Franklinton suffered a 38-20 loss to Leesville in the opening round of the Class 4A state playoffs on the road Friday.
Tahj Magee ran for 150 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown. Magee caught a pass for 17 yards.
Trequan Charles threw for 35 yards. Charles also ran for 35 yards and a touchdown.
Rakerian Conerly rushed for 17 yards and a touchdown.
Lagarian Bell had a catch for 15 yards.
The Demons trailed 18-13 at halftime and 24-20 through three quarters, but Leesville outscored Franklinton 14-0 in the fourth in the win.
“They’re a pretty good football team, but in the first half, we didn’t play the greatest in the world on defense or in the game,” Franklinton coach Stephen Burris said. “Then LaMount (Harris) got hurt and didn’t play in the second half. It’s a minor injury, but when he’s out of the game, it’s a different world.
“We stopped their passing game, but we struggled against (their running back). Offensively, we moved the ball up and down the field.”
Burris talked about the season.
“It’s like I told the kids, I wouldn’t trade this team for anything,” Burris said. “I had a great group of seniors and a great group of kids. They battled every game and they worked hard. Our schedule was a nightmare. I wish we could’ve won more, but we had some tough losses.
“This profession is not just about wins and losses, it’s also about personal relationships. The only downside to the year is we just didn’t get enough wins. It was a joy to coach this team, we just didn’t get enough wins.”
Every team Franklinton lost to this season advanced at least to the second round of their respective playoffs. Tylertown, out of Mississippi, lost in the second round Friday night.
The Demons had two losses by one point and another by five.
No. 27 Franklinton finished this season with a 3-8 record.
Sixth seeded Leesville (10-1) hosts No. 11 Rayne (8-2) in the second round this Friday. Rayne defeated 22nd-seeded Helen Cox (5-6) by the score of 57-21.