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Mistakes are momentum killers

8/26/2023

In so many way Franklin's 2023 football team didn't resemble the 0-10 squad of a year ago. Sure, on the opening drive against Titusville Friday night, the Rockets methodically worked their way down the field and into the end zone.But coach Matt Turk's team did not let that bother them turning immediately around to put up a drive of their own to score.

In fact they looked as though they could move the ball with ease against the Rockets. The line was bullying the defense, pushing them backwards giving their backs plenty of room to gain positive yards.

The Knights' started at their own 29 where they began racking up first down after first down playing error-free ball.

Running backs Cole Buckley, Alex Wible, Toby Sanchez and Bryson Watson were able to get past the line of scrimmage before they were met by resistance.

Scrambles by Jason Carey were also working. The Knights found themselves on the five-yard line staring into the end zone.

Wible, a 6’1”, 250 pound fullback, then punished the two Rocket defenders who dared get in his way as he barreled into the end-zone.

The only thing that went wrong for the Knights was when Titusville's J.J. Miller got a hand on Nate Pfennigwerth's extra point attempt preventing the tie.

The Knights offense looked strong and confident. Their confidence grew even more as they stopped the Rockets on the next drive setting up a punt to started the second quarter.
They then moved the ball well again but, Titusville's defense tightened in the red-zone and was aided by an illegal formation penalty.
Franklin decided to try to take the lead with a 29-yard field goal attempt, but a high snap and a wide kick kept the score at 7-6.

Titus took over on the twenty and managed one first down before they had to put it back to Franklin.

Franklin, getting the ball with only 1:51 before half, again moved the ball.

Jason Carey scrambled for 17 and then, on the next play, dumped a pass to Sanchez as he was being sacked for another positive gain.

They made it to 36 and looked to go even further until called for an illegal man down field penalty. Then a sack had them moving in the wrong direction back at midfield.

Carey scrambled again making it to the 39 but the seconds were ticking off the clock. They spiked the ball to stop the clock with enough time for one more play.

A 36 yard pass play to Buckley was stopped at the three by Titusville's Blake Ross and Kameron Mong. The half ended 7-6.

“Hats off to Franklin, we came out of the gate super clean, we loved how we drove on that first drive, but they adjusted to what we were doing and they really slowed us down in that second quarter,” said Titusville head coach Mike Reynolds.

Franklin held Titusville to under 100 first half yards, while racking up over 150 yards.

And they're getting be ball back to start the second half.

The Knights came back on to the field with a little swagger knowing they can move the ball on the Rockets.

“This is a different football team,” Turk said as he got his head gear situated for the second half.

On the opening drive, The Rocket's defense tightened and the Knights found themselves in a fourth and one situation in their own territory.

They decided to go for it.

On the run it looked like they had enough yards to convert, but the ball was fumbled and picked up by Jaxon Covell who returned it 34 yards to score.

Titusville failed to convert on the extra point, but was now up 13-6.

Instead of getting down and letting the mistake haunt them like they have in the past, the Knight’s came right back.

Books had a nice return but was slow getting up after the run.

The Franklin trainers were suddenly busy. Due to the heat and humidity cramps were rampant. Injuries and players needing to sit out plays could've also be tough on the Knights, but they again began moving the ball.

A Carey to Buckley 16-yard pass was followed by a Watson reverse on a broken play that netted 36 yards.

A few plays later and they were on the three yard line where Sanchez punched it in.

This time Pfennigwerth’s kick was good and with 6:13 left in the third quarter it was tied at 13.

Titusville's offense finally found its mojo again in the second half. A nearly identical drive to its first drive of the game only this time instead of traversing 63 yards, it was 74 yards.

Quarterback Ian McDonald used his arm and legs to move the ball down the field and into the end zone. A blocked extra point attempt put them up 19-13.

The kickoff was brought back to the Titusville 39 giving Franklin great field position. Runs by Sanchez, Buckley and Wible got them to the 16.

With the ball on the right hash, Franklin attempted two runs to the short side of the field resulting in a third and ten situation.

A bad pitch ended up on the turf recovered by Sanchez. This set up a long 45 yard field goal attempt by Pfennigwerth.

The strong kicker sailed it a couple feet over the crossbar bringing the Knights back to within three at the start of the fourth quarter.

That’s as close as they would get.

They seemed to self destruct after that and injuries were keeping key players off the field at key times. A lost fumble and an interception ended up in either more points or minutes taken off the clock.

The game ended at 34-16

“I felt like we came out strong, they didn’t quit, they gave up that early touchdown but we went right back down the field to score. That shows you the maturity of the program," Turk said. “In the second half we just made too many darn mistakes.”

Turk said he now will turn his attention to Hickory who they host next week. They'll have their hands full. Hickory put up 38 first half points against Harbor Creek Saturday while giving up none.

“This (loss) doesn’t dictate our season, We’ll come back Monday (make) corrections,” Turk emphasized. “We were very impressed with the way we were able to run the football at will, but again a few of those mistakes - fumbling the football - a couple penalties - a couple bad mental mistakes really hurt us. We’re going to correct those and get to work on Monday.”

