Franklin Regional hopes avoiding injuries provides path to postseason

By: Josh Rizzo
Wednesday, November 15, 2023 | 11:01 AM

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Cam Rowell was worried he didn’t quite have the spring in his step anymore. The 6-foot-4 Franklin Regional senior forward suffered a hip flexor injury that kept him out for most of last season.

After four months off, Rowell said it took about a month of playing in games before he felt comfortable again during the offseason. After a season when the Panthers missed the WPIAL Class 5A playoffs because of losing a tiebreaker, Rowell is ready to bring the energy when Franklin Regional opens this season Dec. 1 against Connellsville at the Hempfield Tip-Off Tournament.

“My bounce went away for a while,” Rowell said. “I would say I’m looking forward to getting down some dunks. When I dunk one and the crowd goes crazy, it’s exciting.”

Getting Rowell back to full strength will be important for Franklin Regional to compete in Section 3-5A. The Panthers seemed to constantly be on the mend last season. Senior guard Cooper Rankin was forced to sit out three games because of a sprained ankle and a pulled tendon.

Rankin was the Panthers’ leading scorer with nearly 17 points per game. Rowell was also around the same scoring average when he went out injured.

“It was hard to overcome that,” coach Jesse Reed said. “We have a lot of guys returning with experience. We’re hoping to build on that and string together wins. We don’t want to rely on tiebreakers.”

Franklin Regional will be in a section with Gateway, Kiski, Latrobe, McKeesport and Penn-Trafford. The Panthers have plenty of players eager to get back to playing.

Rankin said sitting out for a few games wasn’t easy. But Rankin said being forced to be on the sideline for a few games helped with his perspective on the game.

“It was tough,” he said. “I had to work to be healthy and be the best I could be without being fully healthy to finish the season off. Sitting on the sidelines and watching my teammates and acting like another coach to my teammates helped me look at a different perspective of the court.”

Finian Hutchison is Franklin Regional’s other returning starter. Connor Crossey and Colin Masten also will serve in important roles for the Panthers.

Reed said Franklin Regional doesn’t have a lot of size on the roster but will be able to push the tempo.

“I think transition is something we can thrive in,” Reed said. “We have a lot of guards who are capable of pushing the ball up the floor. Our goal is to push the tempo with the personnel we have. Basically, anyone who gets rebounds can push in transition to get us down the floor.”

Rowell is excited to be back on the floor. He estimated between junior varsity and varsity games, he has about 10 dunks in high school.

Rowell is grateful to be back after an injury plagued season. He hopes Franklin Regional can compete to get back into the postseason.

“We’re excited, and we’re ready,” Rowell said.

Franklin Regional boys at a glance

Coach: Jesse Reed

Last year’s record: 7-14 (5-7 Section 3-5A)

Returning starters: Cam Rowell (Sr., G), Cooper Rankin (Sr., G), Finian Hutchison (Sr., G)

Tags: Franklin Regional