Ankle injury just a temporary setback for Franklin Regional linebacker

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, November 30, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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Franklin Regional made the WPIAL Class 5A football quarterfinals without one of its top defensive players.

Senior linebacker Austin Kerns was on his way to a monster year when he was injured in a Week 7 loss at Penn-Trafford.

He already was recovering from a high ankle sprain when he rolled the same ankle, compounding the injury and causing ligament damage.

Kerns, a 6-foot, 205-pounder, recently had surgery and said it went well.

Kerns has been able to see the game from a different perspective.

“The game has sort of slowed down for me for the first time since I’ve been held out,” he said. “I’ve been able to understand and study the game more. It’s also allowed me to take on a coaching role in preparing some younger guys for their first varsity snaps.”

Despite missing four games, Kerns was fourth on the team in tackles.

He had 51 stops, including 11 for loss, and five sacks. He also had eight receptions for 156 yards and four touchdowns.

Kerns hopes to resume training when he is medically cleared to do so, then commit to a college program.

Kerns (6-0, 205), who received a Division I offer to play at St. Francis (Pa.) and also has an offer from Division II Central State, played in eight games before suffering ligament damage in his ankle.

Kerns is optimistic he will be ready to make the jump to the next level.

“I’ll be back bigger, faster and stronger in a college jersey next year,” he said. “I want to play for a program that wants me there and not just because another school offered me.”

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Franklin Regional