Franklinton falls to Fontainebleu in last-minute thriller, 22-21

MANDEVILLE, Louisiana - The final moments of Fontainebleau’s 22-21 win at Franklinton on Sept. 15 were a roller coaster ride.

The Bulldogs had just stopped a Franklinton 2-point conversion attempt to preserve a 1-point lead, and then things got crazy.

“It was back and forth all the way,” first-year Fontainebleau coach John Kavanaugh said. “We thought we had it won. We were thinking, 'Let’s get a couple of first downs and run out the clock.' But we fumbled on our first play from scrimmage near our own 20, and Franklinton went in and scored and converted the 2-point conversion to take a 21-14 lead. But we fought back and got it done. It was a fun football game to be a part of.”

Photo by Shacarra Ishman/The Bogalusa Tribune.

After three straight incompletions on the ensuing drive, Sebastian Miller hauled in a curl route on fourth down, made the safety miss and raced up the field for a 70-yard touchdown.

As the Bulldogs lined up to tie the game with an extra point, Franklinton (1-2) jumped offsides, and Fontainebleau decided to go for the win. Echols, who also recorded two rushing touchdowns, converted the 2-point attempt with an off-tackle run to take the lead. Fontainebleau senior Asher Acosta’s interception in the final seconds sealed the win. It’s the first time Fontainebleau has started 2-1 since 2016, when the Bulldogs won the first three games of that season.

“I feel like we had good buy-in already, but you just never know if you don’t get off to a good start what direction things are going to go,” Kavanaugh said. “This start has really energized the kids and the fan base and the school. Everybody is fired up about it. If we can keep rolling, it will just keep building on itself. This was a big win big picture-wise.”

The Bulldogs open district play at home against undefeated Hammond on Sept. 22. “They're very athletic, a big team,” Kavanaugh said. “They’re 3-0, so we know it will be a serious challenge. It feels like I'm saying that every week, but it will continue to be true throughout our district schedule. There are just a bunch of good football teams around here. You’ve got to be on your game every week. There are zero games where I go in thinking that this is going to be a breather.”