Lovre comes through in clutch as Penn-Trafford outlasts Franklin Regional

By: Paul Schofield
Friday, October 27, 2023 | 10:35 PM

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Penn-Trafford coach John Ruane said before Friday’s second-place showdown in the WPIAL Class 5A Big Conference game at Franklin Regional that junior quarterback Jonny Lovre was making huge strides in his game.

Lovre proved his coach right in the fourth quarter, connecting on two huge fourth-down passes and then scoring the winning touchdown with 5 minutes, 19 seconds left to help Penn-Trafford (5-5, 4-1) clinch a spot in the WPIAL playoffs with a 27-14 victory.

Penn-Trafford has won seven consecutive games in the series and leads, 15-8.

Lovre, who completed 11 of 17 passes for 113 yards, connected on a 13-yard pass to Jack Weishaar on fourth-and-3 and then hit Tasso Whipple for 8 yards on fourth-and-3.

“Jack made a great catch on an in cut, and Tasso was able to get open when we overloaded the flat,” Lovre said. “This was a great win for us.”

He capped the drive by scoring on fourth-and-goal from the 1 for a 21-14 lead.

The victory puts the Warriors in the playoffs, and with wins by Penn Hills and Pine-Richland, Franklin Regional (6-4, 3-2) earned a wild-card berth.

“It was very necessary to bring home a win for this team,” Lovre said. “Our offensive line was phenomenal the entire drive between rushing the ball and pass protection. Tasso and Ben (Grabowski) both ran well during the drive. We got stuffed a couple times at the goal-line, but at the end of the day, we powered through.”

Penn-Trafford’s defense also play well, allowing Franklin Regional one offensive touchdown, and that came on the Panthers’ first possession of the second half when the Panthers drove 65 yards in 11 plays with Jude Gentile capping the possession with a 6-yard run.

“We started out the second half with a good drive, and they did play good defense,” Franklin Regional coach Lance Getsy said. “But we had too many mistakes that put us behind the chains in the first half. When we’re playing well, we can play with anyone.

“Bottom line: We needed to get off the field on defense. We allowed them to make to make key plays.”

Penn-Trafford’s Jessie Lisbon intercepted an overthrown screen pass on the Panthers’ next possession, and the Warriors converted a short drive to make it 27-14. Whipple scored on a 5-yard run, his second score on the game, with 1:49 left.

Whipple rushed for 87 yards on 17 carries, and Grabowski added 41 on 13 carries.

“We were really resilient after the early score, and it started with our defense,” Ruane said. “We punted again after that first drive and had no rhythm on offense. Our defense did what they do, kept us alive and then our offense started to click.

“We got huge plays on crucial downs from a lot of guys who aren’t the headliners. Jack Weishaar made enormous plays on fourth down. Nick Ponko had a great game moving the sticks. But the story was our guys up front. They struggled early and then played their butts off.”

Franklin Regional struck early as Jack Silvis blocked Lovre’s punt and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown with 10:01 left in the opening quarter.

Penn-Trafford’s defense dominated the rest of the first half, limiting Franklin Regional’s offense to two first downs.

The Warriors put together two scoring drives to grab a 14-7 lead at halftime.

Whipple tied the score 7-7 by scoring on a 13-yard run to complete a four-play, 57-yard drive. A 37-yard pass from Grabowski to Mark Jollie highlighted the drive.

The Warriors converted a short field, taking over at the Franklin Regional 35 after a short punt. It was Lovre connecting on a 17-yard touchdown to Weishaar in the back of the end zone for a 14-7 lead at halftime.

Penn-Trafford’s defense limited Franklin Regional to 50 yards rushing, and quarterback Chase Lemke completed 9 of 20 passes for 83 yards.

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, Penn-Trafford