Please see more photos from Friday's game here https://sayerrich.zenfolio.com/p707511010

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Season kicks off with two squads hoping to turn their programs around

8/23/2023

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Titusville football will be taking on Franklin on the road in the season opener Friday.

Both Titusville head coach Mike Reynolds and Franklin head coach Matt Turk are coming off rough 2022 seasons. The Rocket’s were 3-7, though Reynolds said they should have been .500 on the season except for a couple of tough losses.

One of the Rockets' three wins came in the season opener with a 14-13 squeak-by win over Franklin. The Knights did not record a win in 2022.

Titusville, under the direction of then first-year head coach Reynolds, was outscored by their opponents 342 to 198 last season. Franklin only scored 58 points in 2022, while giving up a whopping 452. In the three years under Turk, Franklin has been outscored 1,262 to 296. Sobering numbers that Turk is remembering, but not dwelling on, as he hopes to turn around a beleaguered program that hasn't recorded a winning season since 2005.

Reynolds is also facing a program in need of a turnaround. The Rockets' last winning season was in 2016.

This first game of the season is big for both programs as they hope for a good start in a region packed with beasts like Meadville, Oil City and Sharpsville. “We have them all,” Reynolds said of the tough schedule and what he’s doing to prepare. “We gotta be ready and loaded for bear when Friday night comes.”

"We really enjoy that Franklin (vs.) Titusville rivalry. There’s a long history with those guys,” Reynolds said. “Our kids know them and they know us, so it’s a great game for both teams to play because the fans are close by and it's really an exciting way to kick the season off.”

Reynolds, who helped the team under previous Rocket coaches like John Wiley and Scott Salvo, knows the history of the schools. “We’re comfortable with their facility. Years ago it used to be a mud bath and they’d come here and it was a mud bath,” he laughed. But it’s different now. “Nobody has grass anymore.”

Turk, who has nine players who have played in his system since they were freshmen, is hoping the maturity of his team will result in more wins. “Adversity doesn’t build character, it reveals it,” he said, hoping these years of getting pummeled by older, bigger teams has built a lot of character. “We’ve been through hell together. You could tell going 0-10 bothered them, which it should. They are tired of getting muscled around.” Turk said the off-season work by his players was the best he’s seen since he started. Better conditioning means less injuries, he said.

The Knights are looking forward to facing the Rockets. “They were a really good football team last year,” Turk said. “They beat us and they are all coming back. They lost two key positions, I think, they are going to be a lot better than what people give them credit for.”

Kickoff for the season opener is 7 p.m. Friday at the Franklin High School field.

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Freshman to seniors, boys to men: Turk hopes that's the difference

8/12/2023

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A youth cheerleading camp on one end of Franklin's football field were going through some cheers last week as the Franklin Knights worked of their calisthenics drills. The higher pitched soft cheer voices in the background resonated over the artificial turf into coach Matt Turk's ears.

"That's what you guys sounded like when you were freshmen," he said. He then lowered his voice to more of a bass and added, "You're not freshmen anymore." He laughed and went over to shake one of his player's hand and explained how much they have grown over the last three seasons.

In 2020, Turk took over a program that hadn't had a winning season since 2005. He came in and had to start a number of freshmen with the program's participants way down. The Knights beat Titusville in the second game of the season after opening up to a trouncing by returning District 10 champions Oil City. The Titusville game ended up being their only win that season and they didn't win another until week five of Turk's second season. And they have not won since.

That is the motivation they bring into the 2023 campaign.

"The only positive thing about having that adversity, about getting beat as bad as we did by those much bigger teams, is they now know what it takes in the off-season and what it takes during a game," Turk said last week.

And they are bigger. Those meek voices that were coming out of 150-pound freshmen are now deep voices coming out of 200-pound seniors. They are also more motivated and eager to get started.

"They are like a dog inside a cage ready to come out. They are not beat(en) down with their tail between their legs," Turk said about what he's witnessing in practice.

Just before the second practice of the two-a-days last Wednesday, Turk was heading out of the gym while one of his players was headed across the hardwood floor. "Where you headed?" coach asked. "To get a lift in," the player responded.

"That's what I mean. I didn't ask him to do that. They are motivated and they are tired of getting beat."

Turk said he hasn't changed the system but hopes the players have bought in and grown into the system, bigger and faster, which will turn the tides of the wins and losses. He noted this was the team's best year of off-season workouts since he started coaching. "We’re excited about the opportunity our seniors have, knowing they paid their dues."

Nine of his 11 expected starters have either started or had significant playing time since they were freshmen. They lost three key players but kept a pretty sure-handed wide receiver Cole Buckley, tight end Alex Wible and speedy Toby Sanchez. Their line is bigger and stronger with Landon Perry, Darrius Graham, Gabe Wright, Kaiden Hughes, Jeremey Cunningham and big freshman Sam Wimer. At quarterback, Turk said Jason Carey, who got a start last year when Hunter Marsteller went down, is looking pretty solid but is being challenged during a strong camp by Landon Lynch.

