Sophomore quarterback Jacob McDaniel had a big night for the Franklin County Bulldogs, passing for 119 yards and rushing for 43 as the Bulldogs blanked the Loyd Star Hornets 34-0 Friday night at W.E. “Sambo” Smith Field.

“This was a good win for us,” said FC coach Anthony Hart. “Our guys came out and executed really well offensively and defensively. Loyd Star has a very good, well-coached team and they played really well against us. Overall, I was pleased with my guys’ efforts, we came out focus and stuck to our game plan.”

In the opening quarter, the Bulldogs wasted no time scoring the first points of the game as McDaniel connected with DeMartre Collins on a 59-yard pass play with 11:08 remaining. Thomas Slagle finished the night 4-of-5 on the extra point kicks as Franklin County commanded an early 7-0 lead.

The Hornets were forced to punt the ball away on the ensuing possession.

On the Bulldogs’ second offensive possession, they scored another touchdown with 6:07 left when Ladarrius Norman punched in a one-yard run. At the end of the first quarter, FC led 14-0 over Loyd Star.

In the second quarter, Franklin County continued to overwhelm Loyd Star with their size, speed and depth as they added two more touchdowns to take a comfortable 28-0 lead into halftime.

Demartre Collins returned a 57-yard punt for a touchdown with 10:59 left and Keontee Bee scored on a 6-yard run with 2:48 remaining.

In second half, the Bulldogs scored their last touchdown on the night with 7:41 remaining in the third as McDaniel broke free to sprint in a 23-yard touchdown.

In the fourth quarter, the Hornets’ offense controlled the clock and put together a good strong drive, but was unable to put the ball into the endzone as the final buzzer sounded.

“Franklin County is very athletic and well-coached team,” said Loyd Star coach Adam Cook. “This was a great test which will help us get ready for our district run. Overall, our guys fought hard and I was proud of their effort. I would also like to thank the fans for coming. We had a huge crowd to come to show their support for these guys.”

Offensively, Parker Flowers was the leader on the field for the Hornets as he completed 5-of-17 attempts for 46 yards and rushed 64 yards on 14 carries.

Lakein Wallace was the top receiver with three catches for 26 yards and Michael Harvey caught a pass for 15 yards.

For the Bulldogs, Collins directed Franklin County with 64 yards rushing on four carries and caught two passes for 88 yards.

Defensively, Flowers paced the Hornets with 11 tackles. Lakin Wallace contributed six stops and had a fumble recovery. Nicholas Smith also had six tackles. Anfernee Claire, Zach Cain and Harvey provided five tackles each. Bradyn Brister also recovered a fumble.

Gregory Queen led the Bulldogs’ defense with nine tackles. Marquavis Dunn and Dominique White provided six stops each. Chris O’Quinn and Cameron Young had five tackles apiece. Matthew Dier and Deion Buckles intercepted a pass and Azarius Colenburg recovered a fumble.

The Bulldogs (3-1) will return home to Meadville to host the Lawrence County Cougars next week. The Hornets (2-2) will be on the road as they visit Scott Central. Kick off is at 7 p.m.