Franklin Regional wrestling ousts Latrobe in 5th-place match

By: HSSN Staff
Wednesday, January 23, 2019 | 10:21 PM

The storied history of Franklin Regional’s wrestling program is well documented in an area saturated with success stories on the mats.

The Panthers were a fixture in statewide discussions in recent years.

The 2018-19 season might not stack up against the Panthers’ best, but it appears to be a step ahead of what was a reloading process that began last season after the team’s elite showing in 2016-17, led by three-time PIAA champion Spencer Lee.

“The tradition of the program here is phenomenal, and the kids know that,” said Franklin Regional coach Matt Lebe, who himself understands the thrill of wrestling success, having won a PIAA title in 2001 at Jeannette. “The guys see those pictures and names on the walls here, and they want to be a part of it.”

The process of returning to elite status in the PIAA continued Wednesday night, when the Panthers claimed nine weight classes, including four pins, and eliminated visiting Latrobe from the WPIAL Section 1A-3A tournament with a 43-27 victory in the fifth-place consolation match.

Colton Camacho (126 pounds), Zach McCann (138), Mason Spears (152) and Dylan Singleton (285) won by pin for Franklin Regional, which will join Kiski Area, Hempfield, Norwin and Greensburg Salem in the preliminary round of the WPIAL team tournament beginning Monday at a site to be determined.

“Really proud of our guys,” said Lebe, in his third season at Franklin Regional. “We know the type of kids Latrobe has, and we knew what type of match this was going to be. It wasn’t easy. Give that team credit. They made us work, and it was a total team effort on our part. “Our guys’ efforts have been unbelievable this year, and our assistant coaches deserve a lot of credit, too.”

Afterwards, Lebe pointed to freshman 160-pounder Christo Marion, who earned his first varsity victory, and 182-pounder Charlie Hough, who won for just the second time at the varsity level.

Marion, with a backpack draped over him, stopped in his tracks on the floor at the sound of Lebe’s voice.

“Chris,” Lebe yelled, “come here for a minute. Good job.”

Marion took the moment in stride, almost as if to beg, “What’s the big deal?” But he was excited, for sure.

“It was actually really a lot different than winning a match in middle school or in elementary school,” Marion said. “Having a bigger crowd here made it feel different.”

Franklin Regional will try to stay sharp with a trip to the Sharon Duals on Saturday.

Meanwhile, Latrobe coach Mike Ciotti only could hope for continued progress from his program. He said he sees improvement every week.

“We inherited a young group, and it’s been a time for rebuilding,” he said. “This year, they’ve been trying to come together. A lot of guys did a great job fighting tonight, but we gave up a lot of extra points, and that opened it up.”

Latrobe got pins from Gabe Willochell (132), Logan Zitterbart (170), Logan Scherff (195) and Tyler Ross (220).

The Wildcats will compete Saturday at the Ultimate Warrior event at West Branch.

Dave Mackall is a freelance writer.

Tags: Franklin Regional, Latrobe