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GAME PREVIEW

Canadian, without a doubt, exercised some demons last week as the Wildcats raced out to a big lead on Friday afternoon to take down defending state champion Gunter, 33-6. RB Hayze Hufstedler ran for 140 yards and two scores, while QB Joshua Culwell accounted for 278 yards, a rushing and a scoring TD to lead the Canadian offense. The real story in this one was a suffocating Wildcats defense that held one of the state’s most dynamic offensive attacks in check; CHS allowed just 248 yards of offense and forced five Gunter turnovers. Canadian, which has met Gunter in five straight state semifinals, lost to Gunter last year in excruciating fashion, falling just a yard short of a potential game tying touchdown as time expired. Franklin got some revenge Friday night, but this was for their 2015 team as the Lions knocked off Waskom, 14-13. Franklin fell to Waskom in the 2015 state title game, but this time around it was the Lions, led by a speedy and physical defense, that proved to be key. The FHS defense forced a pair of key turnovers and held Waskom’s explosive option based attack in check most of the night, when Waskom took a 13-7 lead in the fourth quarter. The Franklin defense came up with a key stop on the two-point conversion. Franklin, normally ground oriented, only threw the ball eight times Friday night, but one of those passes proved to be the game winner as Marcus Wade’s 33-yard scoring pass to Hayden Helton with under three minutes left was the game winning score for the Lions. Franklin ran for 274 yards on the night, but the Lions weren’t able to consistently string together drives or timely big plays and that resulted in the offense stalling out. That can’t happen this week as Canadian is simply too efficient on the offensive side of the ball. Franklin’s defense is good enough to keep them in it, but unless their offense plays the game of their lives, Canadian rolls. 

Stepp’s Pick: Canadian by 17

- Matt Stepp

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Canadian

RB Hayze Hufstedler - The workhorse for Canadian’s offense, Hufstedler rushed 32 times for 140 yards and two touchdowns last week against Gunter.

QB Josh Culwell - He’s back and he’s healthy, which is huge for Canadian. The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Culwell, who broke his foot in 2019, threw for 176 yards and a TD and also ran for 102 yards and a score against Gunter.

K Edgar Salazar - In a game of this magnitude, don’t discount the importance of good special teams. The Wildcats trust Salazar to get the job done from considerable distance. He’s a huge weapon for Canadian.

Franklin

RB Malcolm Murphy – The sparkplug has over 900 yards rushing and 400 yards receiving for Franklin’s wing-T offense, which has racked up over 1,600 yards in the playoffs and over 5,000 yards for the season.

WR Hayden Helton –  The Lions don’t throw it a ton, but when they do there’s a good chance it’s heading for the junior who has over 400 receiving yards and eight touchdowns this season. He was a water boy for the 2015 Franklin team that lost to Waskom in the state championship.

RB Bryson Washington – He doesn’t get the pub that Murphy and Helton do, but his contributions to this offense can’t be overlooked. Look no further than his TD run against Waskom, one of only two Franklin scores in the game.

KEY MATCHUPS

Canadian Linebackers vs. Franklin’s Slot-T

Canadian has seen all sorts of offenses during its run to the state championship game, but the Slot-T is a different animal. Preparing for the quick-draw offense in practice is one thing, but even the best defenses can quickly get confused by all the motion. The Canadian linebacker coaches have their work cut out to quickly prepare the team after a grueling path to the state championship game. 

Franklin Defensive Backs vs. Canadian Wide Receivers

Canadian’s spread offense forces defensive backs to make quick decisions and right reads, whether it’s down the field or even right at the line of scrimmage. Franklin defensive backs Bryson Washington and Malcolm Murphy have led a defense that has played all the right notes during a 12-game winning streak, but getting off blocks and making sure tackles in space could decide this football game. 

- Shehan Jeyarajah

PREDICTIONS

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