Catholic Memorial running back Corey Smith finds a hole to score the winning touchdown last Friday against Franklin. Final score: Memorial 34, Franklin 28. Photo: DAVE KALLMANN / MILWAUKEE JOURNAL SENTINEL

Great game, as it was supposed to be. Two defending state champions. Battling back and forth. Contest came down to the wire.

Saber fans naturally are disappointed. They needn’t be. Franklin will be just fine.

To be honest I wasn’t surprised at the loss. That’s a mighty good squad from Waukesha. And Franklin lost a ton of outstanding players to graduation. But the Sabers aren’t rebuilding. They’re doing what they always do. Reloading.

Despite their significant personnel losses it’s clear Franklin can play with the big boys. Long known for their lethal passing attack it appears they, like last year, can also run the ball.

Franklin’s conference, the Southeast, though not terrible, is not the most powerful. The Sabers will rack up some victories, have a shot at the conference title, go to the playoffs, and then anything can happen.

So if any of the Franklin faithful are worried , and my guess is that’s very few, fear not. The Sabers will come roaring back.