This site is about the sports doings of the high schools in Venango County, Pa. Contact: pennyweichel@gmail.com
Grokipedia's top single-game rushers
All-knowing Grokipedia, an Elon Musk production, lists among other things, Pennsylvania high school football records. Found it Saturday. Never heard of it before. Was trying to look something up and ran into it and the above entry.
According to Musk and his minions, Ian Haynes, former Franklin quarterback, rushed for 606 yards against Oil City in 2014. That would be No. 2 on the state's all-time single-game rushing list behind Journey Brown's 722 vs. DuBois in 2015 if it were true, which it isn't.
I laughed and laughed and laughed when I saw that -- after which I did email Grokipedia a correction. (Grok will check it out. Yeah, you just do that.)
Haynes was in seventh grade in 2014. Franklin rushed for 191 yards as a team against Oil City in 2014. Zak Lynn was Franklin's leading rusher that season with 945 yards. Porter Remold was Franklin's quarterback.
The Franklin record for yards rushing in a game by a quarterback is 173 by Rich Cerro in 2003. The Franklin single-game rushing record by ANYBODY is 292 yards by Shawn Young against Fairview in 1991.
Now, "606" can be associated with Haynes, Franklin's all-time leading passer with more than 9,000 yards. That's how many yards he had PASSING against DuBois in 2017. (And Grokipedia does have that listed.)
Saw on Facebook where Franklin/new coach Austin Ion is planning a first annual Meet the Players night (varsity through junior high) Aug. 15. Starts at 4 p.m. and includes a flag football game featuring Knights of old. I imagine Haynes will be there and he'll run up and down the field six times. Also planned are a Chinese auction, games and a concession stand.
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ALL-REGION TRACK STARS
OIL CITY 1600 Relay Snub
The 2026 Region Whatever boys track all-stars were announced the week of June 22 by the Erie Times News. I was surprised that Warren was first team in the 1600 relay and Oil City second team in the "voting by the coaches."
I wrote something on this site about that and then put it on Facebook, too. Coach Dave Skinner messaged that the rules of the game here were that only region meets were to be used to decide the so-called all-star teams.
With Oil City waltzing to its fifth straight region title, "league" meets were often decided by the time the 1600 relay -- always the last event of any meet -- rolled around. That accounted for the Oilers having to take a back seat to the Dragons, even though Oil City beat Warren head-to-head. Also the Oilers' best time on the season was a school record 3:26.88 (in the District 10 2A meet) compared to 3:35-something for Warren, which, oh by the way, was fifth in 3A.
So that explains it, but, IMHO, it's still STUPID.
Oil City had the best team; Warren did not.
"The rule" did help Oil City's Spence Singleton make first team in the javelin over Corry's Landon Atha. Singleton threw 183-1 early in the season against Warren, but never did any better. Atha finished with three throws better than Singleton, including a 187-something in the Ft. LeBoeuf Invitational. Plus, he was District 10 champion.
But Singleton made first team and Atha, also a state meet qualifier, was relegated to the second team.
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Atha's best throw tied Owen Oldt of Dallas in northeastern Pa. for No. 22 in the state this season. Dallas, located outside of Wilks-Barre, also boasted junior Hunter Pitcavage, who threw 224 in the postseason Nike Outdoor Invitational on June 18.
Singleton's 183-1 ranked No. 28, and was the best throw, of those listed, accomplished in a dual meet, believe it or not. Everything in the Top 27 was done in invitationals or at states or such.
As for the 1600 relay. Oil City's time was No. 89 statewide. Sharon, which ran 3:25.88 to beat Oil City at districts, is No. 82. The fastest time in western Pa. this season was a 3:19.67 by Plum in the WPIAL 3A meet.
Yeah, those eastern Pa. teams, they have the weather -- not to mention the athletes.
Top time this year was 3:14ish.
