Wenonah High School flag football coach Cedric Lane said he believes that the Birmingham Female Athlete of the Year hasn’t been given her due throughout her athletic career.

The Alabama Sports Writers Association Class 5A girls basketball Player of the Year. An AL.com Flag Football Terrific 20 choice. A five-year starter in basketball and a four-year – every season her school has fielded a team – starter at quarterback in flag football.

Underrated? Unbelievably, maybe so.

Wenonah’s two-sport superstar Samarian Franklin is the 2024-25 Birmingham Female Athlete of the Year and Lane, who is also the boys basketball coach for the Dragons, said it’s a well-deserved honor. “I don’t think people realize what she has done as a phenomenal athlete coming through the city of Birmingham. I want to say she was underrated. The things she’s done haven’t been spoken about enough. In years to come, it’s going to be a very big deal.”

Among the things she’s done in basketball in the Alabama High School Athletic Association:

• Ranked third in season (221) and fourth in career steals (694).
• Ranked seventh in season assists (288) and 11th in career assists (826).
• Ranked 17th in season field goals made (320), 13th in career field goals made (1,056).
• Ranked 27th in points scored in a season (852) and 29th in a career (2,807).
• Ranked 27th in career free throws made (460), 26th in career free-throw attempts (687).

Franklin is Wenonah’s all-time leading scorer in basketball – male or female – with 2,807 points, surpassing the likes of former University of Tennessee forward Alexus Dye, who signed with the WNBA’s Connecticut Sun, and Angel Tate, who played at St. John’s and Texas Southern and professionally in Europe.

“They were real legends who played here,” Lane said, “and for her to come in here and outscore all of them is a big deal. I think she has 10 or 12 records in basketball – and probably all of them in flag. That record book is just opening up.”

Lane said he and the girls basketball coaches would debate if Franklin was better on the field or on the court. “It’s hard to say. She was so dominant in both,” he said. “Take her off either team and that team probably wouldn’t have had a chance with as big a role as she played.”

Franklin has signed to play point guard at Miles College next season, but Lane said she had her choice to play flag football at multiple schools. The Alabama Community College Conference is starting flag this season and, “all of them wanted her,” he said. “Miles doesn’t have flag, but hopefully they will add it. If she elected to change her mind, doors are open for her. It’s such a growing sport, those doors will definitely be open for more girls.”

In four years at Wenonah, Franklin led the flag football Dragons to a 75-6 record and the 2023 state championship. As a senior, she was responsible for 102 touchdowns – throwing for 5,424 yards in 25 games with 48 touchdowns and running for 2,715 yards and 47 TDs. On defense, she had 105 flag pulls, 17 interceptions and 7 pick-6 touchdowns.

“Think about 102 touchdowns in one season,” Lane said. “That’s a thing that usually isn’t done in a career. Flag is not like regular football – most of the scoring is done through passing. She was our running game, too.

“She’s a leader and she hates to lose. Being the starting point guard and starting quarterback goes hand-in-hand. Being the starter for so long, she really grasped the offense and what we wanted to do. She was able to teach the new girls what to do, how to run routes, how to get open. She was like another coach on the field. Even with audibles – she just got it. She started every game we ever played, even when she was sick, she played.

“I know one thing, I’m going to miss her.”