Franklin Ready for Game Against Williston in the 1A State Semifinals

PANAMA CITY, Fla. (WJHG/WECP) - Both Chipley and Franklin are getting set to head to Lakeland next week for the 1A State Semifinals.

Let’s focus on the latter here. The Seahawks at 20-7 on the season, will take on 23-7 Williston Wednesday in their state semi.

Franklin Head Coach Ray Bailey and his team surviving two tough playoff games to make it to Lakeland. First a 47-43 win on the road at Blountstown on the 16th. Then a 46-41 home win here over Cottondale, Seahawks in white here. Those two games part of a rather tough stretch the coach believes has made his team a stronger unit heading south!

“I think so, and we actually played, I want to say the last, outside of the district game, PSJ twice and won district. Won it towards the end of the season. We lost a barnburner to NFC 79-78. And then like you said it was these two playoff games. So we’re built for it. We don’t have the offense that we are we are just going to go out there and overwhelm people and blow them out. So you know this does make you a better team as the year goes along when you grind out these close games.”

Bailey knows his team has to play at its highest level in Lakeland, and after scouting the other teams heading there, figures the Seahawks may face a size disadvantage down there.

”I think we’re very confident. We know that we’re going to have to play our best when we get down there. Everybody that we pretty much play from here on out is probably gonna have much bigger size on us. But we’ve played a couple of teams that have had big men, that were bigger than us. But I think I’ll have them prepared and we’ll be ready to go.”

This marks the first trip to State for Franklin since 2019, when the Seahawks lost to Wildwood in the state semi’s. Franklin a program that is still fighting for that first state championship! The team will head south Tuesday.

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