Fresh off unbeaten run in Section 4, Franklin Regional boys turn attention to postseason

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, October 12, 2018 | 7:06 PM

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The Franklin Regional boys soccer team had high expectations heading into the season and with just cause.

A team that narrowly missed out on a trip to the WPIAL Class 4A semifinals last season, the Panthers (13-0-1, 11-0-1 Section 4-3A) came into the 2018 campaign focused on achieving more.

Coach Rand Hudson was pleasantly surprised with how things came together this year.

“We play in a talented section with some playoff-rich teams, but you go into every game thinking we’ll take care of our business and win this game,” he said. “To be undefeated and give up as few goals as we did, I’d be lying if I said we anticipated being at this spot at this point in the year.”

The Panthers outscored opponents 62-2, only surrendering goals to Thomas Jefferson and McKeesport. Hudson said he’d be nitpicking if he tried to pinpoint any negative takeaways.

“There are always things you can improve on,” he said. “We talked about some things internally that we’d like to improve. Now, we’re gearing up for the playoffs, and there’s a little bit of pressure.

“We’ll have teams coming at us, so we’ll have to be ready for that.”

At times this season, the Panthers have been their most difficult opponent thanks to Hudson’s intense, competitive practices he compared to the style that former Pitt basketball coach Jamie Dixon implemented.

Hudson said the practices were unique in that, unlike at Pitt, there weren’t player disputes, rather each practice scenario forced his players to play focused and disciplined because the depth the Panthers have could bump a player from the starting lineup.

“We challenged them with trying to be situational in practice where we have a Plan A, B and C,” he said. “I can install other things, and it doesn’t confuse them.

“It challenges them to be able to handle a different formation if we have an extra defender or different forward.”

Austin Kranich leads the team in scoring and continued his role as the team’s catalyst. Kranich saw man-on-man coverage and double-coverage all season and got teammates involved and contributed when the ball wasn’t at his feet.

Hudson echoed the soccer adage of if a team controls the midfield, they control the game, something the trio of Justin LeDonne, Connor Rand and Zack Snider did all season.

In the defensive zone, Matt Kimmich and Jake Shulock played well as Hudson expected, but the emergence of sophomore Cole Kaforey was welcomed. With talented keeper in Jeremy Lucas, the defense presented a unique matchup problem because they were able to start breaks and pressure in the offensive zone.

Hudson said the coming week and playoff preparation won’t waiver from what he’s preached all season. He expects practices to continue to be competitive as they focus on reaching a new high, given the stakes.

“We’ll continue to play with repetition in practice so we can make sure the habits are automatic,” Hudson said. “I want us to be prepared for every situation and know exactly what to do when something faces us.”

Brian Graham is a freelance writer.

Tags: Franklin Regional