Daily Leader / Marty Albright / Franklin County’s senior running back Cortney Smith (3) powered the Bulldogs’ rushing attack against Wesson Friday night at Stone Stadium.

WESSON – The Franklin County Bulldogs relied on the speed of senior running back Cortney Smith and junior quarterback De’Martre Collins to clinch a 23-7 win over the Wesson Cobras Friday night in Region 7-3A action at Stone Stadium.

Smith rushed for 186 yards on 25 carries and a touchdown, while Collins used his arm completing 7-of-10 passes for 106 yards and two touchdowns.

“Glad to get the win,” said FCHS coach Anthony Hart. “We played really well offensively and defensively. I was really proud of my guys’ efforts. We had to make some changes offensively and defensively due to some injured players but the guys responded and played really well.”

Franklin County overpowered the Cobras to gain a 17-0 advantage at halftime.

In the opening period, the Bulldogs got on the scoreboard first with a 27-yard field goal by junior kicker Thomas Slagle with 6:16 remaining.

The Bulldogs would end the first period with another scoring drive as Collins hit Isaiah Elam in the endzone for a nine-yard strike to give FC a 10-0 lead with 2:51 remaining. Slagle also finished 2-of-3 on extra point attempts.

In the second quarter, Collins threw his second touchdown of the night when he connected with Antonio Christmas for a 39-yard touchdown with 7:32 left.

In the third period, both teams fought back and forth until the 5:28 mark, when Franklin County cashed in their final score when Smith sprint in a 35-yard rushing touchdown.

In the final period, Wesson managed to break up the Bulldogs’ shutout with 5:06 remaining when linebacker Matthew Craft stripped the ball loose from a Franklin County running back and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown. Logan Channell was successful on the extra-point attempt.

“I am very proud of my team’s effort,” said Wesson coach Ronald Greer. “The guys played hard, but I was disappointed that we did not come away with the win. Now, we regroup and start preparing for our last game against Wilkinson County.”

Offensively, Peyton Burns was the leader for the Cobras completing 4-of-14 passes for 29 yards and two interceptions.

Cornellius Barlow was the top receiver with three catches for 23 yards. Jermaine James led the ground attack for Wesson with two carries for 26 yards.

For the Bulldogs, Christmas was the top receiver with two catches for 57 yards. Elam caught three pass for 29 yards. Tony Wells caught a pass for 20 yards.

Defensively, Marquavis Dunn and Chris O’Quinn powered the Bulldogs with seven tackles each. Ryan Johnson contributed six tackles and had an interception. Jonquavis Sanders and Dominique White finished with six tackles each, and Deion Buckles, Keonte Bee, Gregory Queen and Cameron Young had four stops each. Young had a quarterback sack and Bee intercepted a pass.

For the Cobras, Demarcus Smith led the team with 13 tackles. Jemarcus Patterson, Kendrick Brown and Davion Frye provided five tackles apiece. Craft finished with two tackles and had a fumble recovery.

The Bulldogs (6-4, 3-1) will be in action Friday as they travel to Fayette to take on the Jefferson County Tigers. The Cobras (3-7, 0-4) will also be on the road Friday as they visit Woodville to battle the Wilkinson County Wildcats. Both games kickoff at 7 p.m.