Franklin Regional can’t cool off Penn-Trafford
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Friday, October 22, 2021 | 11:01 PM
Penn-Trafford’s Cade Yacamelli scores a first-quarter touchdown past Franklin Regional’s Logan Donnelly on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021, at Warrior Stadium.
Penn-Trafford’s Carter Green cuts back on Franklin Regional’s Tyler Bewszka for a first-quarter touchdown on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021, at Warrior Stadium.
Penn-Trafford’s Tommy Kalkstein cuts past Franklin Regional’s Zach Bewzka for a first-quarter touchdown on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021, at Warrior Stadium.
Penn-Trafford’s Garrett Moorhead celebrates with Carter Green after Green’s second-quarter touchdown against Franklin Regional on Friday.
Penn-Trafford’s Seth Dunlap gets ahead of Franklin Regional’s Najji Velasquez on the way to a second-quarter touchdown on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021, at Warrior Stadium.
Penn-Trafford’s Cade Yacamelli breaks the tackle attempt by Franklin Regional’s Roman Sarnic on the way to a first-quarter touchdown on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021, at Warrior Stadium.
Penn-Trafford’s Carter Green beats Franklin Regional’s Jared Ribar to the end zone for a second-quarter touchdown on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021, at Warrior Stadium.
Franklin Regional’s Tyler Bewszka cuts in front of Penn-Trafford’s Jack Jollie on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021, at Warrior Stadium.
Franklin Regional’s Caden Smith catches Penn-Trafford’s Carter Green in the second quarter on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021, at Warrior Stadium.
Penn-Trafford’s Jack Jollie pulls in a pass that was intended for Franklin Regional’s Roman Sarnic on Friday, Oct. 22, 2021, at Warrior Stadium.
A cold front blew through Western Pennsylvania on Friday morning, cooling the unusually warm temperatures.
What it didn’t do was cool the red-hot Penn-Trafford football team.
The No. 2-ranked Warriors (7-2, 4-0) won their fifth consecutive game, scored on their first six possessions and blew out neighboring rival Franklin Regional, 49-7, in the WPIAL Class 5A Big East Conference game.
The win secures at least a tie for the conference title for the Warriors. They look to clinch one of the top playoff seeds with a win at Latrobe next week.
Despite the loss, Franklin Regional (4-5, 2-2) grabbed a berth in the playoffs because Latrobe lost at Woodland Hills.
“They are a physical football team,” Franklin Regional coach Lance Getsy said. “(Coach) John (Ruane) has the program going, and he’s been doing it for years. Their kids play. They finish plays, and they finish games. That’s why are who they are.”
It didn’t take Penn-Trafford long to take control. Cade Yacamelli ripped off a 52-yard run on the second play, which set up his 8-yard touchdown catch from Carter Green.
“It was a great start,” Ruane said. “It kind of set the tone. I thought we did a nice job up front because they gave us a little different look defensively than we expected, but the linemen made a quick adjustment.”
Green threw touchdown passes to Yacamelli, Tommy Kalkstein (18 yards) and Seth Dunlap (42 yards), and ran for two more. He rushed for 95 yards and completed 9 of 13 passes for 139 yards, all in the first half.
His 22-yard scamper on the next possession made it 14-0, and after a Jack Jollie interception, Green connected with Kalkstein to make it 21-0.
Before the first quarter ended, Yacamelli darted 44 yards for a score. He finished with 107 yards on nine carries.
“I thought we did a good job mixing the run and the pass, especially when we had to on third downs” Ruane said. “Our defense was tremendous from start to finish as they been over the stretch.”
Green scored on a 49-yard run early in the second quarter to make it 35-0, and he hit Dunlap late in the half to make it 42-0 at halftime.
“We executed well,” Green said. “They gave us a different look than we expected, but the offensive line adjusted and we got the job done. Everyone played hard every snap. We knew they wouldn’t quit.”
The second half was played under the mercy rule after Penn-Trafford opened up a 35-point lead in the first half.
Penn-Trafford sophomore tackle Zach Tomosovich had a linemen’s dream come true when he intercepted a pass and rumbled 49 yards for a score.
Franklin Regional got on the scoreboard late in the game when Zach Bewszka scored on a 10-yard run.
Penn-Trafford outgained Franklin Regional, 363-133. The Panthers turned the ball over four times.
“We fought. We have kids out, but that’s no excuse,” Getsy said. “Being able to see what we have to be was a good thing for our players. Hopefully, we can learn from this.”
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
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