Franklin Regional edges Armstrong, now must get serious for playoffs

By: Dave Mackall
Friday, October 25, 2024 | 11:11 PM

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Lance Getsy loves his team, loves his players. All of them.

But even after Franklin Regional’s thrilling 29-26 victory Friday night over Armstrong, the Panthers football coach wishes they’d turn serious now that the WPIAL playoffs are upon them.

“They take things for granted,” Getsy said, forcing a smile after Franklin Regional overcame a 12-point deficit by scoring a pair of touchdowns in the final 1 minute, 51 seconds at FR’s Panther Stadium to end a two-game losing streak and hand Armstrong its eighth consecutive defeat in the teams’ final regular-season game.

“It’s on them,” Getsy said. “How bad do they want it?”

Franklin Regional (7-3, 4-2), the third-place team in the Class 5A Big East Conference, entered the night already having clinched a playoff berth, despite losses to Penn-Trafford and No. 5 Woodland Hills in the previous two weeks.

The Panthers, winners of six of their first seven games, looked as though they were on their way to a third straight defeat. Perhaps all the playoff talk sparked some silliness during a time when his team needed more focus, Getsy said.

“They felt the sense of urgency, but they need to feel that sense of urgency from the opening kickoff and not when we’re behind,” Getsy said. “It seems like we like to struggle and then turn it on. Against good teams, that’s not going to work. Not that they’re (Armstrong) a bad team because they’re way better than that (2-8, 0-6) record is. It’s just, ‘Welcome to 5A. It’s not easy.’ ”

Senior quarterback Chase Lemke overcame a sluggish performance by engineering a frantic winning drive for Franklin Regional that ended with his 2-yard touchdown run with 34 seconds left after Heath Sliva recovered a perfectly placed onside kick by Joseph Bayne at midfield.

Lemke, who completed 7 of 17 passes for 113 yards and was 5 for 5 for 84 yards in the fourth quarter, understood Getsy’s message loud and clear.

“We need to get more focused during the week in practices,” Lemke said. “We need to practice better overall. There’s been too much messing around then.”

Lemke was all business at crunch time Friday, tossing a 33-yard scoring pass to Elijah Bennett before his short touchdown run put Franklin Regional ahead to stay.

But the outcome wasn’t decided until the final play as Armstrong marched downfield and nearly scored again when sophomore quarterback Jaydon Oliver hit Kyan Kline with a 25-yard completion to the Franklin Regional 5 before time ran out.

It took a swarm of Franklin Regional defenders to hold Kline out of the end zone.

“We outplayed them for 46 minutes. They outplayed us the final 2 minutes of the game,” Armstrong coach Frank Fabian said. “Unfortunately, they won the game.”

Fabian told his players afterwards how proud he was of their effort. The River Hawks seemingly were in control, leading 26-14 following Oliver’s 32-yard touchdown run with 2:59 remaining.

“It’s gut-wrenching,” Fabian said, “especially when you’re on a seven-game losing streak. And to have one and let it slip through your fingers, it’s going to hurt a little bit.”

Oliver passed for 251 yards on 18 of 24 completions, threw for one touchdown and rushed for two more, and Kline caught seven passes for 117 yards to lead Armstrong, which began the year 2-0.

Franklin Regional’s sensational senior running back Kyle Dupill continued his onslaught of 100-yard games, reaching 200 on 24 carries, including a 29-yard touchdown before leaving the game in the fourth quarter.

Getsy said the team’s trainers wanted to keep Dupill on the sidelines for precautionary reasons.

“He got the wind knocked out of him, and he’s a little bit banged up,” Getsy said. “We’ll know more when we talk to the trainers, but I think he’ll be OK.”

Getsy for a time was in disbelief after the Panthers somehow found a way to notch a victory and gain some momentum heading into the playoffs.

His smile got a little wider.

“No doubt, I’m happy because I enjoy these kids and enjoy coaching them,” he said. “These seniors are my freshmen in my first year as a head coach here. I love every single one of them. I’m happy because I get to be the coach. I’m not happy with the play. We’ve got to get much improved. But I really enjoy being able to be their coach.”

Bayne’s onside kick worked to perfection and set up Franklin Regional’s winning drive, but Fabian said Armstrong should’ve gained possession.

“It was touched early. I have instant replay in the booth,” he said. “The (official) who was on our side marked it touched early. She got overruled by the official on the Franklin Regional side, all the way across the field. How that happens, how a guy has a better vantage point 40 yards away than the lady that was standing there 10 yards away, I don’t know.

“She had it as touched early. He overruled her. It’s just the way it goes.”

Tags: Armstrong, Franklin Regional