FRANKLIN-SIMPSON “Wildcats”
Franklin High was known as the “Pioneers” in 1935.
formed in the fall of 1944 by the consolidation of Franklin and Simpson County High Schools.
Simpson County had come into existence in the fall of 1940 with the consolidation of Barnes & Middleton Schools.
vs. Madisonville
PLAY-OFF RESULTS site score winner
2017 Doug Preston 4-A 12-3 beat Hopkins Co. Central 43-6
beat Madisonville 62-6 F-S 62-6 F-S
beat Hopkinsville 35-20
beat Collins 42-38
won championship game over Johnson Central 35-21
2016 Doug Preston 4-A 14-1 beat Hopkins Co. Central 61-6
beat Allen Co.-Scottsville 40-0
beat South Warren 33-16
won at John Hardin 27-7
lost championship game to Johnson Central 0-48
2015 Doug Preston 4-A 8-5 beat Madisonville 48-23 F-S 48-23 F-S
won at Hopkinsville 28-21
lost at South Warren 7-34
2014 Doug Preston 4-A 9-2 beat Hopkins County Central 62-6
lost to Madisonville 21-35 F-S 35-21 Mad
2013 Doug Preston 4-A 8-5 beat Hopkins County Central 50-0 F-S 21-16 F-S
beat Madisonville 21-16
lost at Owensboro 13-21
2012 Doug Preston 4-A 3-8 lost at Lone Oak 33-53
2011 Tim Schlosser 4-A 13-2 beat Calloway County 56-0
beat Madisonville 20-17 F-S 20-17 F-S
won at Lone Oak 20-7
beat Collins 20-15
lost final to Ft. Thomas Highlands 14-42
2010 Tim Schlosser 4-A 7-5 beat Caldwell County 69-35
lost at Lone Oak 32-35
2009 Tim Schlosser 4-A 9-3 beat Calloway County 41-14
lost at Lone Oak 7-49
2008 Tim Schlosser 4-A 8-4 beat Hopkins County Central 38-9
lost at Calloway County 25-28
2007 Tim Schlosser 4-A 6-6 beat Logan County 33-17
lost at Warren East 14-47
2006 Tim Schlosser 3-A 5-6 lost at Warren East 21-28
2005 Tim Schlosser 3-A 8-4 beat Madisonville 21-7 F-S 21-7 F-S
lost at Hopkinsville 20-46
2004 Tim Schlosser 3-A 8-3 lost to Paducah 21-25
2003 Tim Schlosser 3-A 6-5 lost at Hopkinsville 7-55
2002 Tim Schlosser 3-A 6-5 lost at Paducah 21-55 F-S 17-13 F-S
2001 Tim Schlosser 3-A 8-4 beat Hopkins County Central 27-26 Mad 14-0 Mad
lost at Hopkinsville 16-36
2000 Tim Schlosser 3-A 6-5 lost at Paducah 13-42
1999 Tim Schlosser 3-A 11-2 beat Paducah 39-21
beat Bowling Green 14-0
lost to Owensboro 15-16
1998 Tim Schlosser 2-A 7-5 beat Taylor County 40-34
lost at Bullitt East 15-35
1997 Jean Rollins 2-A 8-6 beat Henry County 21-11
won at Washington County 24-8
beat Elizabethtown 41-15
lost semi-final at Owensboro Catholic 0-14
1996 Jean Rollins 2-A 9-3 beat Elizabethtown 13-9
lost at Ft. Knox 14-23
1995 Jean Rollins 2-A 12-3 beat LaRue County 62-0
beat Washington County 35-0
beat Ft. Knox 34-7
won at Ft. Campbell 33-0
lost championship game to Breathitt County 35-42 in 2 OT’s
1994 Jean Rollins 3-A 11-2 beat Graves County 46-22
beat Paducah 44-14
lost to Bowling Green 17-20
1993 James Matthews 3-A 6-5 lost at Graves County 14-34
1992 James Matthews 3-A 2-8
1991 James Matthews 3-A 5-5 lost at Paducah 8-48
1990 James Matthews 3-A 7-4
1989 James Matthews 3-A 3-8 F-S 22-21 Mad
1988 James Matthews 3-A 3-8 Mad 39 - 0 Mad
1987 James Matthews 3-A 6-5
1986 James Matthews 3-A 6-5 Mad 0 - 28 F-S
1985 James Matthews 3-A 4-8 F-S 7 - 28 F-S
1984 James Matthews 3-A 7-4 Mad 13-16 F-S
1983 James Matthews 3-A 11-3 won at Paducah 24-6 F-S 10 - 7 Mad
beat Woodford County 20-19
lost championship to Conner 7-12
1982 James Matthews 3-A 12-2 beat Lone Oak 34-0
beat Grayson County 20-7
lost championship to Highlands 0-6
1981 James Matthews 3-A 10-4 beat Calloway County 20-14
