers football determined to claw their way to the top
FRANKLIN, Wis. — Competing with one of the largest senior classes in school history and an active head coach of 10 years, the Franklin Sabers are ready for another successful season in 2021.
Thirty-two of an estimated 70 players are seniors this year on the Franklin High School varsity football team.
“We have a lot of talent,” admitted head coach Louis Brown.
That talent includes the likes of senior quarterback and Wisconsin 2022 commit, Myles Burkett. Maximizing the talents of Burkett and others is one of Brown’s main focuses this fall.
“It’s more about the kids, less about me,” Brown said.
However, it is not only talent, but consistency and motivating kids to practice hard every week that Brown believes creates a successful program. To demonstrate what it takes to be part of his program, Brown depends on his upperclassmen to lead the way.
“As a captain, I’m always trying to set an example of what a good leader, teammate, and person looks like,” said senior running back Tanner Rivard. “My advice to the underclassmen is that you have to work hard to carry out our goals because nothing is given.”
The team’s goals this season are to win the Southeast Conference and be state champions. The Sabers have not won state since 2006.
“I’m excited to see what our team can accomplish,” Rivard said. “We’ve been together since elementary school, and this is what we’ve been waiting for.”
Not only does the team have their eyes set on a conference title and a state championship, the seniors are also focused on leaving behind a legacy.
“Our coaches have worked really hard to have the program we have, and our goal is to keep it that way,” Rivard said.
Rivard and Brown agree the biggest challenge to achieving these goals will continue to be the presence of COVID-19 and how it might affect the team. They believe staying healthy and strong could be the difference between a win or a loss this season.
According to Brown, rival schools Oak Creek, Racine Horlick, and Kenosha Bradford will be tough to beat, although the state’s currently ranked No. 1 Sabers are seen as a threat to the competition.
“I’m very proud of how strong we started off the season, and we know what we have to do to get where we want to be,” Rivard said.
The Sabers have a 2-0 start on the season. On Aug. 27 they beat Fond du Lac (1-1) 39-13 in a non-conference game.
Not to mention, Rivard was named player of the game after the win over Fond du Lac Friday night.
Franklin’s next game will be away versus Indian Trail on Sept. 3. They will come back home to play Indian Trail the next week on Sept. 7.
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