PG East: Franklin Regional up to old tricks ... winning 'em all
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Franklin Regional pitcher Ally Vrcek works against a Knoch batter in a game last week.
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The Franklin Regional softball team won 20 consecutive games last season before dealing with its first and only loss in the opening round of the PIAA Class AAA playoffs.
This year's squad is close to matching last year's impressive start, as the Panthers boast a 13-0 record.
"This team has a chance to be even better than last year's team," Panthers coach Jim Armstrong said. "We only lost three starters."
Franklin Regional is the defending WPIAL champion. The Panthers are No. 1 in the WPIAL Class AAA rankings.
"I don't care about the rankings," Armstrong said. "It's nice to be No. 1, but teams are always gunning for us. We have to be ready for each game, regardless of who the opponent it. Just because we are No. 1, it doesn't mean that we can't lose. We just have be prepared and take each game one at a time."
Franklin Regional began the season with four games at the Disney World Sports Complex in Florida. The Panthers won all four games, outscoring their opponents, 38-6.
"We faced a team from Florida [Lake Worth Christian] that had qualified for the state playoffs the past three years. We pounded them, 14-0. [Lake Worth Christian] faced Greensburg Central Catholic in their next game and their coach asked [Centurions coach] Gary Ciarimboli 'Who was that team?'"
Franklin Regional takes a trip to a preseason tournament every other year.
"We go every other year, because we need two years to raise the money," Armstrong said. "We have quite a few fundraisers, including two clinics that raised more than $3,000 last year. It cost $800 per player to make the trip."
Franklin Regional has recorded nine more victories since returning from Florida, including seven in Section 4-AAA. The Panthers have a sizable lead in Section 4-AAA. Highlands (2-1) and Hampton (3-2) are next in the standings.
"We are in one of the strongest sections in Class AAA," Armstrong said. "We already beat Kittanning twice, but both games were very close. Hampton is also pretty good."
First Published April 22, 2010 12:00 am
