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Will Tirrell, No. 10 Franklin, defeated No. 6 Duxbury in the final seconds

Will Tirrell, No. 10 Franklin, defeated No. 6 Duxbury in the final seconds

FRANKLIN – With everything on the line and the final seconds ticking away Friday night, Franklin senior quarterback Will Tirrell made a last-minute decision to run into the end zone.

Tirrell darted from left to right, beat two Duxbury defenders, kept the ball out and accelerated into the end zone with two seconds left. His 4-yard touchdown run gave the No. 10 Panthers a thrilling 21-19 victory over the visiting Dragons.

“There wasn’t a single kid out here that gave up,” Franklin coach Todd Kiley said. “There wasn’t a kid who didn’t believe we were going to win that football game.”

Franklin hero Will Tirrell (left) gets help from first-year Panthers coach Todd Kiley after Friday night’s two-point win over Duxbury. MARK STOCKWELL FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

The Panthers (3-1) erased an early 13-0 hole in the first half, then rallied from a 19-14 deficit with 1:50 to go to prevail. Quarterback Justin Bianchetto (19 for 34 passes, 236 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) orchestrated an 86-yard drive and found Stephon Reed (6 catches, 101 yards) for a critical 40-yard catch and run for the ball to bring into the goal 4.

Tirrell took care of the rest, defeating the No. 6 Dragons (3-1) and ending their 14-game winning streak.

“It was unthinkable how we got back,” Tirrell said. “I want to say that we had Anthony Gates, No. 11, with us. That’s why we did it.”

Gates, a former member of the Panthers, died in a car accident in June 2023 at the age of 16. Tirrell said the Panthers think about him every day and always play with him.

Kiley, who is in his first year at Franklin, knows the Dragons from his time in Holliston. He and Duxbury coach Matt Landolfi knew nothing would come easy for either side.

“It was a great high school football game,” Landolfi said. “We fought the whole time.”

Duxbury jumped into the lead late in the first quarter on a 5-yard rush from Jack Rees, thanks in part to a strong block from John Rovegno. The Dragons took a 6-0 lead into the second and extended the lead to 13-0 on a 21-yard pass from Brady Rhinesmith to Jake Falls with 10:32 left in the half.

Duxbury tight end Jake Falls gallops untouched into the end zone and scores the Dragons’ second touchdown of the night on Friday at Franklin. MARK STOCKWELL FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE

Trevor Jones intercepted a Franklin pass, but a poor punt set up a 31-yard shot from Bianchetto to Chase Kiriacopoulos with 48 seconds before halftime. The Dragons dictated most of the action, but the Panthers were within striking distance heading into the third period.

Tirrell gave Franklin a 14-13 lead with 5:19 to play with a 1-yard plunge. Ian McNeil gave the Dragons a 19-14 lead on a 26-yard pass from Jones, but the Panthers found a way out in dramatic fashion.

Fans stormed the field and flooded Tirrell & Co. with a sea of ​​yellow. As the celebration continued, a “Willy T” chant rang out.

“The night was electric,” Kiley said. “It really was.”

Trevor Hass can be reached at [email protected].