Schott’s late touchdown lifts Zionsville past Franklin Central, 30-26

Staff Report

ZIONSVILLE — Theo Schott’s 2-yard touchdown run put Zionsville ahead for good as the Eagles defeated Franklin Central 30-26 in a Hoosier Crossroads Conference football battle.

Schott caught 13 passes for 131 yards and scored twice, while Sam Black kicked three field goals to help Zionsville improve to 3-1. Franklin Central fell to 1-3.

The Flashes struck first with a 19-yard field goal by Malachi Hasseld, then recovered a muffed kickoff to set up Hasseld’s 35-yard field goal for a 6-0 lead.

Zionsville answered with touchdown passes to Schott and William Tielker, moving ahead 14-6. Franklin Central’s AJ Mitchell hauled in a 48-yard touchdown reception to trim the deficit to 14-12, but the ensuing two-point conversion failed. Black closed the first-half scoring with field goals of 35 and 54 yards, sending the Eagles into halftime ahead 20-12.

Rian Frazier brought Franklin Central within 20-18 on a 5-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Another unsuccessful two-point attempt left the Flashes trailing by two. Black’s third field goal, a 37-yarder, extended Zionsville’s lead to 23-18. Frazier then scored from 1 yard out, and Franklin Central added the two-point conversion to take a 26-23 lead before Schott’s decisive touchdown run.

Finn Giles completed 26 of 37 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns for Zionsville. Spencer Choi rushed for 102 yards on 18 carries, including a 39-yard gain, as the Eagles finished with 336 yards of total offense. Tyson McCann added five receptions for 51 yards, while Nic Hoggs caught five passes for 40 yards.

Troy Clemmer led Zionsville’s defense with 10 tackles, including eight solo stops. Kellen Riddle added eight tackles, Noah Kledzik and Parker Deweese each had seven.