“We’ve put in too much time together to get flustered and let it all go to waste,” said Franklin's Damon Curry after he and his teammates eliminated Chestnut Ridge from the Class AAA State championships Wednesday night to advance to the state quarterfinals. The 64-57 win was hard fought, keep your head in the game testament to how this team, with eight seniors has worked towards one goal - to win a state championship. "Trust your training," was Franklin coach Jason Fulmer's major advice as his team entered the final quarter with a one-point lead over the Lions. That's what they did for final eight minutes as the Lions employed a full court press, and even though the 3s weren't falling for the Knights, they kept their cool. "We couldn't throw it in the ocean," Fulmer said about the team's long ball attempts. What they could do was stay tough on defense and rely on their training to push back against the pressure from the Lions. "It's a hell of an accomplishment," Fulmer said after the game, complimenting the seniors for making it this far three out of the last four years. Getting there wasn't easy. The day seemed to be conspiring against them. Fulmer said they expected to get to the school around 4:30 for the 6 p.m. start, but the team, and many of the fans, found themselves hung up on the turnpike due to a crash. This gave them 30 fewer minutes to prep for the game once they arrived at 5:15 p.m. Fulmer said the players were out of sync a bit as the game started. "It was a little bit ugly, a lot of distractions, a lot of interruptions.," he said. This led to some walking calls, bad passes and even players bumping into each other. Curry's hot hand early and he and Jalen Wood combined for 17 of the Knight's first quarter points. Despite the struggles, their training pulled them through the tight contest that had the teams consistently only a bucket or two away from each other. Franklin led 21-18 after one and the teams played even in the second to go into the half 36-33. In the third, Chestnut Ridge showed how they earned their spot in the top 16 across the state. Carried predominantly by senior Nate Whysong and his game-high 31 points, the Lions closed the gap to one point by the end three at 46-45. Chase Whysong hit for two to open the fourth and Franklin was trailing for the first time. Damon Curry and Jalen Wood answered with a basket each and everyone was in full fight mode to win the game. Franklin attempted to control the game with 3s but un like the first half, they couldn't get them to fall. Franklin broke a 52-all tie with the shot by Damarco Payne with slightly more than 3 minutes to go. From there, the margin grew a little at a time as Chestnut Ridge had to foul to save time on the clock. Fulmer knows his team's fundamentals and foul shooting is strong.Near the two-minute mark, Cole Buckley hit a jumper and added a plus one. The remainder of Franklin's points came from the free-throw line. Curry, who was at the line twice in the last 30 seconds, reiterated what Fulmer talked about with training. “It’s just routine, nobody’s guarding you. You just want to knock ‘em down,” he said about being at the line in pressure situations. Curry led the Knight's offense with 25 points, including 11 in the opening stanza. Also contributing on offense was Demarco Payne with 13, Wood with 11, Cole Buckley with 10, Gavin Eakin with three, and Dreyden Payne with two. “We had an opportunity to control the game late,” Fulmer said of his players going eight for 11 at the line down the stretch. “We had guys hit foul shots- that’s big.” Fulmer reiterated getting to the Elite 8 in three out of four years of this group of seniors is a major accomplishment, but is fully aware that they haven't gone further. "We'd love to get over the hump and that's the mission. |
Now they set their sights on Deer Lakes, who defeated Forest Hills 67-51. The two will meet on Saturday at a time and place to be determined.
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"Right from our first possession we pounded it right in to (Curry). We were like, hey this is what we are going to do. We aren't going to sit around the arch all night," Fulmer said. "We are going to get to the rim." By the end of the first, Franklin had a 18-8 lead and the Lancers would never get closer The second was Buckley's time to shine as he drained 12 points in the quarter, including 8 in row for the Knights' offense. On the defense side, they held Neshannock to single digits once again. "We set the tone - 17 points in the first half, pretty defensive. We were intense," Fulmer recalled on his team's first half efforts. The Knights went into the locker room with a 36-17 lead. After an extended halftime due to a medical emergency in the stands, the Knights came back out ready to seal the deal. With 2:20 left in the quarter, Franklin had extended their lead to 21 points and Neshannock started seeing the game slip away. They responded by trying to turn the pressure on Franklin with a half court press. "We handled it much better," Fulmer said of his team's effort Saturday verus the District 10 game. "We started out a little rusty ... after that settled in, we were OK. We got the conversation, which we have been struggling with." Jalen Wood hit a three off a pass from Buckley to in the final seconds of the quarter and Franklin was now up 57-31. Neshannock continued to apply the pressure and force Franklin to fully play out the final stanza. With brothers Damarco and Dreyden Payne both in foul trouble early on, Buckley and Wood remained on the floor without breaks, Wood staying until the end buzzer sounded. Finlan also logged several minutes of playing time. "Credit to Will Finlan. I'm hard on him," Fulmer said stating the underclassman's role in the future of the program as well as his role here and now. "Ultimately he has to get where we need him to be this year... He did a hell of a job tonight," Fulmer said. Despite a fourth quarter slowdown by Franklin, the Knights earned the 69-55 win. Buckley led the offensive attack against Neshannock with 18 points. Other Knights with double digits were Curry with 14, Wood with 13 and Damarco Payne with 10. Finlan had six, Dreyden Payne had five, and Gavin Eakin had three. The win was a good bounce back after losing a disappointing district final last week to Girard. "Girard punched us in the face. They got up after us. They challenged us. We didn't respond to it ... well. We got turned up a little bit," Fulmer said. "It was the perfect storm," Fulmer and his coaching staff turned it into a learning experience to prepare for the difficult games ahead. It will continue with District 5 champs Chestnut Ridge High School (23-4) of Bedford County Wednesday at a time and location to be determined. Last Shot: And for this week's Jason Fulmer impersonation contest winner.... Jalen Wood.
