Westmoreland County Senior Spotlight: Franklin Regional’s Gary Zhang

By: Anthony Difilippo
Monday, October 24, 2022 | 12:02 PM

The boys soccer team at Franklin Regional has undergone some big changes since last season.

First, the Panthers lost one of the biggest contributors in program history in Anthony DiFalco, who graduated with more than 100 goals in his soccer career.

Senior Gary Zhang, who played with DiFalco last season, described how the team is weathering his loss.

“Everything used to go through Anthony because of how good he was,” Zhang said. “Now our team’s different, and the way we play is different.”

The way the team plays is also different because it has a new head coach, Lukas Petersen.

The Panthers lost their first two games of the season at the Pine-Richland Tournament but then rattled off 10 wins in the middle of the year.

“We didn’t really have enough time to adjust to the system,” Zhang said. “Since we adjusted, our performance has gotten a lot better, and we’re winning a lot.”

Zhang described how Petersen’s style is different from years past.

“His style is quick movement, a lot of ball movement,” Zhang said. “It works.”

This season, Franklin Regional is 13-4 and 13-1 in the section, which puts the team in a tie with Plum atop the standings.

Zhang has a career-high nine goals so far this season, which is second on the team.

The Panthers’ only section loss came to the Mustangs on Sept. 1, but Franklin Regional returned the favor Sept. 27. The rivals will share the section title for the third straight year.

“We know they’re a good team, and we also know we’re a good team,” Zhang said. “All that matters is that we could beat them whenever it comes time to play them again.”

Zhang plans on attending college for engineering, but he hasn’t yet decided where that will be.

This week, Zhang took some time for a Senior Spotlight Q&A:

How did you get started with soccer?

My dad played a lot of soccer growing up, so I also ended up playing soccer.

How would you describe your play individually this season?

I started off a lot better than how I’ve been recently. Recently, I’ve been more fatigued, but I’m working to get better. Personally, it’s my best season so far.

What do you feel like your biggest strength is?

I would say it would be my ability to dribble and one-on-ones.

Is there an area where you could improve?

Definitely my first touch and then defending a lot.

What is one thing that people may not know about you?

One thing some people probably don’t know is that I used to play ice hockey. I was a defenseman, believe it or not.

Tags: Franklin Regional