Westmoreland County high school notebook: Franklin Regional appreciates trip to state quarterfinals

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Thursday, November 7, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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When Nick White was an assistant boys soccer coach at Fox Chapel, the Foxes only made the PIAA playoffs once in his 10 years there.

Now the boys coach at Franklin Regional, White does not undervalue the privilege to play in the state tournament.

Franklin Regional (15-4-2), the WPIAL 3A runner-up, will face District 3 winner Conrad Weiser (23-1-1) at 5 p.m. Saturday in the PIAA quarterfinals at Chambersburg High School’s Trojan Stadium.

“You cannot ever take the opportunity to be in the state playoffs for granted,” White said. “These moments are special. To be able to get a (first-round) win was awesome, but we want to continue. We want our season to last as long as it can.”

In 2015, Fox Chapel played its first two state-playoff games at Chambersburg, so White knows the place well.

After a 4-3 (3-2 PKs) win over Central York, Fox Chapel lost to Springfield Delco, 2-1.

Back then, the WPIAL only had three classifications in soccer and sent the top three teams in 3A to states.

That Franklin Regional is still playing in early November is not a surprise. The Panthers last won a state playoff game in 2021 and made the semifinals in 2018 and ‘19 when it won back-to-back WPIAL titles.

After losing to Moon, 3-1, last Saturday at Highmark Stadium, the Panthers rebounded emphatically with a 6-0 shutout over Bellefonte, the champion of District 6.

“The boys bounced back well,” White said. “They are extremely motivated to be successful in the state playoffs. We had a couple good training sessions prior to the first-round game. The attention to detail and focus on our preparation really came through in the match against Bellefonte.”

Senior striker Danny Christafano scored two goals in the win.

“The boys got off on the right foot with an early goal,” White said. “Plus, it was great to get Jovan (Sankoorikal) back into the mix.”

Sankoorikal, a senior midfielder, did not play in the last two games because he received a red card in the WPIAL quarterfinals.

If Franklin Regional wins, it will gain a rematch with former section opponent Allderdice (13-4-1) or WPIAL champion Moon (23-0) in Tuesday’s semifinals.

State volleyball

Two Westmoreland County teams advanced to the PIAA girls volleyball quarterfinals and also will be in action Saturday.

In Class 2A, Southmoreland moved on with a historic victory. The Scotties (17-5) took a back-and-forth opener, 3-2 over North Star, for the first PIAA win in program history.

The fourth-place team out of the WPIAL won, 25-18, 18-25, 26-24, 22-25, 15-6 to advance to play Cathedral Prep (16-5) at noon on Saturday at Sharon High School.

Six-foot middle hitter Taylor Doppelheuer had 20 kills to lead the Scotties.

Meantime, WPIAL Class A champion Greensburg Central Catholic (18-3) extended one of its best seasons with a 3-1 win over West Branch.

Ashlyn Black has 16 kills, Eva Denis added nine, and Zilola Giaramita had seven as GCC controlled the final two sets.

The PIAA semifinals are Tuesday at neutral sites.

Nesser coaching

Longtime area boys basketball coach Jim Nesser will be back on the court this season, only at the college level.

Nesser is now as assistant for the Saint Vincent men’s team as part of coach D.P. Harris’ staff.

Nesser, 63, has coached for 41 years at various places in the WPIAL, most recently Yough, where he spent six seasons in his second stint with the Cougars.

He will reunite with former Yough star and 2,000-point scorer Terek Crosby, a freshman guard at Saint Vincent.

Nesser retired from teaching at Yough after 38 years. He spent this fall coaching a different sport: He served as a defensive assistant with the Hempfield football team.

His other basketball stops include Southmoreland, Elizabeth Forward, Jeannette, Hempfield, and Greensburg Central Catholic.

A Slippery Rock alum, Nesser has college experience, as well, after coaching briefly as head coach at Penn State McKeesport and as an assistant at Seton Hill.

Recruiting

Belle Vernon senior baseball player Zach Bird will continue his playing career at Chatham. Bird is an outfielder and lefthanded pitcher.

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

Tags: Belle Vernon, Franklin Regional, Greensburg C.C., Southmoreland, Yough