Experienced Franklin Regional girls cross country team looks to take next step

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, September 7, 2018 | 7:27 PM

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The Franklin Regional girls cross country team entered the 2018 season with experience as six of the seven runners who competed at last year’s WPIAL championships returned.

Led by senior Clare McCarthy, who was 48th in the WPIAL Class AAA girls race last October, the Panthers squad, coach Jim Passarelli said, hopes to take that next step, which includes improving on its 18th-place team finish at WPIALs.

“Our girls team has really jelled with the experienced runners and those who are new, and they give 100 percent every day,” Passarelli said. “I’m really excited to see what they can do.”

McCarthy moved up 10 spots at WPIALs from 58th as a sophomore, and she saw that the cut off for states last year was 27th. The top three teams in Class AAA automatically earn trips to Hershey, along with the next 15 individuals not on those qualifying teams.

“I’m really looking forward to the season,” McCarthy said. “We have a really good group of girls, and I’m excited to improve with the team throughout the season and be a role model for those younger girls.”

Passarelli said McCarthy has a good shot at moving up at WPIALs this year and taking one of those individual spots for states.

“I think Clare now has that confidence to realize she’s as good as she is,” Passarelli said. “I think with being a senior leader, that will be what helps push her over the top.”

Passarelli said the seniors, including WPIAL returnees Kaitlyn Kitch, Claire Pamerleau and Alyssa Nguyen, have grown together since middle school.

“It’s really neat to see them mature over the past couple of years,” said Passarelli, who lost only one girl to graduation from last year’s WPIAL team in Sterling Simek.

“(The seniors) hope that this is their year to shine, and they’ve really shown great leadership with the younger girls,” Passarelli said.

Also returning are a pair of sophomores with WPIAL finals experience in Maria Brush and Abbey Myers.

Brush cracked the top 100 at 97 in her first WPIAL championship meet last fall.

Passarelli said freshman Mia Tarantini is showing a lot of promise in early-season practice runs and competitions.

“She’s had times that put her in the varsity lineup,” he said.

Another freshman, Samantha Fersch, Passarelli added, also is pushing for an opportunity with the varsity team.

Passarelli said the boys team is in more of a rebuilding mode after losing six of last year’s seven WPIAL runners. Included in that graduated group was Matt Busche, who finished 14th in the boys race and qualified for states.

“We knew it was going to be kind of a rebuild year,” Passarelli said. “But we have runners who want to get better and make an impact on the varsity team.”

Passarelli said the lone junior and only returnee who ran at WPIALs last year, Jacob Brush, has stepped up as a team leader and is ready to make his move.

Sophomore Justin Haines returns with experience on varsity

“Justin had a really good end to his (freshman) season,” Passarelli said. “I’m looking for him to be a big varsity contributor for us.”

Dom Furnari, one of three seniors on the boys squad this season, currently is battling through an injury, but Passarelli said he should be a solid varsity contributor if he can get healthy.

Passarelli said he likes what he’s seen so far from freshman Alex Duffus.

Franklin Regional kicked off its season Saturday against some of the top competition in the region at the annual Red, White & Blue Invitational at Pittsburgh’s Schenley Park. The event was contested past the deadline for this week’s edition.

The Panthers also will test their mettle this Saturday at the Kiski Invitational at Northmoreland Park near Apollo.

All of the meets and invitationals lead up to the WPIAL championships Oct. 25. WPIALs now will be run at Cal (Pa.) after several years at Cooper’s Lake near Slippery Rock.

Michael Love is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Michael at mlove@tribweb.com or via Twitter @MLove_Trib.