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Shaler wins double-ot thriller over Franklin Regional

Tagged under: District 7, Gameday Hub, News

| September 24, 2022

Glenshaw: Shaler pulls out thrilling double overtime win against Franklin Regional for homecoming Saturday afternoon.

Brandon London’s two-point conversion reception from Keegan Smetanka in double overtime gave Shaler a heart-stopping 42-41 victory over the Panthers. 

 

“It’s a classic Shaler homecoming, and it’s one of many one-point victories we’ve had over the years,” said Shaler head coach Jimmy Ryan. “With the environment, it’s an emotional roller coaster already that builds up to the game itself.”

To begin the second overtime frame, Franklin Regional took the lead for the first since they led 20-7 in the second quarter when quarterback Roman Sarnic scored his fourth rushing touchdown from ten yards out.

Shaler then got the football down 41-34. 

On third-and-goal from the 3-yard line, Smetanka threw his fifth touchdown pass of the afternoon to Joey DeSabato to pull the Titans to within a point. 

Shaler lined in the shotgun with Smetanka rolling out to the far side when he found a wide-open Brandon London for the game-winning conversion. 

“We always have things up our sleeve that we work on all summer,” Ryan said. “That is one of the two-point plays we know, and we know it’s there waiting for us to use. Fortunately, that was the time and situation, and I had all the confidence that we could pull it off.” 

Both teams scored on their opening possessions of overtime as Kaden Orga caught a 15-yard touchdown from Smetanka and Sarnic scored on a 1-yard sneak on fourth down.  

Over time looked as though it may not have been needed at all.

Shaler lined up to punt with under two minutes to play from their 42-yard line holding a 27-20 lead. 

However, a bad snap resulted in a negative 32-yard punt that put the Panthers at the 10-yard line with 1:33 to play.

Roman Sarnic then scored his second touchdown from six yards out with 35 seconds to play to draw even.

“Our attitude going into overtime was that the game was not over, and let’s finish,” said Ryan. “Why stop now? The momentum we built in the second half was there. I told the kids, let’s take it.” 

Twice the Titans had bad punt snaps. The first resulted in a 20-yard loss and led to Ayden Hudock’s 4-yard run, giving Franklin Regional a 13-0 lead with 4:35 to play in the first quarter.

Ayden Hudock opened the scoring on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Sarnia.

 

“I thought we started well moving the ball, but we took too many penalties to be able to overcome today,” said Franklin Regional head coach Lance Getsy. “Shaler is physical, and they played well. We didn’t tackle well or execute in the second half.”

Shaler got the board when Joey DeSabato caught a short pass and made nice moves to a 69-yard touchdown reception. 

DeSabato led all receivers with a game-high eight receptions for 192 yards and two touchdowns, including five for 109 in the second half and overtime. 

Franklin Regional extended their lead to 20-7 with 6:26 to play in the first half when Sarnic scored from ten yards.

“When we fumbled the ball back to them after driving following a fourth down stop, that hurt us because we had all the momentum,” said Getsy. “That was another mistake that you can’t afford to make.” 

Roman Sarnic led the Panthers with 123 yards rushing while going 6-for-9 passing for 98 yards with five total touchdowns.

Arguably, the game’s biggest play occurred when Shaler was stopped at their 28-yard line on fourth down.

The Titans then forced and recovered a Zach Bewszka fumble at the 11-yard line and returned it to the 25.

Three plays later, Smetanka connected with London for a 78-yard touchdown pass that pulled Shaler to within 20-14 at halftime. 

“I told the kids that you must let your guard down, play, and be athletes,” said Ryan. “I took a chance. After things didn’t work out, I was confident that we could make a play, and that’s what we did coming up with that fumble. Sometimes you have to believe your kids can get it done.” 

Keegan Smetanka had a massive game for Shaler, completing 16-of-21 passes for 348 yards and five touchdowns. 

Brandon London caught four passes for 95 yards and two touchdowns, while Kaden Orga had four receptions for 61 yards. 

“We have a group of kids at the skill positions that have been playing together since elementary school,” Ryan said. “They have chemistry, play well together and love to compete and win.”

Shaler took the second-half lead when London made a terrific one-handed catch for a 3-yard touchdown late in the third quarter.

 

Luke Cignetti gave the Titans their first lead when he scored from four yards out with 8:42 to play.

The drive’s big play was a 53-yard reception from Smetanka to DeSabato.

Cignetti chipped in 127 yards rushing on 25 carries. 

Share improves to 3-2 on the season and travels to Woodland Hills next Friday night.

“This is a great slingshot into our section,” Ryan concluded. “I always look at homecoming as the being of our section. Now we need to continue to get better.” 

Franklin Regional will look to bounce back when they visit Plum next Friday night. 

“We’re going to go back to basics and keep working hard,” Getsy concluded. “Hopefully, this is a wake-up call because I did not like our body language today. We need to be better than this.” 

Game Highlights:

 

Shaler 42 Franklin Regional 41

Score by Quarters 

Franklin Regional – 13 7 0 7 – 7 7 – 41

Shaler – 0 14 6 7 -7 8 – 42

Scoring Summary 

First Quarter 

FR – Ayden Hudock 22 yd pass from Roman Sarnia, (kick failed, 6:24

FR – Hudock 4 yd run, (Joey Bayne pat), 4:35

Second Quarter 

S – Joey DeSabato 69 yd pass from Keegan Smetanka, (Riley Douglas pat), 9:34

FR – Sarnic 10 yd run, (Bayne pat), 6:26

S – Brandon London 78 yd pass from Smetanka, (Douglas pat), 1:59

Third Quarter 

S – London 3 yd pass from Smetanka, (kick failed), 0:10

Fourth Quarter 

S – Luke Cignetti 4 yd run, (Douglas pat), 8:42

FR – Sarnic 6 yd run, (Bayne pat), 0:35

First Overtime

S – Kaden Orga 15 yd pass from Smetanka, (Douglas pat), 

FR – Sarnic 1 yd run, (Bayne pat)

Second Overtime

FR – Sarnic 10 yd run, (Bayne pat)

S – DeSabato 3 yd pass from Smetanka, (London pass from Smetanka)

Individual Stats

Rushing: FR – Zach Bewszka 18-82, Sarnia 20-123, Hudock 1-4, Gunner Perez 1-(-5), Kyle Dupill 1-(-1). Totals: 41-203. Shaler – Luke Cignetti 25-127, Augie Tortorea 2-3, Smetanka 6-(-11). Totals: 33-119. 

Receiving: FR – Perez 2-25, Hudock 2-53, Nate Chiarizio 1-13, Chase Lemke 1-7. Shaler – London 4-95, DeSabato 8-192, Kaden Orga 4-61. 

Passing: FR – Sarnic 6-for-9, 98 yards, 1 TD. Shaler – Smetanka 16-for-21, 348 yards, 5 TD. 

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