"This is the first time since I've been here that we have three of four positions being fought for," Turk said. "We have backups fighting for positions that are giving us really good looks right now."

Turk's participation numbers have been in the low 30s but this year they are between 40-45, he said.

"They’ve bought in and we all trust each other. We’ve been through hell together and we continue to focus on what our mission is and that is to turn around this football program and have a winning season," Turk said. "Adversity doesn’t build character it reveals it. This is a new opportunity - a new year. We're undefeated right now."

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Rocket football 2023: Tradition and the adversity of playing football

8/11/2023

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The official start of the high school football season began this week with heat acclimation practices. Anyone who knows football, knows that the coaches and many of the players have been preparing for this week since they turned in their equipment after last season.

Coaches work up plays they think will work and the players work on conditioning.

All summer long the Rockets’ Football facebook page was active with posts about what kids should be working on to be prepared for the rigors of the start of the season.

“We have our "Total Team Thursday" concepts. We know there are things we need to work on. Things that (our kids) can do that don’t require athletic ability,” said Rocket head coach Mike Reynolds about what these posts were meant to accomplish. “We want to see examples of effort. It doesn’t matter if you’re the biggest guy or the smallest or anything in between. We want to highlight them to emphasize those rolls of leadership to show the community and the kids how it’s done.”

Photos of community service, older players working with little gridders and the #NextStep23 photographs and videos of workouts the kids were taking part in, learning the discipline of fitness.

They also spread the word about the needs of the team from volunteers to fundraising. This week they launched their 200 Club Raffle fundraiser. The funds help support the players, cheerleaders and their flag football program for youth. Reynolds said the $100 tickets can be bought online or in person from the Touchdown Club(the Rocket Boosters). He said people do not need to be present at the games to win. This opens up Rocket supporters from all over the world to get involved and help the brown and gold.

“Every week the Touchdown Club provides food, equipment, program needs and scholarships to over 200 student athletes in our community.” their Facebook page states.

They give away $250 every quarter of every home game and $5,000 in the final quarter of the last home game.

They will also have a table at this weekend's Oil Feast with basket raffles and other items to give the thousands of people who attend a chance to help.

All of this, like the practices they are currently involved in, helps the Rockets get prepared for their season.
This is the second year for Reynolds and his staff. The Rocket’s haven’t had a winning record since 2016. They were 3-7 last year under then first-year head coach Reynolds.

He sees opportunities to improve from the tough season.

“We hope to do better than last year’s 3-7. We really should’ve been at least 5-5,” Reynolds said zeroing in on a specific game especially.

“We scored 35 in one game and were up 35-20 at the half. We ended up losing.” The Rockets gave up over 40 points in the game and failed to score in the second half. “It was a learning experience about how to deal with a game after halftime. We’ve seen how (our players) respond and how they play and we know the things to watch for in them.”

They will be playing a scrimmage at Saegertown next week and then they open the season with two road games against Franklin on August 25 and Sharpesville the following week.

“We’ve got real good numbers, we’re feeling positive about the things the kids are doing, we have real great buy-in, and this is a hard working crew,” Reynolds said. “Kids are willing to work hard both in the classroom and on the field so we’re looking for good things this year.”

Coach brought up the classroom a few times during practice this week.

“We’re really proud of what they did last year, we had a 96% eligibility rate on the season,” he said, emphasizing his players seldom had to miss a game, or practice due to bad grades. They do have tutors to help them if needed. “We emphasize to them that they are students first. So helping these kids in the classroom as well as on the field is a big deal for us.”

They have a strong group of juniors coming back with good playing experience and a lot of good athletes. “Our team has a large population of multi-sport athletes. These guys work hard balancing workloads, academics and the demands of sports.”

Reynolds said they are working through key positions with Ian MacDonald and a couple others doing really good work at QB.

“We have a good group of lineman, they’re a nice size group of guys, we have all shapes and sizes , we have real big guys and guys that can run fast and everything in between,” he said. He pointed to one student that wasn’t dressed for practice and said he was new. “He’s 310 pounds and we’re trying to find a helmet that will fit him,” he said.

Titusville is in a very tough region with perennial powerhouses Oil City and Meadville. Last year they beat Franklin, Conneaut and Maplewood only, so they are looking to improve on that.

“The biggest thing we’re talking about this year is just dealing with the adversity of playing football. Facing the challenges you face on Friday night and being able to come together as a team and deal with those things,” he said.

“We have some pretty phenomenal athletes. Coming together as eleven guys on the field playing as one, that’s going to be key for dealing with those opponents.”

Coach knows the community is there to support the team and they want them to succeed and bring a winning tradition back to Carter Field..

“There are people who come to the games who don’t even have kids here anymore. We do get a lot of support from the local community and the local (civic) clubs. The kids do a lot of community service too, so it makes it kind of special here on Friday nights. This is one of the best facilities in all of District 10. The kids know when they step out on the field on Friday night it is a whole community involvement. It’s really special.

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Mistakes are momentum killers

Season kicks off with two squads hoping to turn their programs around

Freshman to seniors, boys to men: Turk hopes that's the difference

Rocket football 2023: Tradition and the adversity of playing football

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