Franklin County (7-4, 4-1), coached by Anthony Hart, captured the No. 2 seed in Region 7-3A action Friday with a 20-14 win over the Jefferson County Tigers.

This week, the Bulldogs will host the opening round of the Class 3A playoffs in Meadville against the St. Andrews Saints.

The Saints (6-4, 3-2), coached by David Bradberry, defeated Crystal Springs 19-16 to clinch the No. 3 seed in Region 6-3A action.

Senior quarterback Jack Blumenthal leads the Saints’ air attack with 851 yards passing on the season. Daniel Marsh is the leader on the ground with 67 carries on the season for 446 yards. Kenny Bryson is second on the rush chart with 410 yards. Ryan McCarty has 388 rushing yards on the season.

Drew Friedrich is one of the primary receivers for the Saints with 19 catches for 394 yards on the season. John William Hardwick has nine catches for 259 yards.

Defensively, Hardwick leads the Saints with 52 total tackles. David Caddle has 50 total tackles on the season.

FC’s top offensive player last week against Jefferson County was junior quarterback DeMartre Collins. He completed 9-of-15 passes for 114 yards, one touchdown and an interception. He also rushed for 84 yards on 12 carries and scored two touchdowns to lead the Bulldogs.

FC running back Cortney Smith added 109 yards rushing on 32 carries. Xavier Green was the top receiver for the Bulldogs with three catches for 45 yards. Antonio Christmas caught two passes for 27 yards.

Defensively, Chris O’Quinn and Marquavis Dunn powered the Bulldogs with nine tackles each. Cameron Young and Ryan Johnson contributed eight stops each. Young also had a quarterback sack. Deion Buckles finished with five tackles and had an interception. Keonte Bee also intercepted a pass.

My prediction: the Bulldogs will beat the Saints 42-30.