Until the final 5:04 of the Class 3A North Region final Friday night in Parkton, Hereford was having its way with Franklin.

Although the never-say-die Indians struck for a pair of touchdowns during that span, the Bulls still rolled to a 31-15 triumph to garner the program's ninth regional crown and third in succession.

With the easy victory, the Bulls (10-1) advance to a state semifinal next Friday at 7 p.m. at Linganore High in Carroll County.

Hereford came out smoking against the Indians, firing to a 28-0 advantage in the first half.

The Bulls were up to their usual tricks with a power ground game, scoring on runs of 16 and 36 yards by senior Zach Witkowski, an 8-yard scamper by junior Vince DePaola and an 18-yard quarterback keeper by senior David Wood.

Senior kicker Andrew Johns converted all four point-after attempts.

Franklin's offense, on the other hand, found the going tough against a formidable Bulls line anchored by seniors Taylor Gload, Chris Nash and Harry Shriver.

"We were dominating off the ball," said Shriver, a 245-pound tackle. "We tried to stop them before they got started."

The Indians didn't advance inside the Bulls' 35-yard line until 7:05 was left in the third quarter after a 37-yard pass from junior quarterback Joey Dorsey to senior wideout James Cooper. However, Franklin's subsequent drive fizzled at the Hereford 15.

Other than that, senior running back Zack Silverberg was Franklin's most effective weapon. In the third quarter, he broke through for a 34-yard run.

And with 5:05 left in the contest, he tossed a 77-yard touchdown pass to Cooper for the Indians' first points and slithered 3 yards through the Bulls' line for a another score with 3:39 remaining.

Hereford only had Johns' 22-yard field goal late in the final period to show for its second-half effort.

"We didn't do what we should have done at the end," Hereford coach Steve Turnbaugh said. "We didn't finish."

The Bulls know they must be ready next weekend or their dreams of playing for the program's fourth state title will be shattered by the state's second-ranked team.

"We go to (football) camp with those guys in the summer," Shriver said. "Our (defensive backs) were pretty much able to keep up with them. We just have to go and play smash-mouth football. We have to go in with a positive attitude."

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