Franklin Regional answers Kiski Area’s fast start

By: Bob Orkwis
Friday, September 27, 2024 | 10:39 PM

After a four-game homestand that resulted in four losses, Kiski Area came on the road and started fast against Franklin Regional, jumping out to a 17-point lead.

But it was the Panthers who recovered, scoring 28 unanswered points on their way to a 35-30 victory.

The Cavaliers defense sparked a great start, with a three-and-out and two turnovers.

Junior Austin Beck connected on a career-long 44-yard field goal after a Marco Yanarella interception.

Then a high snap gave Kiski Area the ball back, and Carson Heinle found Andrew Finney in the left flat for a 14-yard catch-and-run touchdown and a 10-0 lead.

The Cavaliers then scored on a third straight possession when Heinle added his first touchdown of the season on a 12-yard run, and Kiski Area had the Hall-of-Fame night crowd in Murrysville stunned with a 17-0 lead.

“We knew that (Kiski Area was) going to be a tough team,” Panthers coach Lance Getsy said. “Two turnovers and a couple mistakes on defense, and that’s what happens.”

Franklin got on track on its next two possessions, rallying behind the arm of senior quarterback Chase Lemke.

Two plays after Heinle’s run, Lemke hit a streaking Elijah Bennett down the right sideline for an 80-yard scoring strike.

On the next possession, the Cal (Pa.) baseball recruit found tight end Mac Bresnahan on a 23-yard post pattern for a touchdown, and Franklin Regional made the score 17-14 at halftime.

The Panthers continued their impressive spurt, scoring on four of five possessions.

Lemke found Austin Kerns on a 31-yard touchdown pass, and when Kyle Dupill scored on a 3-yard run a minute into the fourth quarter, the Panthers had a 28-17 lead.

“We never lost our composure,” Getsy said. “After the start, it was just honing in and doing what we needed to do.”

The Cavaliers answered when Landon Kucic scored on a 5-yard run to make the score 28-23 after the 2-point conversion pass failed.

Franklin Regional was backed up inside its own 10-yard line on the ensuing kickoff, when Dupill busted off a 73-yard run. Lemke capped the drive with a 2-yard touchdown for a 35-23 lead.

The senior, who came into the contest fourth in the WPIAL in rushing, gained 217 yards on 25 carries, the 11th time he has gone over 100 yard in his career.

“What can you say about him?” Getsy said of Dupill. “It’s like a broken record; he keeps on doing it every week. Whenever you see him going and the energy he brings to the offense, you have to keep feeding him the ball.”

Lemke threw for 167 yards and three touchdowns for Franklin Regional to go along with his rushing touchdown.

Getsy was pleased with the resilience of his quarterback.

“How about that? Bouncing back after he throws an interception and loses a bad snap, but to come back, keep his composure and play as well as he did, that was tremendous.”

Heinle drove the Cavaliers down the field and found Aven Shirley with a 13-yard scoring pass with 1 minutes, 14 seconds left. Beck’s extra point made the score 35-30.

The Panthers were able to recover the onside kick and run out the clock to stay in first place in the 5A Big East conference.

Heinle continues his assault on the Cavaliers record books. The senior completed 16 of 27 passes for 209 yards and two touchdowns and now has 3,753 career yards, passing Josh Vick, who held the Kiski Area record with 3,565 yards.

Heinle also ran for 91 yards, and Shirley had seven catches for 137 yards and a touchdown.

Kiski Area (1-5, 0-3) heads to Latrobe next week for a conference matchup against the Wildcats.

Franklin Regional visits Fox Chapel in nonconference action, but coach Getsy likes where the Panthers (5-1, 3-0) are heading.

“We have to correct the little things we are doing wrong. We need better practices during the week. We have to not let teams be in games with us when we shouldn’t. We need to play to our level and handle business the way that we know how.”

Tags: Franklin Regional, Kiski Area