Shaler’s John Franklin hoping to be among WPIAL’s top hurdlers
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Sunday, March 25, 2018 | 11:00 PM
Spending a winter focusing on track and field has Shaler senior John Franklin in a strong position entering his final season.
Franklin, who decided to forego playing basketball to compete during the indoor track season, was able to fine-tune his technique. He ended up qualifying for the state indoor track championships and set a school record in the 60-meter hurdles, finishing in 8.51 seconds.
Titans coach Tim Storino helped Franklin get the right form.
“We focused on my speed coming out of the box,” Franklin said. “We also worked on getting my trail leg closer to the hurdle. I get to the first hurdle faster now and have a better race.”
Franklin, who placed seventh at the Class AAA WPIAL championships last season, is hoping those changes will help him pursue a spot in Shaler's record books and a berth in the PIAA meet.
“In past years, I didn't have the training that early like I have this year,” Franklin said. “I have a lot to look forward to.”
Franklin, whose personal-best time is 15.28 seconds in the 100 hurdles, is hoping to drop as low as 14.5. Shaler's all-time record is 14.86 seconds, a mark set by Brandon McNearney in 2005.
“That was a big confidence builder for him,” coach Jim Ryan said about the indoor championships. “John grew into his own person as being a competitor. He has a good confidence about himself when it comes to competing. He's up in the higher ranks in the hurdles right now. He's pretty far off when you talk about Ayden Owens at North Allegheny. John is striving to compete with those guys.”
Franklin is one of two returning WPIAL qualifiers the Titans have along with Jimmy Burnick, who was a member of the 400 relay team that qualified.
Dalton Kalbaugh just missed on qualifying last year and should be among the contenders in the 1,600. Senior Michael Battaglia also is returning to the team after a year off and will be a candidate to qualify in the sprints.
“I think we have a couple of kids that can help us score some points,” Ryan said. “John can do more than one event. There are a few older boys around that weren't with us last year that should be able to contribute.”
Josh Rizzo is a freelance writer.
Tags: Shaler
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