Franklin Central’s Blue and White scrimmage was an offensive showcase from start to finish — and the names that showed up are exactly the ones the Flashes need when October arrives.

The brightest spot on the afternoon belonged to senior wide receiver Andrew Jimenez. The two-sport standout brought his baseball instincts to the football field in the most visible way possible — tracking the ball with the kind of natural feel that doesn’t get coached in. He made several elite plays going up over defenders, but the one that turned heads was a 40-yard score on an in-route where he hauled it in and immediately shifted into another gear, racing untouched to the end zone. When a receiver can high-point a football the way a centerfielder goes and gets a fly ball, that is an advantage that defensive backs simply can’t manufacture a counter for.

Senior running back Rian Frazier proved that size is not a prerequisite for toughness. He reached paydirt multiple times on the afternoon — the first on a 16-yard run between the tackles on the opening drive, where he ran through contact and finished. The second time, he got to the perimeter, saw the corner, and dove into the end zone. Then came the signature play of the scrimmage — quarterback Caiden Marsden scrambling, spinning out of pressure, and dumping a pass off to Frazier for yet another score. Two players, one play, a preview of what this offense can look like when the pieces connect.

Jayce Brewer was Jayce Brewer. The Michigan commit hauled in a touchdown over a defender — demonstrating the contested catch ability that made him one of the most recruited players in Indiana — and then flipped to the defensive side and chased down a jet sweep for a tackle for loss. An edge rusher who can contribute at tight end and a tight end who can contribute at edge is not a matchup problem. It is a weekly headache for every defensive coordinator on the schedule.

Marsden had his moments of pressure — the Flashes’ defensive line was applying it early and forcing scrambles that would have been sacks in a live game. That group is going to take double teams away from Brewer all fall and make Franklin Central’s defense a legitimate factor. But Marsden’s response to the pressure was the real story. He made plays from the pocket when time allowed, and made more plays when it didn’t — the scramble-and-spin sequence that ended with a Frazier touchdown was the kind of improvisation that separates quarterbacks who can manage a game from quarterbacks who can change one.

Franklin Central’s offense is loaded. The defense has an anchor. And the quarterback is more comfortable than he was a year ago.

The Flashes are ready.