Both teams had something to gain by winning the regular season finale, but it was Lumpkin County (7-3; 3-3 in region) who ended on a high note in a 35-12 win in Dahlonega over Franklin County (4-6; 1-4).

For the Indians, a win meant boosting the power ranking and perhaps a better playoff seeding. The Lions were playing to keep their season alive. Lumpkin County scored on its first and last drive of the game and never trailed throughout.

After a quick 3-and-out, the Indians quickly went to work. After a long TD pass was called back, Kolson Howell ended up connecting with Mac Powell on a 19-yd TD anyway on the Indians’ first drive.

One play later, the Lions responded with a 74-yd TD from Knox Whitworth to Carson Cheek. The extra point failed, keeping it at 7-6 in favor of Lumpkin.

In the second, the Indians added to it with a wide open TD from 11 yards out from Howell to Joseph Alvarez. Later in the quarter, an interception by Cohen Carden set up another TD drive, capped by a 5-yd run by Alvarez for the 21-6 lead with just over three minutes left.

Howell had two big passes on that drive, one each to Matthew Brooks and another to Howell, who pulled one down to get the ball to the five.

That lead held to the break. On Lumpkin’s opening drive of the third, Whitworth picked off a deep pass from Howell, giving Franklin some hope.

However, Weston Veater would add a 2-yd TD late in the third and other from a yard out late in the fourth. Whitworth threw a last-minute TD pass of 56 yards to Gavin Wells to bring the final to 35-12.