Freshman quarterback helps rescue Franklin

Franklin's football team found itself squarely on the ropes in the Southeast Conference opener against Racine Case on Friday, a team the Sabers can be safely predicted to beat, on paper.

But thanks in large part to the contributions of freshman quarterback Mitchel Alba, the Sabers survived, 32-27. Franklin rallied from down two scores twice and also registered two safeties to prevail. Steven L. Tietz has the full story.

Injuries have put the Sabers in a bad spot, with starter Max Alba sidelined already before Matt Devinger was knocked out in the second half against Case. So Max's younger brother stepped in and went 10 of 19 passing with three touchdowns and one interception in less than a half of football.

Franklin has a habit of creating great quarterbacks, from Ben Hempel and Rob Evans to Lance Baretz, Sean McGuire and last year's starter, Ben Wachter. Both Albas could very well be next in the pipeline.

Meanwhile, the Southeast has gone up for grabs, with Oak Creek losing to Kenosha Bradford and muddying the waters in a league where Oak Creek and Franklin appeared to be the clear-cut favorites.