lost semi-final to Elizabethtown 6-40
1980 James Matthews 3-A 11-3 beat Union County 14-12
won at Meade County 26-6
beat Conner in championship 16-0
1979 James Matthews 3-A 12-1 won at Union County 16-14 (OT)
beat Montgomery County 12-8
beat Belfry in championship 33-0
1978 James Matthews 3-A 9-4 beat Union County 17-7
lost semi-final at Woodford County 15-24
1977 James Matthews 3-A 11-2 beat Webster County 42-0
lost semi-final to Shelby County 7-10
1976 James Matthews 3-A 9-2 lost to Union County 0-21
1975 James Matthews 3-A 13-1 beat Henderson City 14-0
beat Shelby County 28-0
lost to Highlands in championship 0-21
1974 Ken Caplenor 2-A 4-4-2
1973 Ken Caplenor 2-A
1972 Ken Caplenor 2-A 8-2
1971 Ken Caplenor 2-A 3-7
1970 Ken Caplenor 2-A 6-4
1969 Ron Martin 2-A 5-5
1968 Clarkie Mayfield
1967 Clarkie Mayfield 5-5 Mad 7 - 27 F-S
1966 Bob Brown 6-4 F-S 0 - 13 F-S
1965 Bob Brown 5-5-1 Mad 18 - 0 Mad
1964 Bob Brown 7-3-2
1963 Bob Brown 6-4
1962 Bob Brown 8-3
1961 Bob Brown 7-3-2
1960 Bob Brown 4-5-1
1959 Bob Brown 4-7
1958 Jim Ownby F-S 14-0 Mad
1957 Jim Ownby 7-3 Mad 12-0 Mad
1956 Jim Ownby F-S 19-0 Mad
1955 Jim Ownby 7-2-2 Mad 6-18 F-S
1954 Jim Ownby 3-8 F-S 20-0 Mad
1953 Jim Ownby (Dr. Joe Roe, who went on to play at Tennessee, was a Senior in the 1953 season.
F-S was undefeated but had to forfeit some games because of an ineligible player)
1952 Jim Ownby
1951 Jim Ownby 8-2-1
1950 Jim Ownby 5-5
1949 Herb Cullen
1948 Herb Cullen
1947 Herb Cullen
1946 Red Garrison
1945
1944
I had a hand-written note that said:
1.) Franklin-Simpson (town of Franklin, county of Simpson) resumed playing football in the fall of 1948.
2.) Herb Cullen coached for two years…and was the coach responsible for re-starting FB.
However, my WKC standings in 1947 included “Franklin High School.”
A September, 1936 newspaper story in the Madisonville Messenger reported…
“Franklin High School cancelled its season about a week before it was to begin. They had first begun play ‘about 10 years earlier’ and their coach had been L.L. Valentine. They had just been admitted to the Little Sixteen…and would have been the 17th school in the conference. When the Little Sixteen grew to twenty schools, it was renamed the Western Kentucky Conference.
In 1960, Bert Barrone wrote in the Park City Daily News that Franklin gave up football after the 1935 season because of a tragic accident…and didn’t resume until 1944.
1935 L.L. Valentine
1934 L.L. Valentine
1933 L.L. Valentine
1932 L.L. Valentine Mad 26-0 Mad.
1931 L.L. Valentine FHS 6-14 FHS (1st meeting)
1930 L.L. Valentine
1929 L.L. Valentine
1928 L.L. Valentine
1927 L.L. Valentine
1926 L.L. Valentine
Starting in 2007
schools were divided into six classes (instead of 4) increasing the number of playoff teams to 192
Starting in 1991
4 teams from each district qualified for the post-season instead of 2…increasing the number of playoff teams to 128
Starting in 1987
there were 4 regions/8 districts in each of the four classes with 2 playoff
teams per district…increasing the number of playoff teams from 51 to 64
Starting in 1975
there were 4 classes instead of 3
Tim Schlosser came to F-S as an assistant in 1994; became head coach in 1998
James B. Matthews from Springfield, Tenn; played at Middle Tenn; 1st year of coaching (1969) ass’t in Mobile, AL; went to F-S as an ass’t in 1970; head coach in 1975