The Franklin Sabers used 48 first half points to take their first step towards another state championship appearance.
Wisconsin commit Myles Burkett helped give Franklin a big lead early as the senior threw three touchdown passes in the first quarter to help give the Sabers a 28-6 lead. The Sabers dominated in all phases of the game in the first half with two defensive touchdowns as well as rushing touchdowns from Tanner Rivard and Ty Davis to help give them a 48-12 halftime lead.
“They (Riverside) made us keep our starters in a little longer than we wanted, but I give them a lot of credit as they definitely were undermanned,” Franklin head coach Louis Brown said. “It was the first time that we played in colder weather, so it was good to figure that out. We kind of took care of business and did what we needed to do.”
In the second half, both of Franklin’s backup quarterbacks Boston Halloran and Eli Podall threw touchdown passes to push the lead to 62-12.
Burkett threw for 169 yards for the game with three touchdowns and one interception, while Tanner Rivard ran for 80 yards on seven carries. Teagan Fox and Immanuel Joseph led the Sabers defensively with five tackles in the game.
Franklin moves onto the second round of the WIAA Playoffs and take on conference rival Oak Creek at home on Friday night. Franklin beat Oak Creek 34-14 on the road in conference action on Oct. 1st.
“It should be a good game as we have one loss between us,” Brown said of the rematch. “It is nice to have them at home, and I think it is going to be a good game.”