This site is about the sports doings of the high schools in Venango County, Pa. Contact: pennyweichel@gmail.com
FRANKLIN
Caden Mincer (19) and the knights put voo-doo on season-long seven-game losing streak
Freshman Korbyn Sires makes catch in a crowd...
Mincer scores three TDs, Doty throws for three as Knights outlast Union City,
39-33, for first win under coach Austin Ion
The Knights battled Union City from behind for much of the game, then managed to go up by two scores with 4:31 to play, but the pesky Bears were still making them feel uncomfortable until the bitter end.
They hung on for a 39-33 decision -- their first victory of the season in eight tries. Union City, a 1A school -- or maybe 2A, whatever, smaller than Franklin -- fell to 0-8 in what was the first meeting between the two schools since 1926.
The Knights scored in a variety of ways. Harrison Doty threw three TD passes, two to freshman Korbyn Sires covering 9 and 71 yards, and the other to Jacob Fleming for 40.
Doty completed 17 of 32 passes for 295 yards.
Caden Mincer scored three TDs on runs of 2 and 63 yards and a 45-yard fumble return on a backwards pass. It came after a three-yard TFL by Mincer. The fumble return and Fleming's XP extended a Franklin lead to 39-25 with 4:31 to play.
But the Knights weren't home yet.
The Bears were within 39-33 after a 63-yard untouched quarterback keeper, and then they tried an onside kick. Franklin recovered and ran six plays when Mincer fumbled with 1:27 to play, but the Bears went nowhere, a fourth down pass falling incomplete.
Sires finished with five catches for 125 yards. Damian Cassano also had five receptions, his going for 80.
Mincer ran for 104 yards on 22 carries that left him 431 yards behind Ian Quarles for the school career rushing record. Franklin has two games left, the first this Friday with General McLane.
KNIGHT LIFE: Mincer now has 27 career TDs, which put him in a three-way tie for fourth with Butch Conrad and Quarles on the FHS all-time list...
Luke Marstelller scored a first-half touchdown for Franklin on a one-yard run. His 78 tackles lead the team...The victory was the first for first-year coach Austin Ion...
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...and he's gone...(Christy Fackler photos,
more on Facebook)
PINK??? OH, DEAL WITH IT
And you might find it interesting to know that in the early 20th century men thought nothing about wearing pink -- aka light red. I know this from doing research for this site many moons ago. And, besides, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month (Think Pink.)
Caden Mincer has rushed for 2,658 yards for Franklin through the Union City game. With two games left, it doesn't look like he's going to break Ian Quarles' school career rushing record, which is 3,089 yards, but he'll end up No. 2 on the all-time list...
Numbers from 2023-25 are from News-Herald accounts of games. Numbers this season are from what coaches share on MaxPreps; they didn't post prior to this year.
OIL CITY
Carter Thompson: Career high but unofficial 192 yards rushing. (File photo by Kelly Malek)
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Oilers overcome early bout of fumble-itis
to defeat Zillman-less Harbor Creek, 21-7
The Oilers didn’t have to face Gavin Zillman Friday night, but they did have to confront a battle with rainy night fumbles –three of them in the second quarter alone. But overcome them they did and came away with a 21-7 homecoming victory over Harbor Creek.
Zillman, in case you don’t know, is District 10’s second-leading rusher, averaging over 190 yards per game. He sat out the second half of last week’s game against Meadville, and could only be seen on crutches on the sideline Friday.
Obviously, the Oilers didn’t miss Zillman, and probably could’ve/would’ve/should’ve done better without the fumbles. But the running of Carter Thompson (unofficial 192 yards on 35 carries) and timely passing of Bryce Marchinke (143 more yards, two touchdowns) were enough to take care of the Huskies, the former second-place team in Region 5.
Thompson scored the Oilers’ first touchdown on an 11-yard run on their opening possession and then kicked the first of three extra points. A 40-yard pass to Logan Heath came one play before the TD. Heath also caught a 10-yard pass to keep this early threat alive.
The barrage of fumbles would follow. The Huskies didn’t do a great job of taking advantage of them, except for the first one on the first play of the second quarter when Gavin Galbreath’s 23-yard return tied the score.
But other than that, zilch.
The score remained tied until Marchinke found Thompson for a 33-yard screen for a TD with 50 seconds left until halftime. This came after Heath planted a 42-yard punt on the 6 that eventually led to the scoring pass to Thompson.
The Oilers got some breathing room when Marchinke and Blake Stevens hooked up for a 53-yard score with 6:46 left in the game.
Heath caught five passes, most of which went for short yardage, but otherwise made some big plays that set the Oilers up for big things – which didn’t happen. He ran the ball once for 14 yards, but that abbreviated march was cut short by one of the fumbles. He also returned a punt 30 yards to the Harbor Creek 45, but that drive stalled on downs on the 27.