The Franklin Flyers recently took third place at the Northwest Pennsylvania League Championships recently and this week are competing in the Western Districts at the SPIRE in Geneva Ohio.
They once again had stellar performances breaking records. Meet Records Danielle Erdley 1000 Free 11:35.04 Jordan Stumpf 1000 Free 10:57.05 Parker Smith 500 Free 5:41.01 Parker Smith 100 IM 1:04.67 Barrett Smith 200 Free 2:15.75 Barrett Smith 100 fly 1:13.13 League Records Jocelyn Jordan 500 Free 5:57.44 Danielle Erdley 1000 Free 11:35.04 Danielle Erdley 1650 Free 20:07.56 Barrett Smith 200 Free 2:15.75 Barrett Smith 100 fly 1:13.13 Barret Smith 100 back 1:13.40 Parker Smith 500 Free 5:41.01 Parker Smith 100 IM 1:04.67 Jordan Stumpf 1000 Free 10:57.05 "I(I want to) wish all swimmers the best of luck in their progression towards making states and nationals," Brian Smith, a proud parent said. Both Saegertown's Carter Beck and Cranberry's Dalton Wenner Pictured above in last weekend's regional finals) are still alive in the PIAA Class AA State Championships in Hershey.
Cranberry's 114-pounder Dalton Wenner won a grueling 1-0 decision over Conwell-Egan's Kevin Bagnell. It was a good win for the sophomore. Bagnell is a senior with 104 career wins and 33-9 record. He advances to the quarterfinals to face Chase Homan of Hamburg Friday morning bright and early. Homan, also a sophomore had a 38-3 record this year. They both have similar career stats with over 70 wins each. Saegertown's Beck dropped his first match, but stayed alive in the conci's still hoping to medal. Dalton's older brother Dane also earned his way into quarters with a 5-1 decision over Mid Valley's Sophomore Matthew Almedina at 139.Almedina had 33 wins on the season going into the match. Dane will have his work cut out for him facing Cameron Mingee of Littlestown. Mingee has 129 carrier victories an only lost twice this season. Despite his terrific record, the state tournament has not been his friend a the senior has yet to place on the big stage, Dane with 104 career wins of his own. A win for either of them puts them in the medal rounds Elijah Brosius and Aiden Thompson lost their opening two matches Friday.
With 1:45 seconds on the clock, Franklin is down five, Damon Curry sent up a three. The ball rattled with half of the ball in the cylinder before it popped back out. That was Franklin's night. The Girard Yellow Jackets came to play. Their in your face defense and super fast hands stymied the Knights, especially at the end of the second quarter, when the Yellow Jackets went on a 17-point unanswered run into the second half. The Knights never saw the lead again they fell 60-50 in the District 10 for the first time in four years. The loss may have stung, but Franklin at 20-5 on the season is still a very good team and previous losses are meaningless now as they begin their run toward's Hershey beginning with a home game at 1 p.m. this Saturday against the 20-5 Neshannock Lancers. Girard is a top tier team with very tough defense in a game the officials decided to let the teams play. The Knights managed to battle out to a nine point lead early in the second quarter. But with just under four minutes in the half the rug was pulled out from under them and they didn't score again until a minute had passed in the third quarter after finding themselves 10 points down. They clawed back to within one, but a three-pointer by Zach Kelley put an end to that the comeback. The Yellowjackets kept the Knights at arms distance building back up the lead after Curry's in and out miss. The Knights may not have accomplished their goal of a four-peat District 10 championship, but their quest for state gold is within their sights. A little twist of fate last week, one aggressive play called a foul, Curry baskets going all the way in or any numnber of the little things that made this nigh Girard's and not Franklin's and it could've been different. Both teams deserve to win and who knows, they could meet again in the state semis if they both have good runs Support the Barrow-Civic Theatre this month.
Below are photos from this season swim meets in Franklin, Titusville and Oil City Swimmers from the three schools are headed to The Spire in Ohio to compete in the District 10 Cham[ionships this weekend. Good luck. Several are looking to have quality swims to make it to the state tournament next week.
Special thank you to Copley Notary for their support of Eight & 322 and Rocky Grove girls basketball this year. great things are happening in the future of Oriole athletics..
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For a very comprehensive look ate Venango Sports visit our friend's website yardsandpoints.com is a website dedicated the long history of the Oil City and Franklin football rivalry by former sports editor Penny Weichel. It is an amazing labor of love and valuable resource for history. It is our go-to here at 8and322.com.
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