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Now a sophomore, Guth a lot stingier for Vanderbilt this season
Luke Guth put up some pretty good numbers for Vanderbilt this spring, rebounding from an up-and-down freshman campaign in 2024.
The sophomore right-hander appeared in 19 games and posted an 0.93 ERA. He worked 19.1 innings, giving up nine hits. His walks-to-strikeouts ratio: 7/22. Record: 4-0.
The Franklin graduate has now appeared in 31 games and pitched 37.2 innings in two seasons for Vanderbilt. Record: 5-2. ERA: 3.11. W/K: 16/42. This line includes his numbers from a freshman year in which he began working out of the bullpen midway through the season, posting a 5.40 ERA with mixed results. (He struck out the first four Middle Tennessee State batters he faced as a collegian.)
Guth played in the Cape Cod League last summer.
The 6-1, 185-pounder didn’t appear in any of Vanderbilt’s NCAA tourney games this year but was the winning pitcher as the Commodores beat Ole Miss, 3-2, in the SEC tournament final. That gave Vandy (43-18) the top seed in the Nashville regional of the NCAA tourney, but after registering a come-from-behind 4-3 victory over Wright State in the opening game, its season ended with back-to-back losses to Louisville (3-2) and Wright State (5-4).
The Commodores didn’t muster much offense in the regional. They were hitless through six innings in the first game before three late homers saved them, counted five singles against Louisville and were limited to one hit – a homer – through the first eighth in the second game against Wright State before finishing with three.
Vanderbilt was making its 19th straight appearance in the NCAA tourney, longest active streak in the nation. Vandy won it all in 2014 and 2019. The Commodores also went to the CWS in 2011, 2015 and 2021.
Covid cost Kolton Banfi
his senior season in 2020 at Franklin, but that didn't keep him from having a solid career at Westminster
Joe Henderson's story
Foot injury spoiled Haynes'
career at Kutztown -- but
he earned his degree
It appears a foot injury in September 2022 did a number on the college career of Franklin's Ian Haynes.
Haynes is a backup on Kutztown's NCAA Division II juggernaut that is ranked No. 3 in the country.
The 6-3, 235-pounder, now a red-shirt senior, has appeared in seven games this season after not playing at all in 2023.
Haynes broke his foot in a game against Mercyhurst and then underwent months and months of rehab.
Donny Blaine was the quarterback when Haynes went down and since then, Judd Novak, a sophomore, has become the starter for the Bears, who are 11-0 after beating Cal, 21-14, Nov. 16 for their second straight PSAC title. Haynes' career ended when they lost to Slippery Rock, 25-24, in the Division II playoffs on Nov. 30.
Hayes completed six of seven passes for 58 yards in his career -- all this season. Haynes said in a Nov. 10 text that this will be his final year of football and he'll graduate in December.
"I'm healthy now and have no regrets with anything I've done," Haynes said. "I'm prepared to play big-time football if they need me to do so."
Haynes entered Kutztown as a much heralded prospect after passing for 9,471 yards and 95 touchdowns coming out of Franklin in 2019.
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Ian Haynes and family at Kutztown's Senior Day activities on Nov. 9. (Photo by Amy-Jo Heltebridle Quinones)
Blane Gold's Redbank Valley team reached 2023 state semis
District 9 champion Redbank Valley, coached by 2007 Franklin graduate Blane Gold, gave WPIAL champion Fort Cherry all it could handle, but bowed to the Rangers, 33-23, Dec. 1, 2023, in the PIAA Class 1A semifinals.
The Bulldogs, who closed at 12-3, were hoping to reach the state final for the second time in three years. They lost to Bishop Guilfoyle in the 2021 state final.
Redbank led much of the way against Fort Cherry, which is led by sophomore Matt Seig, a Division I safety prospect who is being looked at by Penn State, Pitt and Syracuse among others. Seig is is dual threat high school quarterback who has more than 3,000 yards total offense this year and runs a 10.9 100 meters in track. He scored three touchdowns and ran for more than 120 yards in the fourth quarter alone.
The Bulldogs led 16-13 near halftime, but Fort Cherry began imposing its will in the third quarter. Still, Redbank was within 26-23 with 2:29 left to play.
Fort Cherry then recovered an onside kick and went on to score again.
Gold is in his sixth season as coach of the New Bethlehem school, where he is 59-14, from 2019-24. The Bulldogs were coming off a 44-0 romp over D-10 champion Cambridge Springs, which beat Lakeview, 32-29, for the right to play Redbank.
Gold, a state co-Coach of the Year in 2021, played college football at Grove City and had been an assistant coach at Oil City.
He applied for the head job at Franklin, but the school board felt he was too young and offered him an assistantship. But when the Redbank head job opened up, he took that instead.
Other former Knights who have tasted success at 'next level' in recent years
Franklin's all-time leading scorer helped Division III Chatham to a 23-5 record by contributing 179 points, mostly off the bench and shooting 36.7% from distance. The junior began his college career at Edinboro and has scored 414 points (119 trifectas) in 82 games (115 minutes) between the two schools. He's also converted 42 of 46 free throws.
Bashor was a starter for Division III St. Vincent last winter, averaging 10 points per game. In addition to scoring 261 points for the 13-13 Lady Bearcats, the 6-2 Bashor pulled down 154 rebounds. She's seen action in 65 games (30 starts) over her first three years and has 470 points, 312 points and 97 blocks.  She's also shooting 47% from the floor and 75% from the line.
Assigned uniform number 99, Pfennigwerth is on the spring '25 football roster at Slippery Rock. Freshman kicker/punter. He made both his PATs and averaged 39.5 yards on two punts during the spring game.
Franklin's all-time leading scorer helped Division III Chatham to a 23-5 record by contributing 179 points, mostly off the bench and shooting 36.7% from distance. The junior began his college career at Edinboro and has scored 414 points (119 trifectas) in 82 games (115 minutes) between the two schools. He's also converted 42 of 46 free throws.