By Keith McMillan
D3football.com

WESTERVILLE, Ohio – Franklin came into the postseason like most teams, playing to send its seniors out on as high a note as possible.

But the Grizzlies came in carrying three other burdens, two of which were lifted in a 62-45 first-round win against Otterbein.

"It was for all the guys who played in the last seven years and haven't had a [playoff] victory," Franklin coach Mike Leonard said. "I've got vivid memories of losing games and not knowing what to say after seven close losses in 2003. A lot of guys would give their right arm to have this opportunity."

The Grizzlies were very aware that it wasn't just a chance to win for themselves, but for the Heartland Conference, which had been 1-10 since automatic bids were introduced in 1999. Quarterback Chad Rupp, who passed for 527 yards and had a hand in eight touchdowns, put it in perspective.

"I've definitely [never done anything like this before], not this type of day. I have had, personally, some good days, but this one, on this kind of stage, means a lot. To get the HCAC's only second victory and represent them, that's what's special about it."

Having carried the torch for their program and conference, there's one more way, beyond a potential trip to Salem, that Franklin can make this postseason a special one. The Grizzlies wouldn't feed much into it in postgame interviews, but acknowledged it's important to be playing North Central on Saturday. The Cardinals delayed Franklin's playoff gratification with a 19-yard Aaron Fanthorpe-to-Steve Hlavac touchdown pass on the last play of last year's 44-42 first-round win.

"We got beat by 'em last year by two on that last second play, which was really, really tough," Rupp said. "I think it adds a little something extra to the game."

But perhaps more significant is the Grizzlies' opportunity to keep on riding the wave.

"In the back of your mind you always know that you're playing for another game, playing to advance, and it gets a lot of people motivated," said Logan Deffner, whose five touchdown catches against Otterbein surpassed his season total of four.

It's the gift and curse of the playoff system, that one team lives to enjoy another week together, and the other turns in the pads.

"Especially last year it was really tough," Rupp, a senior, said, "but you always think 'Well I've got next year.' This time, I think we have 25 guys, this is our last chance. You never go into a game thinking you're going to lose or nothing like that, but when you really do sit down and think about it, this could be the last game, whether you play great or bad."

After the game, Otterbein coach Joe Loth said he told his team they need to emulate Franklin, to take the pain of a loss – in the Cardinals' case, in the first playoff game in school history – and draw on it during offseason work.

"You could definitely tell Franklin was a team on a mission," Loth said.

Which is the same word Leonard used to describe Franklin's demeanor leading up to the Otterbein game.

"This week, I think we weren't as bright-eyed and overly excited," Leonard said. "It was a little more mission-like, and not 'wow we made it to the playoffs, and do I get tickets, do I get to dress?' That stuff took care of itself because the guys knew what it was all about."

The Grizzlies also know all about playing on the road. They'd scheduled just four home games this season, then, as a No. 5 seed, played at Otterbein. Saturday's game at North Central will be Franklin's eighth away from Faught Stadium this season, which actually doesn't bother them.

"It's kind of nice packing up," Leonard said. "Our AD, Coach [Kerry] Prather, who's also the basketball coach, said 'look at it as a blessing that you're not hosting.' … It allows you to bond as a team, get on the buses, roll, spend the night, eat together, whereas when you're home, you don't get to do that."

Leonard said it compares in some ways to the most familiar of road trips.

"You kind of grow closer as a family when you go on vacation, and that's kind of what's going on with this unit right here," he said.

And the Franklin family, backed perhaps by Division III's most impressive tailgate, if not travel party, has already made this a season to remember. They've earned the first playoff win in Grizzlies history and have catapulted the HCAC into the second round for the first time since Hanover won 20-3 at Hope in 2000.

All of which has boiled Saturday's 657 yards of total offense and 62 points in the second through fourth quarters down to something pretty simple.

"The biggest thing we wanted to do was come here and win," Rupp said. "We didn't care if it was 3-0 or like we won today. In the beginning I thought it was going to be one of those grind-it-out battles, first one to get to 21. It ended up not turning out like that. But just to come here after last year's tough, tough loss, and wanting to prove something for our conference against arguably the best conference in Division III, it's just a special win."

Perhaps another special win, against the Cards, is in the cards.