Football - Franklin Regional vs Plum

Franklin Regional beats Plum 45-7 to open season.

The Franklin Reginal defense was less than two minutes away from shutting out Plum when Mustang quarterback Hunter Linhart found Logan Brooks on a 20-yard touchdown pass during their Week One conference matchup. Other than that lone score by the Mustangs, it was all Panthers as Franklin Regional put 45 points on their home scoreboard in Murrysville. Franklin Regional opened the scoring when quarterback Adam Rudzinski completed a 14-yard touchdown pass to Michael Evans at the 10:20 mark in the first quarter. Panther linebacker Justin Johns intercepted Plum quarterback Hunter Linhart and returned it 40 yards for a touchdown giving the Panthers a 14-0 lead halfway through the first quarter. On the first play of the second quarter, Rudzinski found wide receiver Nick Leopold on a 7-yard touchdown pass and the Panthers led the Mustangs 21-0. Rudzinski then scored on a 70-yard touchdown scamper, extending Franklin Regional’s lead to 28-0. Rudzinski and Evans connected for the second time on a 32-yard touchdown pass, and it looked like the Panthers would take a 35-0 lead over Plum to the locker room. However, Franklin Regional’s Colton Johns recovered a Logan Brooks fumble forced by Luke Reppermund on the ensuing kickoff. Rudzinski scored his second touchdown on the ground with a 4-yard run with 7 seconds left in the second quarter. Franklin took a 42-0 lead into halftime. Franklin Regional kicker Anthony DiFalco booted a 20-yard field goal with 6:08 left in the third quarter to finish the Panthers scoring on the night. Rudzinski accounted for five of the six Panther scores in the 45-7 Franklin Regional win that avenged last year’s loss to Plum.

Watch this link for a full gallery of action photos available for purchase or sharing the day after the game.