Franklin Regional wrestling makes states to end dual meet season on high note

By: Paul Schofield
Saturday, February 10, 2024 | 11:01 AM

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When the Franklin Regional wrestling team opened the season by winning the Hampton Dawg Duals, Panthers coach Matt Lebe wasn’t surprised.

“I knew we had a chance at being pretty good,” Lebe said. “We did well in a scrimmage against Trinity before the duals. We were right with them.

“We had good senior leadership and a group of freshmen that were used to winning and working hard. That’s all they know is hard work and the team jelled.”

So when the Panthers (20-1) earned a trip to Hershey for the PIAA Class 3A team championship, Lebe again wasn’t surprised.

The Panthers finished third in the WPIAL championship on Feb. 3 at Peters Township. They dropped a hard-fought, 31-28 decision to WPIAL champion Connellsville, then came back to defeat Bethel Park, 28-27, for third place.

The Panthers officially earned a trip to Hershey by defeating Pittsburgh City League champion Obama Academy, 69-6, on Feb. 5.

“Heading into the WPIAL championship weekend, I knew we could either win it or finish fourth,” Lebe said. “It all depended how well we competed. We did what I expected. We competed well. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”

The Panthers made their fourth appearance in the state tournament. They placed third in 2013 and then won back-to-back titles in 2014 and 2015.

Franklin Regional gave tournament favorite Council Rock South a run in the first round at the Giant Center, eventually falling, 37-24.

Against Bethel Park, the Panthers got huge wins from Mile Ruane (114), Luke Ankney (145 pounds), Henry Patts (172) and Troy McClelland (215).

Ruane defeated Pierce Reinhart, 1-0, and McClelland moved up from 189 to 215 and pinned Landon Hartman.

The Panthers also got pins from seniors Ty Kapusta (127) and Juliano Marion (285).

Kapusta bounced back after a tough loss to Connellsville’s Kai Vielma in the semifinals.

But the biggest win was actually a loss.

Freshman Sal Nassif had to stay away from either a technical fall or a pin to preserve the pin. He only allowed a major decision, which gave the Panthers the victory. His teammates mobbed him.

“He did a great job,” Lebe said. “He was down early but fought his butt off. He was outstanding.”

Paul Schofield is a TribLive reporter covering high school and college sports and local golf. He joined the Trib in 1995 after spending 15 years at the Daily Courier in Connellsville, where he served as sports editor for 14 years. He can be reached at pschofield@triblive.com.

Tags: Franklin Regional