What's more, Heath unloaded a 65-yard punt to the 4 early in the second half. It is believed to be the longest in program history, breaking the previous record of 62 yards shared by Josh Cherish against Erie Central in 2004 and Ralph "Gunner" Gates against Farrell in 1942.
However, Harbor Creek hardly threatened and wound up with 97 yards total offense, (68 rushing).
The victory evened the injury-riddled Oilers’ record at 4-4. (They started a freshman at guard, but Clark Findlay was back, playing mostly defense.) They’re idle this week, and their next scheduled game is with Karns City at home on Oct. 30. Then come the playoffs.
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OIL GUSHERS: While the Oilers turned the ball over four times (INT), Harbor Creek lost two fumbles. Carter Bialo had one of the recoveries...
AROUND REGION 5
Region 5 standings
Friday's Games
Karns City 31, Butler 22
Cathedral Prep 45, Warren 7
General McLane 34, Meadville 6
Grove City 41, Slippery Rock 0
Mercyhurst 61, Iroquois 6
Corry 42, Seneca 7
Sharon 48, Ft. LeBoeuf 14
Girard 28, Titusville 14
DuBois 38, Baldwin 6
Punxsy 32, Central Clarion 28
Hickory 81, Conneaut 7
Farrell 19, Greenville 10
Mercyhurst 61, Iroquois 6
LEGENDS
THE WINS JUST KEEP ON COMING AT KIRTLAND
Oil City native Tiger LaVerde's teams at Kirtland, O., just keeping rolling along -- even though he lost his quarterback due to injury for the third straight year.
Yes, the Hornets lost a game this season, but they are 6-1 and on a collision course with another playoff berth, it would seem.
LaVerde's coaching career began in 2001 with a three-year stint at Franklin before he moved on to Kirtland.
He is 280-31 overall and 260-21 at Kirtland. He sports the highest winning percentage in Ohio history.
He was also the third in Ohio history to claim eight state titles -- (Class VI). The Hornets have reached the state finals in 14 of the last 15 seasons.
LaVerde was national Coach of the Year in 2023.
Giving 'em the old stiff arm
D-10 all-time top rushers
* active; need Iroquois game
Photo from Mercyhurst web site
Ethen Knox's numbers at OCHS were unreal, now he's finding his place at 'Hurst
He doesn't get to play much, but Ethen Knox is seeing more action this season for Mercyhurst's Division I football program.
Knox, District 10's all-time leading rusher with 7,870 yards for Oil City from 2021-23, is a junior cybersecurity major at Mercyhurst.
Knox has played in five games this season for the 1-6 Lakers, and has seen more action lately. He caught six passes for 38 yards Sept. 26 against Western Kentucky and added four more receptions for 29 yards against LIU, a game the Lakers lost 29-27. (Their only win was 49-20 against Glenville on Sept. 19.)
Most recently, on Oct. 1,7 he carried three times for 13 yards in a 43-40 loss to Central Connecticut. He also caught two more passes.
For the season, Knox has 49 yards rushing on 13 carries and 12 catches for 85 yards.
His 10-game career numbers show 126 yards rushing on 23 carries and his only touchdown plus 12 receptions for 85 yards. Defensively, he was three tackles (two solo) and a block of something.
Looks like he's fourth on team in rushing. Jameir Gamble is 67/310, but nobody is close to him. Next are Emanuel Fincher 18/74 and Byron Cardwell 24/42 and then Knox.
Mercyhurst will also be home to Wagner on Nov. 7. Kickoff is 2 p.m.
The Lakers will visit Pittsburgh twice in the coming weeks. They play Robert Morris on Oct 24 (2 p.m.) and Duquesne on Nov. 14 (noon).
In Memoriam
Franklin baseball great Gary Shingledecker dies
Gary Shingledecker, the first Franklin High School player to be selected in the MBL draft, died in September after battling pancreatic cancer. He had just turned 59.
He was remembered during the FHS Hall of Fame ceremony Monday. Shingledecker and his brother Steve were 2024 inductees into the Hall.
Gary, after starring in Franklin's youth baseball programs, earned 11 letters in the golf, baseball and basketball in high school. He scored 1,176 points in basketball and later was an assistant coach for the Knights' 2006 state championship team.
But baseball was his sport. He played at North Carolina State (1987-89) and was drafted as a second baseman/third baseman by the Baltimore Orioles in the 11th round of the 1989 draft.
He played a few years for Erie and and then Wausau in the minor leagues.
While he was an assistant coach for one of the Knights' state championship basketball teams, he had said the coaching job he was most proud was baseball. He took over a Franklin program that was 0-20 and in two years the Knights won a District 10 title.
His brother, Steve, followed a similar career path, playing baseball at NC State from 1989-91. He's now the golf coach at Robert Morris.