Franklin Regional boys golf scoring low through 1st half of season

By: Paul Schofield
Saturday, August 30, 2025 | 11:01 AM

Franklin Regional’s boys golf team has put itself in prime position heading into the second half of the season.

The Panthers sat atop Section 4-3A at 5-0 after wins against Central Catholic, 186-211, and Plum, 189-216.

“It was a good win for us against Central Catholic,” Franklin Regional coach Jeff Traphagen said. “I know they had a bad day. We will see a different team the next time.”

The Panthers picked up a forfeit win against Woodland Hills. The team still got a chance to play the Grandview Golf Course back nine and finished with a 193.

Senior Colin Holt shot a 2-under par 34. He had four birdies (Nos. 10, 15, 17 and 18).

Sophomore Sean Holt, Colin’s brother, followed with a 2-over 38, and junior Jason Buczynski a 3-over 39.

Colin Holt finished seventh in the WPIAL and was a PIAA qualifier last season. Senior Dylan Mauser is a two-time WPIAL qualifier.

The other key member of the lineup is senior Jose Balza Jr.

“We return a lot of experience,” Traphagen said. “Colin and Dylan are great scramblers around the green and Jose has a great head for the game.

“Our experience is huge. The players take the game seriously and they play a lot of golf. They understand the game.”

The Panthers graduated Liam Copeland, Ethan Raver and Luke Anderchak.

Traphagen’s other options in the starting lineup include seniors Noah Venters, Anthony Poole and Luca Bertucci Jr., along with juniors Jacob Pozek, Reid Farberow and Sean Holt.

“This is a close-knit group,” Traphagen said. “They enjoy being around each other.

“We are in fairly good shape in the section. There are a lot of good teams in the WPIAL.”

The Panthers saw Latrobe and Fox Chapel at the Latrobe Invitational. The other top teams include Fox Chapel, North Allegheny, South Fayette, West Allegheny, Peters Township, Upper St. Clair and Belle Vernon.

North Allegheny is the defending WPIAL champion and returns four starters.

The other teams in the section include Gateway, Penn Hills and West Mifflin.

A look at Franklin Regional’s roster:

Seniors: Jose Balza Jr.; Luca Betrucci Jr., Colin Holt, Dylan Mauser, Anthony Poole and Noah Venters

Juniors: Jason Buczynski, Leo Clemente, Angelo DeFilippo, Reid Farberow, Liam Murphy and Jacob Pozek

Sophomores: James Beatty, Bryson Gardner, Sean Holt and Dillon Porado

Freshmen: Jordan Azzarello, Christian Kallen, Noah Callen and Nathan Savinda

Manager: Ben Kimmich

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Franklin Regional