Upper St. Clair football team dominates Franklin Regional
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Friday, September 6, 2024 | 9:27 PM
Upper St. Clair’s Julian Dahlem eludes Franklin Regional’s Matthew Moore on a long run during the second quarter Friday.
Upper St. Clair head coach Mike Junko listens to his team as they get fired up before a game against Franklin Regional on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at USC.
Upper St. Clair head coach Mike Junko leads his team onto the field before a game against Franklin Regional on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at USC.
Upper St. Clair’s Julian Dahlem carries for a 53-yard touchdown run on the first play against Franklin Regional on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at USC.
Upper St. Clair’s Nico D’Orazio scores past Franklin Regional’s Macallister Bresnahan during the second quarter Friday.
Upper St. Clair’s Charley Bywalski catches a long pass in front of Franklin Regional’s Elijah Bennett during the first quarter Friday.
Upper St. Clair’s Charley Bywalski fends off Franklin Regional’s Elijah Bennett during the first quarter on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at USC.
The Upper St. Clair student section cheers on the Panthers at the start of their game against Franklin Regional on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at USC.
Upper St. Clair’s Nate Stohl tackles Franklin Regional’s Kyle Dupill for a 4-yard loss on the first play from scrimmage on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at USC.
Upper St. Clair’s Ethan Blough intercepts a pass against Franklin Regional during the second quarter Friday.
Upper St. Clair’s Nico D’Orazio carries for a touchdown against Franklin Regional during the second quarter Friday.
Upper St. Clair’s Charley Bywalski (left) and Randy Yan break up a pass intended for Franklin Regional’s Macallister Bresnahan during the first quarter Friday.
Upper St. Clair quarterback Ethan Hellmann scrambles against Franklin Regional on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at USC.
Upper St. Clair’s Charley Bywalski catches a touchdown pass during the second quarter against Franklin Regional on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at USC.
Upper St. Clair’s Charley Bywalski celebrates after catching a touchdown pass during the second quarter against Franklin Regional on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at USC.
Upper St. Clair’s Julian Dahlem scores on a 53-yard run on the first play against Franklin Regional on Friday.
Upper St. Clair’s Julian Dahlem celebrates after scoring a 53-yard touchdown on the first play against Franklin Regional on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at USC.
Franklin Regional quarterback Chase Lemke carries past Upper St. Clair’s Michael Albert during the second quarter Friday.
Franklin Regional’s Kyle Dupill eludes Upper St. Clair defenders during the second quarter on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at USC.
Storm clouds roll over the stadium, as Upper St. Clair drives for a score during the second quarter against Franklin Regional on Friday, Sept. 6, 2024, at USC.
In a battle of Panthers versus Panthers, it was Upper St. Clair that roared early and often in a mercy-rule 45-7 nonconference victory against Franklin Regional on Friday night at Upper St. Clair High School.
Upper St. Clair (3-0) scored 21 points in the opening quarter and never looked back. It got things going with Julian Dahlem on its first offensive play of the night as Dahlem scored on a 53-yard touchdown run with 10 minutes, 14 seconds left in the first quarter.
Franklin Regional (2-1) could not get anything going offensively in the first half, and Upper St. Clair took advantage. Dante Coury scored on the next two offensive drives with runs of 2 and 3 yards.
“It starts with the guys up front. They have been doing a good job for us, and they did again tonight,” Upper St. Clair coach Mike Junko said. “We got on them early tonight, and it just took off from there.”
Upper St. Clair next looked to Nico D’Orazio, who scored on a 65-yard run with 11:34 left in the second quarter. After yet another stop by the Upper St. Clair defense, it followed with a 29-yard field goal by Jacobo Echeverria for a 31-0 lead with 8:55 left in the second quarter.
Quarterback Ethan Hellmann, who suffered a concussion in a Week 1 road win at Canon-McMillan and was questionable to play all week, returned to action and hit Charley Bywalski on a 9-yard touchdown pass with 4:42 left in the first half, which gave Upper St. Clair a 38-0 halftime lead and put the mercy rule in effect for the second half.
“Our defense has really improved since Week Zero, and our tackling has gotten better,” Junko said. “They are playing as a unit right now, which is good to see. We are excited about their progress.”
Franklin Regional quarterback Chase Lemke ended the shutout with a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:30 left in the third quarter.
Freshman quarterback Josh Snyder scored on a 33-yard run with 47 seconds left for Upper St. Clair to seal victory.
Upper St. Clair was led by Dahlem with four carries for 120 yards and a touchdown. Franklin Regional was paced by Kyle Dupill with 15 carries for 104 yards in the loss.
“(Dahlem) is a special player. He is a great teammate,” Junko said. “We try to move him around and get him to go at teams from all different angles, and he does a really nice job with that.”
Franklin Regional will play at home next week for the first time this season as it hosts Latrobe in a Week 3 Big East Conference game. Upper St. Clair will travel to Hampton for a nonconference matchup.
Tags: Franklin Regional, Upper St. Clair
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