Franklin Regional surges past Hempfield for 4th straight victory

By: Bill Beckner Jr.
Friday, October 13, 2023 | 11:08 PM

Purchase Photo Options

The more progressions he goes through and the more repetitions he gets, the more Chase Lemke looks the part of Franklin Regional’s starting quarterback.

“I am getting a lot more comfortable in the pocket,” Lemke said Friday night after he led the Panthers to their fourth straight win, 38-15 over Hempfield in a Class 5A Big East Game on homecoming at Spartan Stadium. “At first, we were a more run-heavy team. But we’re getting more balanced.”

Lemke completed 10 of 14 passes for 219 yards and three touchdowns — two to his big-play target, Ayden Hudock — as the Panthers (6-2, 3-1) improved their WPIAL playoff chances with one conference game left against Penn-Trafford (4-4, 3-1) on Oct. 27.

“Chase did a great job with his reads tonight,” Franklin Regional coach Lance Getsy said. “(Hempfield) had everyone up in the box, so we adjusted to that. Chase was very good in the first half.”

Hudock grabbed six receptions for 110 yards and two touchdowns. Last week, he and Lemke hooked up for three scores in a 37-29 win over Norwin.

“If ‘H’ is 1-on-1, I know I can hit him deep,” Lemke said. “I know if I throw it up, he’s going to make a play.”

Hempfield (1-7, 0-3) dropped its seventh straight. Quarterback Dom Detruf was 8 of 20 for 200 yards and two touchdowns, while the running game was nonexistent against the Panthers’ pressure.

“I know we’re eight games into it, but we’re still making the same mistakes,” Hempfield coach Nick Keefer said. “We have to keep working and keep putting ourselves in a position to be successful.”

As for the balance Lemke spoke of, the Panthers also had a 100-yard rusher in Kyle Dupill, who ran for 108 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries.

“I thought we did a lot of good things in the first half,” Getsy said. “We had a lot pf penalties (in the second half), which wasn’t good. But I thought our defense played well except for two plays.”

After a slow start, the Panthers eventually found their rhythm.

Hempfield recovered an onside kick on the opening kickoff but was forced to punt after a bad snap went awry.

Franklin Regional drove to the Spartans’ 1, but three consecutive negative plays pushed the Panthers back to the 8.

Joey Bayne made a 24-yard field goal for a 3-0 edge.

After a sack by Austin Kerns flushed a Spartans drive, the Panthers didn’t stall in the red zone again.

Dupill scored on a short run before Lemke found Hudock for a 29-yard score and a 17-0 lead.

Detruf eluded pressure to deliver a 62-yard strike to Brayden Genst before he hit an unguarded Keiran Lippman for a 15-yard touchdown to make it 17-7.

The momentum was fleeting, though, as the Panthers rolled up touchdowns on their next two drives to gain separation.

Lemke found Macallister Bresnahan for a 43-yard score, then Hudock for a 25-yarder and a 31-7 halftime lead.

“You try to simulate (Hudock) in practice, but it’s difficult,” Keefer said. “He’s their guy, their dude, whatever you want to call him. He’s as advertised.”

A penalty-ravaged third quarter gave way to one more Panthers’ score in the fourth.

Brent Hickey ran in from the 1 to make to 38-7.

Franklin Regional outrushed the Spartans, 213 to minus-30.

Hempfield also added a late score when Detruf found Reddik Katchur for a 75-yard score. Like Lippman earlier, Katchur was wide open.

“There was some miscommunication there,” Getsy said. It’s better to learn from mistakes after a win than after a loss.”

Detruf’s two-point toss to Lippman cut it to 38-15.

Brennan Knight, who moved from guard to tackle on offense, and linebacker to defensive tackle on defense, had a fumble recovery for Hempfield.

Heath Silva had a fourth-quarter interception for the Panthers.

Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.

Tags: Franklin Regional, Hempfield