Franklin Regional zeroes in on best plan to try to upset top-seeded Pine-Richland

By: Ted Sarneso
Wednesday, November 6, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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When asked what his team needs to do to have success against top-seeded Pine-Richland on Friday night in the quarterfinals of the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs, Franklin Regional coach Luke Getsy was clear and direct.

“We have to be able to control the ball to keep their offense off the field, and we have to limit turnovers and big plays,” Getsy said.

The biggest defense the No. 9 seed Panthers have is their ability to chew up clock on offense behind standout senior running back Kyle Dupill, who has rushed for 1,789 yards and 15 touchdowns this season.

“He’s probably the best running back I’ve coached,” Getsy said. “He just has a knack for finding the hole and makes his cuts while moving forward. He has a great lean to his body. The way he’s able to maintain balance off of contact and keep his legs moving is such a unique skill set that you just can’t teach.”

Said Pine-Richland coach Jon LeDonne: “He’s a very good runner. He’s a tough kid and his stats reflect that.”

LeDonne knows any running back is only as productive as his line allows him to be, so the Rams will look to make their presence felt up front.

“Establishing the line of scrimmage is the most important thing,” LeDonne said. “If we control that line with our interior tackles and let our linebackers flow a little bit, we’ll be able to stop him.”

Should the Rams bottle up Dupill, Panthers senior quarterback Chase Lemke has the numbers to hurt the Rams through the air. He has thrown for 1,323 yards and 15 touchdowns but has thrown 10 interceptions.

“He doesn’t get shaken up too easily,” Getsy said. “He’s able to keep his composure, and his teammates can sense his calmness, and they never get over or under excited. With the ups and downs of playoff football, it’s a huge component to having success in the playoffs. It’s a leadership quality that really helps our offense.”

Senior tight end Macallister Bresnahan is tied with senior wideout Elijah Bennett for the most reception yards with 392. Bennett has five receiving touchdowns, and Bresnahan has three.

The Rams are coming off a bye, and when asked if he thinks his team will show any signs of rust, LeDonne dismissed such a notion.

“We took it back to like a preseason camp week and focused on the fundamentals and technique,” LeDonne said. “It was about getting refocused.”

It was also about getting some key players back from injury.

The Rams expect to get back sophomore quarterback Aaron Strader, who left the team’s game against North Allegheny with an injury and missed the last game against Shaler.

Strader leads the Rams with 1,267 yards passing and 14 touchdowns to one interception.

“His feet can kill you, and he has a strong arm,” Getsy said. “He can stretch the field vertically with his arm. We have to contain him in the pocket. This is going to be a tough task itself. The key is their offensive line. It’s probably one of the biggest lines in the WPIAL, and they’re aggressive.”

The line is anchored by seniors Joshua Nindl and Jackson Bojanic-Hubbell, and they will protect Strader as well as make running lanes for junior running back Mac Miller, who has rushed for 989 yards and 10 touchdowns.

“We ask both Strader and Miller to do a lot of decision making on their end,” LeDonne said. “Strader has been making some great reads this year and has done a real nice job of making the right ones so far.”

Strader will look for a trio of targets on the outside to keep the Panthers defense honest when it keys on Miller running the ball.

Junior Lawrence “Jay” Timmons, former Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons’ son, leads the Rams with 485 yards receiving and three touchdowns. Senior Tanner Cunningham is second with 322 yards and four TDs, and junior Jalen Neals has 218 yards and four touchdowns.

Both defenses employ strong fronts, have linebackers that can fly to the ball and have playmakers on the back end.

It will come down to who can limit the big plays, and for Franklin Regional, that has been a tough task of late.

In their past five games, the Panthers defense has given up scoring plays on the ground for 32, 82 and 80 yards and through the air for 44, 72 and 71 yards.

They will need to limit such plays against an offense that is averaging 37.5 points per game, tops in Class 5A.

The Rams have been held to under 30 points just three times this season and have gone 2-1 in those games. The only loss was a 28-21 defeat against North Allegheny after Strader got hurt.

“We need to do the things we’re taught to do,” added Getsy. “Play sound football, stay aggressive and get bodies flying towards the ball. It’s what our defense has been doing lately.”

It is true that the Panthers have been playing lights out defensively for just over a month. The defensive group hasn’t allowed more than 30-plus points in a game since Oct. 4 in a 35-30 win against Kiski Area.

In their opening-round game against North Hills, the Panthers’ Bresnahan had three sacks and senior defensive tackle Andrew Devola recovered a fumble to seal a 17-16 win.

“I think they do a good job up front, in covering their linebacker and allowing him to flow and make plays,” LeDonne said. “They’ve got two guys that can set the edge and perimeter for them. They do a good job on the back end in coverage as well. We need to lock in to what we’re doing and make sure we’re not hurting ourselves.”

The Rams defense has only allowed 13.7 points per game and will present its own challenges for the Panthers.

“They’re very good up front. Their linebackers are very good,” said Getsy. “We’re going to have opportunities to hit check downs when they do bring the pressure, but we have to take our shots when they present themselves and Lemke’s going to have to throw guys open.”

Pine-Richland will be going for its fifth WPIAL title in nine years. The Rams have been to the title game in six of the last eight years and have won four titles: two in 5A, including in 2022, and two in 6A.

“The expectation is to always compete for a championship,” LeDonne said. “We always tell the kids that the only ones who can stop us from getting to where we want to be is ourselves, with stupid penalties and stuff like that. We like to think that what we’re coaching and what we’re teaching sets up for success and the boys just have to execute.”

For Getsy, he wants his team to come out with a fire to match that of Pine-Richland and should they match the Rams’ intensity, they may have a chance at making it a game, if not pull off the upset.

“It’s going to be a tough task, for sure,” Getsy said. “We need to match their aggressiveness and style of football.”

One good thing going for Franklin Regional is there were nine upsets in the WPIAL football playoffs in the first round.

None would be larger than if they pull one off Friday night.

Tags: Franklin Regional, Pine-Richland