Franklin Regional notebook: Pair of Panthers win county wrestling titles

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Saturday, January 21, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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Two Franklin Regional wrestlers captured championships at the Westmoreland County Coaches Association Championships earlier this month at Greensburg Salem.

Gavyn Beck and Juliano Marion walked off the mat with titles at 160 and 189 pounds.

Beck scored a 7-1 decision over Wyatt Schmucker of Latrobe in the finals, while Marion blanked Cooper Roscosky of Kiski Area, 5-0.

The Panthers’ Tyler Kapusta (114) and Nate Stone (139) finished second. Dom Colaizzi (127), Justin Bass (133) and Roman Colangelo (152) were fourth. Luke Ankney (145) and Troy McClelland (215) took sixth.

Big game for Rowe

The Franklin Regional boys basketball team dropped a hard-fough Section 3-5A game for first place, falling to neighboring Gateway, 52-50.

A bright spot for the Panthers was junior Cam Rowell, who erupted for a career-high 29 points and 14 rebounds in the loss.

Franklin Regional slipped to 9-5 overall and 3-2 in section after a 59-53 loss to McKeesport.

FR girls win

Franklin Regional’s girls had an easier time with Gateway in the teams’ first section meeting of the season.

Avery Musto had 12 points, Sarah Penrod added 11 and Gabby Keough chipped in 10 as the Panthers won, 51-38, to move in to second place in Section 1-5A.

Hockey all-stars

Robert Morris’ Island Sports Center will be the place for the PIHL All-Star Games on Jan. 29.

The Division 2 all-stars will play in the first of five games, beginning at noon. Class A will have two games: Class A Gold will play at 1:40, followed by Class A Blue at 3:20. Class 2A takes the ice at 5, with 3A to play at 6:30.

Franklin Regional players selected for the Class 2A game are: Matt Knizner (F), Luke Lavrich (F), Max Rutkowski (F) and Brett Bowser (D).

Knizner was leading the team with 28 points, on 12 goals and 16 assists, while Lavrich had 10 goals and 15 assists. The Panthers were 6-7 and in eighth place in the 2A standings.

Clelian Heights Day returns

The Clelian Heights Day basketball event at Franklin Regional is returning this year after a two-year hiatus caused by the covid pandemic.

Students from Clelian Heights, a school in Greensburg for exceptional children, will come to Murrysville on Jan. 27 for a full school assembly that begins at 1 p.m. in the gymnasium.

There will be a basketball game with a 3-point contest at halftime, and cheerleaders and a pep band will add to the atmosphere.

The Franklin Regional basketball boosters will present Sister Charlene Celli with a check to support the school.

College scene

Updates on Franklin Regional athletes playing in college:

Men’s basketball

• Pitt: Senior reserve forward Aidan Fisch, who made the team as a walk-on a couple of years ago, has appeared in six games for the much-improved Panthers (12-6, 5-2 ACC). He has played 11 minutes and scored against Farleigh Dickinson.

Wrestling

• Iowa: Top-ranked 125-pounder Spencer Lee scored a first-period fall as the No. 2 Hawkeyes took care of No. 11 Northwestern, 27-9. Lee is 8-0 this season with all of his wins involving bonus points.

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

Tags: Franklin Regional