Franklin Regional’s goal-line stands turn back Latrobe
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Friday, September 1, 2023 | 11:12 PM
Franklin Regional’s Jamal V carries the ball as Latrobe’s Sawyer Butina closes in Friday at Latrobe Memorial Stadium.
Latrobe’s John Wetzel carries the ball against Franklin Regional on Friday at Latrobe Memorial Stadium.
Latrobe’s Ja’Tawn Williams takes down Franklin Regional’s Austin Kerns on Friday at Latrobe Memorial Stadium.
Latrobe’s Alex Tatsch runs for a touchdown against Franklin Regional on Friday at Latrobe Memorial Stadium.
Members of the Latrobe band perform before a game against Franklin Regional on Friday at Latrobe Memorial Stadium.
Franklin Regional players celebrate during their victory over Latrobe on Friday at Latrobe Memorial Stadium.
Latrobe’s Elijah Bennett carries the ball for a touchdown against Franklin Regional on Friday at Latrobe Memorial Stadium.
Franklin Regional’s Chase Lemke gets the throw away as he is hit by Latrobe’s Alex Tatsch on Friday.
Franklin Regional band members are bathed in golden light during a Week 1 game against Latrobe on Friday at Latrobe Memorial Stadium.
Latrobe players take the field before a game against Franklin Regional on Friday at Latrobe Memorial Stadium.
Franklin Regional and Latrobe players pile on each other at Latrobe’s one yard line in the final seconds of a game Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, at Latrobe Memorial Stadium. Franklin Regional was able to keep Latrobe from scoring and ultimately won the game 28-21.
Latrobe’s Brady Prohovic makes a catch during a game against Franklin Regional on Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, at Latrobe Memorial Stadium.
Franklin Regional’s Kyle Dupill carries the ball during a game against Latrobe on Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, at Latrobe Memorial Stadium.
Latrobe fans celebrate when it looks like the team could come from behind to tie Franklin Regional in the final minutes of a game Friday, Sept. 1, 2023, at Latrobe Memorial Stadium. Franklin Regional ultimately won 28-21.
Two goal-line stands and two third-quarter touchdown runs by Kyle Dupill helped Franklin Regional defeat Latrobe, 28-21, in a heart-thumping nonconference battle Friday at Memorial Stadium.
It might have been a nonconference game, but these two Westmoreland County foes battled like it was for a conference title.
The Panthers (1-1) stopped Latrobe (1-1) at the goal line to end the first half and again to end the game. Franklin Regional now leads the all-time series 10-6. Last year, Latrobe won in double overtime.
“I tell you what, we found a way,” Franklin Regional coach Lance Getsy said. “We talk about momentum all of the time, and I think that stop at the end of the half gave us momentum that carried over to the third quarter.”
The first goal-line stand ignited Dupill and the Panthers offensive line, which started pushing Latrobe’s defense around.
The first Dupill score, a 14-yard run, came on the eighth play of a 57-yard drive to tie the score at 21-21.
Latrobe quarterback John Wetzel had a 70-yard touchdown run nullified by a block in the back, and the Wildcats didn’t recover from that penalty.
Franklin Regional’s defense then stopped the Wildcats’ Brady Prohovic on fourth-and-1 at the Panthers’ 47. Franklin Regional then used seven consecutive runs, the final a 31-yard jaunt by Dupill, to grab a 28-21 lead.
“In the first half, we weren’t getting a push,” Dupill said. “In the second half, we came out physical and we started pushing them back and I made a few good cuts. My 31-yard run when I dove into the end zone got everyone psyched.
Dupill finished with 115 yards on 16 carries. The junior, however, cramped up in the fourth quarter, and his playing time was limited.
“We turned the ball over three times, gave up two big plays and a kickoff return and still won,” Getsy said. “Just think what will happen when we clean things up. We really fought the entire game.”
Late in the game, the Wildcats got a break when Cody Krall pounced on a Franklin Regional fumble at the Panthers 41.
Wetzel connected on a 31-yard pass to Ja’Twan Williams, setting the Wildcats up at the Franklin Regional 6. Prohovic ran the ball to the Panthers’ 2, but the officials ruled Wetzel’s sneaks came up short.
“The officials told us they screwed up at the end of the first half,” Latrobe coach Ron Prady said. “I didn’t want to go for a field goal because of the clock mix up. Penalties were the difference. We had too many.”
The Wildcats were flagged nine times for 86 yards.
It didn’t take Latrobe long to score as Williams hauled in a 68-yard pass from Wetzel for a 6-0 lead. Williams had four catches for 124 yards, and Wetzel completed 8 of 19 passes for 184 yards.
The Wildcats then caught the Panthers sleeping by recovering a successful onside kick. But the Panthers’ defense didn’t budge and forced a punt.
Franklin Regional proceeded to march 75 yards to grab a 7-6 lead as quarterback Chase Lemke faked out the Latrobe secondary and found Ayden Hudock alone down the sideline for a touchdown.
The Panthers defense then gave the team great field possession, starting a drive at the Latrobe 42. Lemke tossed a 15-yard scoring strike to Austin Kerns for a 14-6 lead.
Lemke took a step forward, according to Getsy. The junior completed 10 of 14 passes for 112 yards.
On the ensuing kickoff, Williams ran 99 yards untouched for the score. Alex Tatsch’s 2-point conversion run tied the score at 14-14.
Latrobe’s defense stopped Franklin Regional on downs, and two plays later, Tatsch, from the wildcat formation, went off right tackle and raced 47 yards for the touchdown for a 21-14 lead.
Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.
Tags: Franklin Regional, Latrobe
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