Berwick opens district at Franklin Friday

Berwick’s resolve was tested in last week’s homecoming game, and the Panthers passed with flying colors.
The Panthers rallied with big plays in the second half to stun Varnado 21-20 Friday.
The win snapped a six-game losing streak for Berwick, its first since an Oct. 9, 2014, victory against Franklin in Berwick.
Berwick coach Craig Brodie said this year’s team is different than teams in the past that couldn’t “pick themselves up” when things were going wrong.
“I give credit to the assistant coaches that I have and our seniors and our leaders on the team,” Brodie said after last week’s win. “Hopefully it’s a start of better things to come.”
Trailing 14-0 late in the third quarter, the Panthers got touchdowns on consecutive possessions as quarterback Collin Louviere connected with Audwin Williams for 44 yards and Larenz Clark for 15 yards to get the Panthers back in the game in the fourth quarter.
While Varnardo responded with a touchdown by Nick Darden to retake the lead at 20-14 late in the fourth quarter, Berwick came back when Louviere connected with Williams for a 28-yard score.
John McCorkle, who was 3-for-3 on extra point attempts, converted the final one for the final margin.
Louviere was 10-of-20 passing for 202 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions in the win.
This season, Louviere has completed 13 of 29 passes for 232 yards with three touchdowns and five interceptions.
Williams was the leading receiver with five catches for 117 yards with two touchdowns, while Kenan Jones had two receptions for 40 yards and Clark had two catches for 35 yards and a score.
Williams leads the team in receiving this year with 12 catches for 250 yards and four touchdowns.
Berwick (1-2) can get its second win a row on the road in Franklin (1-2) Friday in the District 8-3A opener for both teams.
“These kids have learned to compete, and I think they will be ready to play regardless of who we play,” Brodie said. “But Franklin creates some problems for us. They’re a more athletic team than us, so we will have to be ready.”
Brodie says Franklin has switched their offense from a power run game to a true spread offense.
“They try to get their athletes in space and make big plays,” he said. “We have to play good disciplined defense, contain the quarterback and not let the receivers get behind us.”
He said they have to be able to apply pressure on defense when they can, too.
Defensively, Franklin puts seven players in the box to mainly take away the run.
Louviere led Berwick in rushing last week with 18 carries for 51 yards, while D.J. Robichaux had two rushes for 16 yards and Josh Carver carried seven times for 14 yards.
“That scheme will give us some matchups we can take advantage of, too,” Brodie said. “I want to see how they will play Popsii (Williams) and Kenan (Jones) outside. If they play man-to-man on our guys, (we) will also take our shots downfield.”
Brodie said Franklin is aggressive on defense, so the Panthers may use misdirection in their offense this week.
Friday’s kickoff is set for 7 p.m.