HERSHEY, Pa. – The 2023-24 Franklin Knights have followed a similar path to the 2005-06 state championship team at Franklin.
Now, they’ll look for a title of their own when they take on District 12 champion Devon Prep in the PIAA Class 3A title game at the GIANT Center in Hershey.
“We’ve been soul searching for this opportunity,” said Franklin coach Jason Fulmer.
Franklin avenged a 60-50 loss to Girard in the D10 title game, coming back to beat the Yellow Jackets, 64-55 in the semifinals on Tuesday.
The 2006 team did something similar, beating General McLane in the PIAA semifinals after losing to the Lancers in the D10 title game.
The similarities don’t stop there as the 2006 also had to face the District 12 champion, Communications Tech, in the PIAA finals.
“It’s kind of history repeating itself,” said Franklin’s Damon Curry. “The ‘06 team lost to McLane and came back and beat them in the Western final to go play in that state final.”
It’s a Franklin (24-5) team that has won 15 games by double-digits this season. They also know how to win close games against good competition as well. Among their wins during the regular season are a 2-point triumph over D10 Class 5A champion Cathedral Prep, and a pair of last-second wins over D10 Class 4A champion Warren, with Jalen Wood and Cole Buckley hitting shots at the end of those games.
It’s a Franklin team that broke through after losing in the PIAA quarterfinals in two of the last three years, including last season against Penn Cambria.
“It took us three to get over the hump in the Elite 8 and I sure as hell hoped it wasn’t going to take us three times to get over the hump in the western finals,” Fulmer said.
The Knights have two PIAA titles to their resume, the one in 2006 under Steve Shingledecker and in 2001 under Bill Hager, two men Fulmer knows quite well.
“I’m super blessed,” Fulmer said. “I played for Hager when he moved to Franklin. “I played two years for him, loved his style, the way he wanted to play. Then I happened to have Steve. Steve was a big impact on my success at the college level in baseball. Steve coached me in baseball and when my baseball career was done and I got into coaching, Steve sat on my bench my first tenure my first four years. I’ve got a pretty good bond with those guys.”
It’s a Franklin team that is incredibly well-balanced from a scoring perspective. Wood, the floor general, checks in at 17.6 points per game, while Curry is at 17.0, Damaro Payne 11.5, Buckley 11.0 and Dreyden Payne 6.9.
“I’ve said it from day one, what separates us is we have five guys that can go score it,” Fulmer said. “Most 3A teams have three.”
They will be facing a Devon Prep team that, like most teams from District 12, plays a true murders’ row schedule.
The Tide enter with a record that sits at a modest 14-13, but don’t let that fool you, as they’ve played one of the toughest schedules in the state in what few would argue is the best league in the state, the Philadelphia Catholic League against the likes of Neumann-Goretti, Archbishop Wood, Archbishop Carroll and St. Joe’s Prep.
That’s not to mention their non-league slate, which included games against the likes of Ursuline (Ohio), as well as WPIAL powers Lincoln Park and North Catholic.
One of the few common threads is that game against North Catholic, a team that knocked out Warren in the PIAA first round, 67-58, before eventually falling in the quarterfinals to Lincoln Park.
Zane Conlon, a 6-5 junior, lead Devon Prep at 17.0 ppg, followed by 6-6 junior Reece Craft (11.9), 6-4 junior Shane Doyle (9.2), 5-11 junior Mason Thear (8.0) and 6-3 junior Calvin Smith (7.4).
“They’re a nice team,” Fulmer said of Devon Prep. “I watched them play North Catholic. Watched them play Lincoln Park. Watched them play Ursuline. They play like Girard. Third game in a row, I like it. I felt like Deer Lakes got us better prepared for Girard, so maybe it’s another hidden gem kind of deal.”
At the end of the day, only one team will get to hang a state championship banner.
“There’s only two of them up,” Fulmer said. “Most schools don’t have two banners. We’ve had our eyes set on it for a while.”
How They Got Here
Franklin: Beat Neshannock 69-55; Beat Chestnut Ridge 65-57; Beat Deer Lakes 83-66, Beat Girard 64-55
Devon Prep: Beat Delone Catholic 73-32; Beat Riverside 75-46; Beat Executive Education 62-57 (2-OT); Beat Math, Civics and Science, 69-50
