Westmoreland high school notebook: Lukas Petersen takes over Franklin Regional boys soccer

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Sunday, August 14, 2022 | 2:46 PM

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Perennial power Franklin Regional has a new boys soccer coach on the eve of a new season.

Lukas Petersen was hired Aug. 1 to replace Thomas Louisy, who led the Panthers for one season.

Petersen was set to be a second-year assistant with the Pitt men’s soccer team. He played professionally in Austria after a college career at Vermont.

Louisy stepped down in June for personal reasons. He guided the Panthers to a 17-5 record last fall, with trips to the WPIAL semifinals and PIAA quarterfinals in Class 3A.

Petersen, who coached the Allegheny Force Football Club, gets the unenviable task of coaching the Panthers in the post-Anthony DiFalco era.

DiFalco, who graduated and headed to Duquesne, was a three-time All-American who scored a school-record 118 goals in his career.

Denis to Grove City

Greensburg Central Catholic standout soccer player Carlo Denis, who will become a four-year starter this fall, will play at Division III Grove City.

Denis had 29 goals as a junior, giving him 91 for his career.

Strong start

The Ligonier Valley boys golf team opened the season with a runner-up finish at the Happy Valley Tournament at Penn State’s Blue Course.

There were 17 teams that played and counted four players’ scores.

Bellefonte won with a 300, while the Rams came in with 326.

Ligonier Valley’s scoring: Gavin McMullen 77, Josh Harbert 78, Will Morford 83, and Brody McIntosh 88.

Offer for Bilinsky

Norwin incoming senior basketball standout Adam Bilinsky received a scholarship offer from Division II West Chester. That gives him four offers from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference. The others are from Seton Hill, Mercyhurst and Pitt-Johnstown, where his brother, Ty, plays.

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