New Franklin Regional boys soccer coach focuses on building rapport, fitness

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Tuesday, July 30, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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When Nick White was an assistant boys soccer coach at Fox Chapel, the Foxes took late-summer trips to team camps.

It became part of their voluntary training schedule. The week-long bonding events were a build-up to the start of the WPIAL season.

“Getting to know the boys on a deeper level is extremely important,” White said. “I remember getting a lot of good feedback about being able to get away to do our thing.”

Now the first-year head coach at Franklin Regional, White is applying the same custom to the Panthers, who headed north this week for an Erie Premier Sports Camp at Edinboro.

Official practice begins Aug. 12. The season opens Aug. 23.

“You can learn a lot about someone by spending four days with them,” said White, a 10-year assistant to Erik Ingram at Fox Chapel.

Franklin Regional has become a perennial playoff team and won WPIAL Class 3A championships in 2018 and ’19.

Last year, the team went 12-9 after reaching the WPIAL semifinals as a No. 11 seed.

Consistency has been a trait in the program, despite player and coach turnover.

White is the program’s third coach in four years. He replaces Lukas Petersen, who resigned after two seasons.

White would have signed a long-term contract if one existed.

“It’s about trying to build a rapport with the kids,” White said. “I plan on being here for the long haul. The support has been tremendous.”

Numbers are steady as the Panthers look to build another winner in the fall.

“We’ve had 25 to 30 with us all summer, and we’re probably going to have 40 or so come out,” White said. “They’re getting multiple touches of the ball and are training multiple times a day.”

The Panthers will look to play fast for their new coach, so training has been vital this summer.

“Fitness is so important,” he said. “The game requires fitness. You have to be in shape to play an up-tempo pace. You have to be sharp mentally, too, for decision-making.

“I want us to have the depth to run at teams and control the pace of the game or to be able to adapt to (other styles). Ideally, you want to impose your style on teams.

“This program is a machine at work. I just want to put my touch on it.”

A couple of key players set to return are all-WPIAL selections Joey Bayne and Danny Christafano.

“It’s a lot different from last year,” said Bayne, who also is the kicker for the football team. “One of the main differences is getting ready physically for the season. We have two fitness tests and have been pushed to get ready for the season, so when the first game rolls around, we can outlast the other teams and be dominant in the second half. (White) is a very passionate and committed coach as he drives 30-plus minutes to practice. Our team is excited about him, and he has everyone truly believing we can win a WPIAL or even state championship this year.”

WPIAL realignment did not spare Franklin Regional. The Panthers will be in a new-look section that only includes two other holdovers from last year’s section lineup: Penn-Trafford and much-improved Latrobe.

The Panthers also will have section home-and-home matchups with Allderdice, Belle Vernon, Uniontown, Washington and West Mifflin.

Their nonsection schedule will include a season opener against defending WPIAL 4A champion Norwin, plus games against Kiski Area, rival Plum (which moved to 4A) and a reunion for White against Fox Chapel.

“I have been trying hard not to wish the summer away,” White said. “I am so excited about what’s coming up. There is a pressure, and another energy, once practice starts.”

White, a graduate of Peters Township and Westminster, is a middle school teacher at Fox Chapel. This is his first time working as a head coach.

Andy Saparito and Dom DiFalco are his assistants.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Franklin Regional