On paper, it looked like a mismatch.
No. 15 Franklin was outmanned by more than 2-to-1, and outweighed on average by 40 pounds a player.
But in last night's 10-3 state 3A football quarterfinal loss to No. 9 C. Milton Wright (10-1), the third-seed Indians (10-1) perhaps proved themselves more than in their previous 10 victories.
"We just went out and tried our best, and I think we gained their respect," said cornerback Tim Goins, a 5-foot-10, 150-pound junior who recovered a fumble to set up his 32-yard field goal in the third period.
"We didn't win, but that's OK because we got to the playoffs for the first time in 10 years. And I think we proved we deserved to be here."
Coach Steve Harward, whose Mustangs were making their seventh straight playoff appearance, knew that already after reviewing tapes of the Indians all week.
"They were as tough as I anticipated, and they played their hearts out," said Harward. "They had us scouted really well and they took away the things we did well."
The Mustangs enjoyed an enormous advantage in size and depth with linemen such as Todd Strasavich (6-4, 315 pounds), James Greene (6-4, 305), Jim Fielder (6-0, 275), Zeke Johnson (6-0, 275) and Wilson Hanks (6-3, 235) on their 43-man roster.
But they totaled just 165 yards of offense -- 134 in the first half.
Meanwhile, the Indians, whose 21-man roster lists just five players above 200, got good efforts from quarterback Chris Demetrakis (7-for-15, 67 yards), who entered the game with 793 passing yards for 14 touchdowns, and Tyrone McCray, who carried the ball eight times for 28 yards in a 10-play, 43-yard, third-quarter drive that led to Goins' field goal.
The Indians' 5-10, 215-pound running back, Kenny Vialva, entered the game with 848 yards and 11 touchdowns but was held to 35 yards on 13 carries.
Franklin's defense also stuffed the Mustangs' Rich Juergenson after he gained 67 of his 91 yards in the first half.
"We were trying to wear them down with our running game," said Juergenson, who scored his 10th touchdown of the year in the second period. "But we were up for a good game, and they came out and gave us one."
The Indians were led defensively by Goins, Earl Bryant -- who sacked Duane Fisher for a loss of 9 yards -- Adrian Smith and defensive ends Danny Johns and Karl Holly.
"We moved our defensive ends in a little bit and just played tougher in the second half," said Franklin coach Claude Darr. "The kids never got worn down and they hung in there until the end."
The Mustangs came right at the Indians in the first period with Juergenson and Todd Behler (10 carries, 40 yards) for a 10-0 first-half lead. They went up, 3-0, with 1:18 left in the first quarter after Chris Russell's 28-yard field goal capped a 77-yard drive. Fisher's 10th interception of the year set up the drive.
Juergenson's 3-yard run with 3:39 left in the second period completed a 14-play, 57-yard march, followed by Russell's extra-point kick.
But Goins sparked his team with a 31-yard kickoff return to the C. Milton Wright 49 before Demetrakis found Curtis Williams on a 21-yard pass.
Vialva then carried the ball six times for 17 yards before Goins missed a 25-yard field-goal attempt 22 seconds before halftime.
C. Milton Wright's win may have earned a state semifinal rematch with Poly, which beat C. Milton Wright, 26-14, en route to a state runner-up finish last year.
No. 3 Poly (9-1), the tournament's second seed, plays host today to seventh-seed Wheaton (9-1), ranked No. 14 by The Washington Post.