Archives

Here is a look at the Franklin football schedule this fall. We will publish schedules as we receive them from schools.

All times p.m. unless otherwise noted.

*Region 5 games

–Tom Reisenweber

Franklin Knights
Coach (season, record): Dave Smith (9th season, 30-50)
2011 overall record: 0-10
2011 region record (place): 0-6 (seventh)
2011 playoff results: Did not qualify for the District 10 Class AAA playoffs.
Top players lost: Colin Bittner, Nolan Hall, Nick Billingsley
Top returning players: Chris Matthews, Kyle Ritchey, A.J. Cooley, Chris Kahle, Scott Murray, Nate Cardy, Brandon Johnson, Logan Mooney
Assistant coaches: Matt Siembida, Bill Schwabenbauer, Bay Lawrence, Zac O’Brien, Robert Tantlinger, Nick Wested, Jim Foster
Outlook: 2011 was a forgettable year for Franklin. The Knights didn’t win a game and players were not responding to the system. Coach Dave Smith made some changes in the offseason, including new offensive and defensive coordinators. Franklin’s biggest issue this summer will be replacing several all-region linemen. Colin Bittner was voted to the second team as a defensive lineman and Nolan Hall, an offensive lineman. Bittner also caught 19 passes for 228 yards and one touchdown. Nick Billingsley threw for 979 yards and eights touchdowns for Franklin last fall but he has graduated.

Franklin is essentially starting over this year. The Knights have some new coaches on the staff and have simplified the offense and defense. The Knights have several talented players back, including second-team linebacker Chris Matthews. Matthews ran for 218 yards on 69 carries and led the Knights with 68 tackles. Kyle Ritchey is back at quarterback but could have some serious competition with the return of Forrest Wested. Wested, a second-team quarterback for Farrell last year, transferred back to Franklin after two years with the Steelers. A.J. Cooley was one of the Knights’ top offensive weapons last year and is back at wideout. Cooley caught 20 passes for 355 yards and five touchdowns and pulled down three interceptions on defense. Chris Kahle, Scott Murray, Nate Cardy, Brandon Johnson and Logan Mooney are also back for the Knights. Johnson was one of Franklin’s top defensive players last year, while Mooney saw time at kicker.

Franklin went through a rough fall in 2011 but the Knights have almost every player back. The Knights can quietly become a contender if they can build chemistry and develop as a team. It won’t be easy right away for Franklin. The Knights head to Titusville and DuBois right away before their home opener Sept. 14 against Lakeview. The good news is Franklin will only play one region game in the first half of the season and will have plenty of time to come together as a team. The second half of the season could be interesting for the Knights.

Schedule
August
31 at Titusville 7
September
7 at DuBois* 7
14 Lakeview 7
21 General McLane 7
28 at Karns City 7
October
5 Bradford* 7
12 at Meadville* 7
19 at Slippery Rock* 7
26 Warren* 7
November
2 Oil City* 7
*Region 5 games

Monday: General McLane

– Tom Reisenweber

The Erie Times-News and GoErie.com are continuing District 10 football preview coverage this week, leading up to Friday’s season openers. Starting Sunday, the preview coverage included Region 6, McDowell and Region 4. The coverage will continue through Thursday. Included in each preview are complete rosters for each team.

Earlier, the Times-News published the 112-page Kickoff preseason guide and posted the online Summer Huddle series on the Varsity blog.

Check out the links to the Times-News team previews:
Sunday: McDowell preview
Sunday: Region 6
Monday: Region 4
Tuesday: Region 5
Wednesday: Region 2
Thursday: Region 3
Thursday: Region 1

Franklin Knights
Coach (season, record): Dave Smith (8th season, 30-40)
2010 overall record: 3-7
2010 region record (place): 1-5 (sixth)
2010 playoff results: Did not qualify for the District 10 playoffs.
Top players lost: Nick Turk, Jesse Depietro, Brandon Laing, Randell Wilson
Top returning players: Nolan Hall, Colin Bittner, Nick Fiorentino, Jake Docherty
Assistant coaches: Fred Blackhurst, Bill Schwabenbauer, Ray Beers, Matt Siembida, Bill Heber, Dave Frawley, Dick McIntyre, Gary Henry, Bay Lawrence
Outlook: After taking a step back with a one-win season in 2009, Franklin looks to keep its program on the upswing after winning three games last year. The Knights relied heavily on their passing attack in recent history, but the strength of this year’s team will be the rushing attack. Franklin has a solid offensive line and talented running backs behind it. Nolan Hall, Colin Bittner and Nick Fiorentino all return on the line but the Knights will have replace all-region lineman Nick Turk, who was a captain last year and voted team Most Valuable Player. Franklin also lost defensive MVP Jesse Depietro, top rusher Randell Wilson and top receiver Brandon Laing.

The Knights used a bevy of running backs last season and will have plenty to turn to this fall. Romeo Cooley ran for 334 yards on 48 carries and four touchdowns last season, while Adie Dahl returns after running for 139 yards and one TD. Quarterback Nick Billingsley had a solid junior year with 998 passing yards and 12 touchdowns and provides plenty of leadership to the young Knights. Franklin will have to develop a few targets for Billingsley in camp. Laing and Jim Waters were the Knights’ top receivers last year, but both have graduated. Dillon King and Steven Marshall each had decent seasons and could step into heavier roles.

