WAYNESVILLE — Franklin football’s Anderson Terrell lined up under center to take the snap at Tuscola’s 9-yard line. The Panthers were up a touchdown with seven minutes left in the fourth quarter.
Terrell, a 5-foot-10, 165-pound quarterback ran back toward running back Braydon Hervey to give him the ball for the counter running left at the snap. The Tuscola linebackers and defensive backs crashed the line of scrimmage, expecting Hervey to receive the handoff. But Terrell never gave it to him.
After faking the handoff to Hervey, Terrell kept the ball and waltzed into the end zone for the easy 9-yard touchdown run. His score gave Franklin an insurmountable lead it on the way to a 35-21 win vs. Tuscola (4-2, 1-1 Mountian 7) on Tuesday at C.E. Weatherby Stadium.
“He had come to me and said, ‘I think I can keep it off the counter play because everybody’s really going to Hervey,’ ” Franklin coach Josh Brooks said. “Sure enough, he ended up having two big runs, including the touchdown run off that very play.”
The Panthers (6-0, 2-0) needed other offensive players against the Mountaineers. Their defense was determined to stop Hervey, who entered the game averaging 100 rushing yards and three touchdowns per game. The Mountaineers mostly succeeded as Hervey finished with 26 yards on 13 carries while catching three passes for 78 yards and a touchdown.
Enter Terrell to help replace some of Hervey’s production.
He had his best game as a Franklin quarterback, completing 13 of 23 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 23 yards and two touchdowns on six carries.
Fullback Addix Sutton said he has enjoyed watching Terrell grow this year.
“We’ve got confidence in him calling his own number,” Sutton said. “So that mutual relationship and the leadership he is starting to show with us is amazing.”
Sutton also had a solid game for Franklin. The 6-foot-1, 208-pound junior ran for 100 yards on 13 carries and a touchdown while catching two passes for 46 yards and a touchdown. He iced the game in the fourth quarter after breaking free for a 60-yard rushing touchdown.
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Terrell and Sutton’s ability to deliver when their numbers are called will be critical for Franklin throughout the rest of the 2024 season because Brooks believes other teams will deploy a similar strategy to slow down Hervey.
“That’s the kind of attention he’s probably going to continue to get,” Brooks said.
Zachary Huber is a high school sports reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times and Hendersonville Times-News. Email him at zhuber@gannett.com or follow him on X @zacharyahuber.
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: WNC football: How Anderson Terrell delivered for Franklin vs. Tuscola
