The Upper St. Clair Panthers will square off against the Franklin Regional Panthers at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Both are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Franklin Regional is hoping to do what Canon-McMillan couldn't on Friday: put an end to Upper St. Clair's winning streak (dating back to last season), which now stands at five games. Upper St. Clair blew past Canon-McMillan 41-6 on the road.
Upper St. Clair's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged three passes before it was all said and done. It was truly a group effort as Beck Shields, Randy Yan, and Nevin Shegan Siniawski picked up one apiece. Shields also put in work on the defensive side of the ball, defending a pass and snagging an interception. Nate Stohl was another major factor on D, picking up two sacks and making eight total tackles (2.0 for loss).
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Upper St. Clair was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 272 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 151 rushing yards in seven consecutive games dating back to last season.
Meanwhile, Franklin Regional got the win against Hempfield Area on Friday by a conclusive 49-26. Given the Panthers' advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania football rankings (they are ranked 62nd, while the Spartans are ranked 255th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Kyle Dupill was nothing short of spectacular: he rushed for 115 yards and three touchdowns, and also picked up 33 receiving yards. Chase Lemke was another key player, rushing for 30 yards and a touchdown.
Franklin Regional wouldn't let Hempfield Area keep a hold of the ball as they managed to force two fumbles. Franklin Regional can thank Brent Hickey and Darwin Jones for forcing both of them. Hickey's also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, forcing a fumble, making nine total tackles, and defending a pass.
Upper St. Clair's win bumped their record up to 2-0. As for Franklin Regional, the victory made it two in a row for them and also bumps their season record up to 2-0.
Upper St. Clair came out on top in a nail-biter against Franklin Regional when the teams last played back in November of 2017, sneaking past 6-3. Does Upper St. Clair have another victory up their sleeve, or will Franklin Regional turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