The biggest key for Franklin this season could be the defense. The Knights allowed 474 points in 10 games last season, including 91 and 77 points in individual games. If Franklin can limit what other teams can do on offense, the Knights could continue to improve. There won’t be any easy games in September for Franklin, including road games at Central Tech, Slippery Rock and DuBois along with a brutal home opener against Grove City and a rivalry showdown with Oil City.

Schedule
September
3 at Central Tech 7
9 at Slippery Rock* 7
16 Grove City* 7
23 at DuBois* 7
30 Oil City* 7
October
7 Warren 7
14 Corry* 7
21 Titusville 7
28 at Meadville* 7
November
4 at General McLane 7

Monday: General McLane

– Tom Reisenweber

There’s more coverage from the Erie Times-News and GoErie.com.

Check out photos from the McDowell-Prep, General McLane-Strong Vincent and East-Franklin games. Photos are also available for purchase.

Also check out Friday night’s statistical game summaries, state scores and today’s previews.

Graduated: Julian Wested, QB, 1,595 yards passing in 2008

Graduated: Tyler Bittner, WR, 130 combined catches in 2007-08

Franklin Knights

Coach: Dave Smith
2008 overall record: 5-5
2008 league record (place): 1-3 (fourth place, Region 5)
Playoff results: Did not qualify for the District 10 Class AAA tournament.
Top players lost: WR/DB Tyler Bittner, OL/DL Dan Uber, QB/DB Julian Wested, RB/DB Sean Cogswell, OT/DT Ben Ace, OL/DE Ryan Malachina, K/P Brian Greenlee, RB/LB Brandon Perrine, TE/DE Steve Spieker.
Top underclassmen: RB/LB Steven Myers, RB/DB Romeo Cooley, OL/DE Evan Huff, RB/LB Zach Murray, OL/DE Zac Richey, OL/DL Catlin Yount, TE/LB Colin Bittner.
Key games: Sept. 11 Corry, Sept. 25 Grove City, Oct. 9 Warren, Oct. 16 at Oil City, Oct. 30 at Meadville.
Outlook: Dave Smith didn’t deny it. Next month’s camp likely will be his most challenging in six seasons as the Knights’ head coach. Gone to graduation is all-region quarterback Julian Wested, who passed for more than 3,000 yards over three seasons. Gone to graduation are Wested’s top five receivers from 2008, including Tyler Bittner, arguably the premier wide receiver in school history. He had 83 receptions in 2007 and 47 in 2008. Gone to graduation are Franklin’s top three rushers from ’08, topped by Brandon Perrine (713 yards, six touchdowns). “We’ll probably be more teachers than coaches (at camp),” Smith said. “Right now, we’ll probably just try to simplify things.” … Smith said senior Steven Myers goes into camp as Franklin’s probable starter at quarterback. Myers was listed as a running back on the Knights’ roster last year, even though he had no carries. He did catch seven passes for 72 yards and one TD. … Franklin should benefit from the return of players who blocked and tackled along the line of scrimmage. Two-way linemen Zac Richey and Catlin Yount were listed at more than 200 pounds as juniors. Smith also cited the potential use of sophomore tight end Colin Bittner, Tyler’s brother, in Franklin’s offensive schemes. … The Knights catch a break as far as their Region 5 schedule. They host three of their four rivals, Corry, Grove City and Warren, at Franklin Stadium.

Schedule
September
4 at East 7
11 Corry* 7
18 at Strong Vincent 7
25 Grove City* 7
October
3 at Harbor Creek 7
9 Warren* 7
16 at Oil City 7
23 Central Tech 7
30 at Meadville* 7
November
6 Titusville 7

*Region 5 games

Sunday: Region 5: Grove City

Region 5 was one of the most exciting regions to watch in 2008, not only because the standings were so close, but each team had a high powered offense. Grove City, the defending region champion, had many offensive weapons and a disciplined defense. Dwayne Martin, one of the region’s best playmakers, powered the offense and defense but has since graduated. Grove City’s signature win that basically clinched the region came in Week 8 with a 17-0 shutout of Meadville at Meadville. Meadville surprised a few teams and made the D-10 Class AAA playoffs. The Bulldogs’ ground game and defense made the difference but wasn’t enough to get past Strong Vincent. The Region 5 game of the year came in Week 4 when Meadville hosted Corry. The Beavers were rolling and looked like a playoff team. With both teams not getting past Grove City, their meeting on Sept. 19 was for a playoff spot. Both offenses put on a show and Meadville squeaked out the win with a Jarrod Kilburn touchdown run as time ran out. Corry quarterback Scottie Frisina is back, but the Beavers’ defense must improve dramatically. With key members from every team graduating, Region 5 is anyone’s region to win.

Region 5
Region Overall
x-Grove City 4-0 7-3
z-Meadville 3-1 6-5
Corry 2-2 6-4
Franklin 1-3 5-5
Warren 0-4 2-8
x-region champion
z-qualified for playoff spot

Key 2009 games: Sept. 11 Corry at Franklin, Sept. 25 Meadville at Corry, Oct. 16 Corry at Grove City, Oct. 23 Meadville at Grove City
Predicted champion: Grove City