The Washington Blue Lions (0-2) looked to get their first win of the season on Friday as they hosted the Franklin Wildcats (1-1) in a non-conference varsity football contest.

While multiple games in the area were delayed by more than an hour or even postponed on Friday night, the Blue Lions were fortunate to have their game delayed only 15 minutes.

It proved to be a rough evening for Washington, as they unofficially turned the ball over six times and fell 42-8 to the Wildcats.

Franklin kicked the ball off out of bounds to start the game, giving the Blue Lions the ball at their own 35 yard line. They were forced to punt after three plays.

Franklin started at their own 47, and a long pass and big run quickly had them inside the red zone. They later faced a fourth-and-eight from the 14, and ran a quarterback draw to get the first down and put them near the goal line. They scored on a three-yard rush on the next play, and the PAT was good to make it 7-0 with 4:45 left in the opening quarter.

A face mask penalty on the ensuing kick return gave Washington the ball near midfield for their next possession. On the second play of the drive, however, senior quarterback Gavin Coffman was intercepted and the ball was returned into Blue Lion territory.

Franklin would strike on the first play of the drive, a 46-yard touchdown pass. The PAT was successful to make it 14-0 with 3:10 to go in the first quarter.

Washington did not have good field position on the next drive as they started at their own 13. An illegal procedure moved them back to their own eight yard line, and a sack moved them inside the five yard line. A big run from senior running back Isaac Hood got them to third-and-five, but they were unable to convert on third down and opted to punt. The punt was blocked and Franklin recovered the ball at the Washington 13 yard line.

Franklin scored on the first play of the drive, and knocked the PAT through to make it 21-0, which was the score after one quarter.

A big return by sophomore Aden Osborne got Washington inside the Wildcat 40 yard line, but the Blue Lions would fumble the ball away two plays later.

Franklin capitalized off of the turnover and would score on an eight-yard pass. The PAT made it 28-0 with 8:08 left in the half.

Washington had to punt on the next drive, and then a sack on third down by Miguel Utrera forced the Wildcats to punt for the first time in the contest.

Coffman was intercepted on third down during the next series and Franklin returned it to the Washington 33 yard line. They would score early in the drive and the PAT would make it 35-0 with 2:27 left in the second quarter.

A late hit and an unsportsmanlike penalty on Franklin gave the Blue Lions their best field position of the night on the next possession. A holding penalty made it first-and-20 for Washington, and two plays later they would fumble the ball back to Franklin, their fifth turnover of the first half.

Franklin would add a score with 54 seconds to go in the half and the PAT would make it 42-0, which was the halftime score.

With the running clock in effect for the second half, each team only possessed the ball once in the third quarter and the score remained unchanged going into the final quarter.

The final score of the evening came from Washington, as freshman quarterback Sam Pfeifer found senior wide receiver Gage Merritt in the corner of the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown. They went for two and were successful on a pass from Pfeifer to freshman wide receiver Cooper Heidler, making it 42-8 with 2:32 left which was the final.

Statistically for Washington, Pfeifer led in passing, going 6-for-9 for 116 yards and one touchdown.

Isaac Hood led the team in rushing, carrying five times for 19 yards.

Merritt led in receiving with two receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown.

Defensively, Matthew Colflesh led with five tackles and three tackles for loss.

With the loss, the Blue Lions fall to 0-3 for the first time since the 2014 season. In that season, Washington started 0-3, won in week four and wound up finishing 3-7.

Washington (0-3) will travel to Licking County next Friday to take on the Granville Blue Aces (3-0).

Franklin (2-1) will travel to take on Chaminade Julienne (1-2) next Friday.