Franklin Regional continues dominance vs. Plum

By: Michael Love
Friday, August 23, 2024 | 10:44 PM

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Plum hoped to stop a five-game losing streak to rival Franklin Regional when the neighbors met to open the season Friday evening.

But the visiting Panthers weren’t about to relinquish their recent stranglehold on the series.

FR scored three times in the first quarter, led by 28 at halftime and added two fourth-quarter TDs to finish off a 42-7 Week Zero victory over the Mustangs.

It was a strong start for Lance Getsy’s team.

“That was the confidence we needed after the scrimmage (against Norwin) last week where we were pretty basic, but where the kids didn’t respond to the physicality,” Getsy said.

“The kids came out refocused this week wanting to play better. They took it to heart. That was a great sign. It is a long season, and great teams get better every week. Hopefully, that is something we can start doing.”

Despite trailing by four scores to start the second half, Plum gave itself a lift by recovering a Franklin Regional fumble on the opening kickoff.

The Mustangs got on the board on their first play. From the Panthers’ 25, quarterback John Nonnenberg connected with Sloan Humphries into the end zone in tight coverage for a Plum touchdown just 13 seconds into the third quarter. Olivia Bigger’s point-after kick made it 28-7.

But Plum didn’t make it into the end zone after that, and FR added on.

Panthers senior quarterback Chase Lemke cramped up after taking a hit on a pass attempt midway through the third quarter and left the game.

FR went to the run the rest of the way, and senior Kyle Dupill carried the load. He had 16 of his 24 carries and 126 of his 166 total yards in the second half.

“We have a little package where Kyle steps in and does a good job, and Jude Gentile is a heckuva running back who plays a lot of defense,” Getsy said.

“It was nice we could run the ball effectively and take time off the clock.”

Dupill scored on touchdown runs of 4 and 6 yards in the fourth quarter. The second TD with 4 minutes, 26 seconds left put the mercy rule running clock into effect as FR led by 35.

“We’re not mad at all about this win,” Dupill said. “It was absolutely what we wanted to do. We wanted to come out and shut them out, but to hold them to seven points is great. There are some things we have to clean up. We expected that from this game. We’re ready to do that for next week.”

Franklin Regional is back on the road next Friday at Hempfield, whereas Plum pays a visit to Latrobe.

“There were a lot of things we did good tonight, and also a lot of things we did bad,” Plum coach Matt Morgan said.

“We’ve got a lot of new guys playing, and I am not making that as an excuse. (Franklin Regional) executed, and we didn’t. They made the plays, and we didn’t. We have to get better, and we have to get better fast because our schedule is not forgiving. We’ve got to be ready to roll next week.”

Lemke threw 14 passes before he exited the game. He completed eight of them for 192 yards and four touchdowns. Elijah Bennett finished with two catches for 78 yards. Both were touchdowns.

Macallister Bresnahan added four receptions for 77 yards. Austin Kearns’ lone catch resulted in a TD.

Franklin Regional didn’t take long to get on the board.

After the Panthers defense forced a punt on Plum’s first possession, FR took over on the Mustangs’ 48.

Lemke found an open Bennett past the Plum secondary for the score on its first play from scrimmage.

Joseph Bayne added the point-after kick. With 48 seconds gone in the first quarter, it was 7-0.

FR forced a second Plum punt, and six plays into the ensuing Panthers drive, Lemke connected with Bresnahan for 39 yards with 5:25 left in the opening stanza.

The teams traded interceptions late in the first. Darian Nelson picked off Lemke, and Brent Hickey returned the favor for FR.

The Panthers converted Hickey’s interception into points as Lemke tossed his third of the quarter, 35 yards to Kearns with 25 seconds on the clock.

Plum forced a Franklin Regional punt midway through the second quarter, but the kick landed at the Mustangs 1.

The FR defense stymied the Plum offense, and TJ Futeles punted from the back of his end zone. The ball traveled to the 30.

The Panthers offense faced a third and 10, but the FR passing game struck for more points. Lemke and Bennett hooked up for the second time, and the 30-yard connection in tight coverage put the visitors up by four scores.

All 192 of Lemke’s passing yards came in the first half.

Plum had a chance to get one back late in the half as the Mustangs drove from their 35 to inside the FR 10.

But the Panthers defense stiffened and forced a turnover on downs at the 4 with 23 seconds until the break.

Nonnenberg didn’t start, but he came on in the first half and finished the game 10 of 22 for 86 yards, the one TD and one interception.

“We have to grow from this,” Morgan said. “We obviously wanted to win this rivalry game, but Franklin did an excellent job, and we have to be better in all phases of the game.”

Michael Love is a TribLive reporter covering sports in the Alle-Kiski Valley and the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh. A Clearfield native and a graduate of Westminster (Pa.), he joined the Trib in 2002 after spending five years at the Clearfield Progress. He can be reached at mlove@triblive.com.

Tags: Franklin Regional, Plum