Penn-Trafford defeats Franklin Regional 26-10

Tagged under: District 7, Gameday Hub, News

Annabelle Aquino | October 12, 2024

The Penn-Trafford Warriors exceeded their senior night expectations this Friday at Warrior Stadium to win 26-10 against Franklin Regional. Tasso Whipple gained his 3,000th career rushing yard and is now ranked No. 5 on the all-time rushing leaderboard for P-T.

While the Panther’s game focused on handing off and rushing by Kyle Dupill, the Warriors dominated with their special teams and Whipple’s rushing on offense.

Penn-Trafford’s Tasso Whipple leaps through the banner.

“Special teams won this game tonight,” said John Ruane, P-T’s head coach.

The game began with P-T’s freshman Jack Miller kicking off to the Panthers. Sebastian Ponko, Dupill, and Jaymeir Austin carried Franklin’s ball down to the 13-yard line where Joey Bayne kicked a field goal to secure Franklin’s first points of the night. The Panthers led 3-0 over P-T with 8:09 left in the first. 

The Warriors responded soon after with a big carry from senior Michael Cheplick off the kickoff to bring the Warriors around the 50-yard line. P-T pushed the ball down the field to the 15-yard line, where Whipple rushed for his first touchdown of the night. After Logan Hunter’s successful extra point, the Warriors led 7-3 with 6:26 left in the first. 

Dupill took over the next possession, taking snaps and rushing for yardage. Panther’s QB Chase Lemke added on a few extra runs to extend their time, but after an incomplete pass with 1:36 left in the first, the Panthers decided to go for another field goal on fourth down.

The Warriors’ special teams began to show their potential in the next play, blocking the field goal attempt and catching the loose ball. Brady Newell caught the ball mid-air and ran it down to the 46-yard line to start P-T’s next drive.

The Warriors’ offense couldn’t convert the momentum to any gain of yards; after a series of incomplete passes, Jonny Lovre, starting QB for the Warriors, was forced to punt down to Franklin’s 22-yard line with 0:29 left in the half.

Warrior QB Jonny Lovre listens for play instructions.

A holding call stopped the Panthers from continuing their progress, and they were 1st and 20 going into the second quarter.

Franklin Regional came into the next quarter with a sense of urgency. The Panthers started with a successful pass from Lemke to Austin Kerns. Elijah Bennett then caught the ball and took it from the Panther’s own 36 to the Warriors’ 27-yard line with 10:34 left in the 2nd. 

P-T’s defense finally stepped in, holding the Panthers until 4th and 7, where Whipple denied Franklin from catching a possible first-down pass. P-T started with the ball at the 24, but could only push up to the 28-yard line before Lovre had to punt again.

The Panthers dropped the punt, enabling the Warriors’ special teams to once again put P-T back in possession. After a scramble for the loose ball, Cheplick landed on it on the 3-yard line. Lovre had no problem rushing in for a touchdown with 6:15 left in the half, and another successful extra point by Hunter extended the Warriors’ lead to 14-3.

Franklin caught the next punt and started on their 34-yard line following a holding penalty. Lemke and Dupill tried to push the Panthers down the field, and a rush by Lemke on 4th and 1 gave them a first and 10 reset. P-T’s Jessie Lisbon denied the Panther’s last-second long pass attempts, turning the ball over to the Warriors to end the half.

Franklin Regional’s Jake Weir picked off a pass from Lovre starting out the second half, and brought the ball down to the 13-yard line. Dupill finished off the job, scoring a touchdown with 10:58 left in the 3rd. The extra point by Bayne put the Panthers only four points away from the Warriors (14-10). 

Penn-Trafford and Franklin Regional line up on opposite sides of the ball.

The Panthers’ momentum continued to grow as P-T could not gain yards and was forced to punt on 4th and 11. Dupill inserted himself into the Panther’s next drive, acting as QB with a pass to Logan Mocharko, and ran the ball for consecutive first downs to the 39-yard line. The Panthers were stalled for a few plays, until on 3rd and 9, Lemke missed the snap, picked it up, but could not throw it for more than 6 yards.

Franklin punted off to the Warriors, who trekked down the field with first-down rushes from Whipple. P-T ended the 3rd with the ball on the 14-yard line.

In the fourth quarter, the Warriors took control of the game and also stopped Dupill from making any progress for the Panther’s offense. 

Miller kicked a field goal with 11:15 left in the fourth, which increased the Warriors’ lead to 17-10. Miller kicked off to Franklin, who was tackled on the 10-yard line by Cheplick. P-T’s defense locked down on the Panthers, leading to fourth and 7. 

Bayne tried to punt off, but after dropping the snap, he recovered and kicked again. Warrior’s Landyn Stikkel blocked the attempt, rebounding the ball into the endzone where Franklin’s Jack Silvis picked it up. After taking a few steps, P-T’s Jamison Yurt tackled him in the endzone, a safety for the Warriors. With just under 10 minutes left in the game, P-T was up 19-10 over Franklin. 

Because of the success of the special teams, the Warriors now held the momentum. On their next drive, Whipple rushed for his 3,000th career rushing yard. Whipple then dodged past the Panthers to score his second touchdown of the night with 6:20 left in the game. Miller kicked the extra point and P-T led 26-10.

Panther QB Chase Lemke prepares to throw the ball.

Franklin struggled their next drive, not making much progress down the field and throwing an interception to P-T’s Tyler Boss with 4:25 left. P-T could not convert the interception to more yards, and a holding penalty pushed them back to 4th and 18, where Lovre punted down to the Panthers.

The next drive, Franklin Regional went for long Hail Mary passes, which resulted in fourth down, then an interception by Derek Carr to win the game.

Penn-Trafford increases their overall record to 6-2 (3-1) and will play away at Armstrong next Friday. Franklin Regional now has the same record: 6-2 (4-1) and will play home against Gateway next Friday.

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