This site is about the sports doings of the high schools in Venango County, Pa. Contact: pennyweichel@gmail.com
Blue Collar Players of the Week
2026
Titusville 41, Franklin 13 -- The Knights took the opening KO and marched down the field, only to be turned away at theTitusville 2. The Rockets answered with a 98-yard scoring drive and never looked back.
Caden Mincer became the first Franklin player with 100 yards (163) rushing and 100 (105) receiving in a game. Closest: Red Law's 130 rushing and 90 receiving vs. Oil City in 1966.
Mincer also scored both Franklin TDs on a 78-yard run and a 65-yard pass
from soph QB Harrison Doty.
Doty threw for a career-high 260 yards. Luke Marsteller (pictured) had 18 tackles for
Franklin, Korbyn Sires 15, Austin Brown 14 and Michael Miller 11. Jack Wimer: two sacks.​
Oil City 63, Franklin 3 -- The Knights drew first blood when freshman Jacob Fleming kicked a 20-yard field goal early, but the Oilers quickly answered when Logan Heath returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown and never looked back.
A 26-yard pass from Harrison City to Anthony Martin (pictured) to the 4 set up the field goal.
Other than that, the Knights were unable to go much of anything on offense as the Oilers held Caden Mincer in check. There was another 23-yard completion to Freddie Blackhurst, but that resulted in a fumble., but the Knights mounted only 82 yards total offense.
Eddie Platt boomed a 66-yard punt (with roll).
Luke Marsteller is averaging 14 tackles per game.
Harbor Creek 62, Franklin 0 -- Slippery at times Gavin Zillman scored four touchdowns on runs of 33, 39, 4 and 51 yards.
The Huskies (3-0) led 28-0 at the quarter, but had to wait until early in the second half to put the mercy rule into effect. It was 34-0 at intermission after a pick six late in the second quarter.
Interceptions stopped a couple of promising drives for the Knights (0-3), including their third possession after Harrison Doty passed to Anthony Martin for 26 yards and Freddie Blackhurst ran for 16 yards. But Zillman intercepted on the next play.
Doty threw for 99 yards. The Knights used several tailbacks in the absence of the injured Caden Mincer, including Luke Marsteller and Conor Johnson. Blackhurst (pictured) had several of nice pickups both running and catching the ball. He had some 135 all-purpose yards.
Cathedral Prep 79, Franklin 6 -- Prep came to town and immediately put up 31 points in the opening quarter. Brogan McCarthy threw five TD passes to five different receivers.The unbent Ramblers also scored on a kickoff return.
McCarthy threw for 191 of the 234 yards the Ramblers gained passing. They only had 81 rushing, but of 12 carries.
The Knights remained winless but lit up the scoreboard when Harrison Doty hit pay dirt from the 2 in the third quarter.
Doty completed 10 of 18 passes for 108 yards. He has 520 yards passing this season. Damian Cassano caught four passes for 63 yards.
Luke Marsteller and Freddie Blackhurst took care of the ground game in place of Caden Mincer, who was out the second straight week. Indications are he might be back for the Iroquois game.
Marsteller continues to lead the team in tackles with 38.
Iroquois 34, Knights 14 -- Caden Mincer returned to the lineup after a two-week stint on the IL, but it wasn't enough as the Knights bowed to visiting Iroquois, 34-14. The two teams were tied 14-14 at the half with Mincer (pictured) scored both touchdowns, and Jacob Fleming booting the extra points. Mincer finished with 94 yards on 17 carries, but he stayed within range of the school career rushing record.
His 28-yard punt return set up his second TD of the game, and 14-yard run on the next play. He scored from the 1 earlier.
But the Braves scored 20 unanswered points after intermission as they kept the Knights winless at 0-5.
​A 66-yard run and a 60-yard fumble return highlighted the second half for Iroquois. After the Braves went ahead to stay, an 11-yard loss on fourth-and-goal kept them out of the end zone second time
Franklin had a chance to keep pace, thanks to more heroics by Mincer. He had an 11-yard gain, a 28-yard catch and a four-yard run on fourth-and-two, but the Knights eventually were stopped on downs at midfield.
Luke Marsteller had 14 more tackles for Franklin, giving him 49 on the campaign.
Meadville 20, Knights 15 -- The Knights' upset bid came up 12 yards shorts. That's where they were -- knocking on the door -- when the clockless game ended. Sophomore QB Harrison Doty hit some big passes down the stretch and finished with 209 yards -- this second 200-yard game of the season. He hit first-year junior Damian Cassano (pictured) with six passes for 109 yards. Doty's two TD passes went to Caden Mincer and Ryder Stevens.
Mincer ran for 111 yards, giving him 2,400 for his career.
Turnovers set up two Meadville TDs. Franklin led 7-6 at the half, but Meadville went ahead stay on its first possession after intermission. The Bulldogs eventually led 20-7 behind a pounding ground game.
But the witness Knights didn't quit.
Warren 40, Knights 16 -- Big bright spot for the Knights was freshman Jacob Fleming booting a 44-yard field goal. That ranks No. 5 all-time at Franklin. The Dragons opened with a 20-0 first quarter and never looked back despite 143 ryards rushing by Caden Mincer and 273 yards passing by Harrison Doty, who completed 21 of 39 throws.
Dity has 1,074 yards passing this season and 977 yards total offense
Damian Cassano came up big again with five catches for 84 yards. Korbyn Sires, another freshman, also had five catches for 66.
Mincer also had 70 yards receiving. He has 870 all-purpose yards.
Scoring TDs were Mincer and Luke Marsteller, who has 67 tackles on defense.
Austin Ion replaceS turk
Austin Ion was introduced as the new Franklin football coach at a school board work session on Jan. 19. He officially became Franklin's 26th paid coach at the board's Jan. 26 meeting.
Ion succeeds Matt Turk, a former Knight all-star, who resigned after six years at the helm.
Ion is a 2017 Keystone High School graduate who played football, basketball and baseball for the Panthers.
He played wide receiver at Grove City College, where he majored in accounting.
He has coached at Keystone for eight years and most recently served as jayvee coach under coach Todd Smith.
The commiittee to select a new coach at Franklin consisted of athletic director Becky Barnes, high school co-principal Tom Holoman, Central Elementary principal Joe Keenan and assistant AD Chris Romanowski.
Ion was the choice among "nine good applicants," according to Barnes.​
He's a 28-year-old business development engineering who is pursuing his business education certificate.
Spent eight years at his alma mater Keystone, working with QBs, WRs and DBs. Jayvee head coach, special teams coordinator, offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator.