


This site is about the sports doings -- mainly football -- of the high schools in Venango County, Pa. Contact:
130 years of Oil City and Franklin football (1896-2026)
Neither school on list of 500 wins,
but Oilers (489) getting close
Both Oil City and Franklin will be playing their 130th season of high school football in 2026. Their rivalry, which also began in 1896, is one of the oldest in Pennsylvania -- not the oldest, but it's right up there.
Since both schools have had their ups and plenty of downs on the gridiron over the years, neither has reached 500 wins. Oil City, thanks to its surge since 1994, is getting close with 489 victories (by my count, which means unofficially). Franklin, thanks to its dominance from 1959-92, isn't as close with 449 wins after a miserable last 35 years or so.
The accompanying chart of selected schools is from easternPafootball.com. I'd say go and see the full list, but after one view, you find yourself behind a paywall.
I included Mount Carmel, since it is No. 1 in the state, Aliquippa since the Oilers faced the Quips in the playoffs last season, and Southern Columbia because it's the gold standard in the state at the moment. (I was surprised that the team has existed only since 1963.)
I included every District 10 team, I think, except for Sharpsville and Farrell since neither the Knights nor the Oilers play them hardly ever. Anyway, y'all know Farrell is good.
DuBois and Punxsutawney are on this list. DuBois used to be in the same region as Oil City and Franklin and the Oilers played Punxsy in the state playoffs last season. Also in there is Bradford, an old on-again, off-again rival of both schools.
And Redbank -- the Bulldogs are coached by FHS grad Blane Gold, and his teams have contributed greatly to the Bulldogs' record.
Also surprising, at least to me, is General McLane. I didn't realize the Lancers have been around as long as they have -- 1916.
I'm also surprised Fairview is right up there.
How did I come by this list? Well, it hit me that Oil City and Franklin are in a round-number year of existence. And I knew the rivalry was an old one state-wise -- not the oldest, but, again, right up there.
UPDATE -- I did find Titusville via Google. It was on that easternPafootball site. Titusville's record is only 10 games better than Oil City's -- all in the loss column. Records for Oil City and Franklin were close to what I have. They have 489-564-49 for the Oilers and 448-578-45 for the Knights. A big difference is the first year for both. They have 1898 for Oil City and 1897 for Franklin. But I KNOW Franklin and Oil City first met in 1896.
News-Herald (Page 1) account of second Oil City-Franklin game played on Nov. 14, 1896.



Here's how downtown Oil City looked in 1938.

Photographer Eric Elliott captures Division I prospect Ben Koyack trying to elude a DuBois defender.

Jim Shaughnessy was first team all-state in 1964 and is still remembered fondly by Oiler faithful of a certain age.

Here's how downtown Oil City looked in 1938.
Oil City Slide Show

Franklin in the 1930s. Stop lights are funny looking. (Peter Solle photograph)

Nate Byham has his eyes on the prize against General McLane.

Joe Stewart and Red Law get together at the Franklin football reunion in 2005.

Franklin in the 1930s. Stop lights are funny looking. (Peter Solle photograph)
Franklin Slide Show
IT WAS ALWAYS
PENN STATE BLUE
FOR LA VERDE CREW
Years ago, the late Dr. Philip LaVerde was shaking his head as he told me his sons, Tiger and Matt, then teens attending Oil City schools, would watch Penn State football games on TV and call all the plays before they were run. Where did they get this from, he seemed to be saying. Certainly not me.
Point is, both boys were huge Penn State fans. (His home room teacher told me Tiger wore a Penn State shirt to school every day.) Later on, Matt, who played quarterback for Oil City in 1995, got to see Penn State up close and personal as a preferred walk-on.
He later starred at middle linebacker for Mount Union, the Division III power, where he was teammates with some future famous football types. including Matt Campbell, now the head coach at Penn State.
Both LaVerdes coached at Franklin, and Matt later was the head man at Oil City (2008-15). Tiger moved on to Kirtland, Ohio, where he has coached eight state championship teams and many standouts, including his sons, Phil and most recently Jake.
And wouldn't you know? Jake, a QB at Kirtland, is a preferred walk-on safety at Penn State -- where he will be a classmate of cousin Steven Heise who graduated No. 2 in his class as he helped Oil City win titles in both football and basketball this past season. Derrick/News-Herald correspondent Joe Sager offers a look at the family here -- and it all starts with wiffle ball.
​


Tiger LaVerde is pictured with sons Jake (left) and Phil. Tiger was Franklin's head coach from 2001-03. His brother, Matt, was an assistant at Franklin before serving as head coach at his alma mater, Oil City, from 2008-15. Tiger moved on to Kirtland, Ohio, where he is one of the nation's top schoolboy coaches.





SPRING ALL-STARS





Some candidates...


DREAM TEAMS
FOOTBALL
4A ALL-STATE (PFW)
Noah Lucarelli, DL
Blake Stevens, LB
4A all-state (coaches)
Cole Findlay, Oil City, DB
​
All-DISTRICT 10
Erie TimesNews Super 72
Brayden Buzard, Oil City, LB
Cole Findlay, Oil City, DB
Steven Heise, Oil City, RB
Noah Lucarelli, Oil City, DL
Blake Stevens, Oil City, LB
YDL
First team
Cole Findlay, Oil City, DB, co-Athlete of Year
Carson Foster, Oil City, OL
Blake Stevens, Oil City, LB
Second team
Landfon Baker, Oil City, WR
Steven Heise, Oil City, RB-DB
​
All-REGION 6
First team
Landon Baker, Oil City, WR
Brayden Buzard, Oil City, LB
Cole Findlay, Oil City, QB-DB (Player of Year)
Carson Foster, Oil City, OL
Steven Heise, Oil City, RB-DB
Noah Lucarelli, Oil City, DL
Connor Ritchey, Franklin, P
Caleb Sparks, Oil City, OL-DL
Abdul Stanton, Oil City, DL
Blake Stevens, Oil City, LB
​
Second team
Deryk DeLong, Oil City, OL
Kaiden Kiselka, Franklin, OL
Anthony Martin, Franklin, LB
MySaun Mills, Oil City, AP
Caden Mincer, Franklin, RB
Aaron Moore Junior, Franklin, DL
Jacob Riddle, Franklin, OL-DL
Connor Ritchey, Franklin, K
Tycen Sindlinger, Oil City, LB
Spence Singleton, Oil City, DB
Jayden Wilmoth, Franklin, WR-DB
Lucas Wolfe, Oil City, OL
CROSS COUNTRY​
All-DISTRICT 10
Girls
Corabel Shiley, Oil City
​
Region3
Boys
First team
Gauge Gierlach, Rocky Grove, and Max Griffin, Rocky Grove
Second team
Maxx Baker, Rocky Grove; Landen Carter, Rocky Grove
Girls
First team -- Isabel Griffin, Rocky Grove; Sophie Wehrle, Rocky Grove
Second team
Bryanna Riley, Rocky Grove; Lucy Haubrich, Rocky Grove; Ellie Coyer, Rocky Grove
Region 7
Boys
Keegan Kirkwood, Oil City; Rilee Matalino, Oil City; Elliott Hulszier, Oil City
Girls
Corabel Shiley, Oil City; Alayna Gahr, Franklin; Justeyn Winner, Franklin; Kaelyn Klapec, Oil City; Olive Collins, Oil City
​
KSAC
Girls
MVP -- Beatrice Kolesar, Cranberry
First team -- Elena Ishman, Cranberry
Second team -- Darien Wenner, Cranberry
​
Boys
First team -- Dalton Wenner, Cranbery
Second team -- Daniel McCain, Cranberry
​
BASKETBALL
KSAC Boys
First team
Blake Marchinke, Cranberry (MV)
Second team
Cole Findlay, Cranberry
KSAC Girls
First team
Darien Wenner, Cranberry
Third team
Jadyn Shumaker, Cranberry
​
District 10
Boys (small school)
Landen Carter, Rocky Grove
Girls (small school)
Payton Liederbach, Oil City
​
Region 5
Boys
First team
Nevin Stinson, Oil City (POY)
Jameson Wofford, Franklin
Second team
Michael Fink, Oil City
Ian Higley,Franklin
Region 2
First team
Landen Carter. Rocky Grove
Noah Baughman, Rocky Grove
Second team
Connor Ritchey, Rocky Grove
​
Girls
Region 5
First team
Payton Liederbach, Oil City (co-POY)
​Sophia Garmong, Oil City
Second team
Laney Smith, Oil City
Zarria Cullins, Franklin
Hailey Hanna, Franklin
Jadyn Blum, Franklin
​
WRESTLING
All-District 9/10 (YDL)
First team
Dalton Wenner, Cranberry (139)
All-Retgion 2
First Team
Seth Hollerman, Franklin (107)
Gary Kiselka, Franklin (215)
Kaiden Kiselka, Franklin (285)
Second team
Ethan Hart, Franklin (152)
​
SWIMMING
All-District 10 (boys)
John Lander, Oil City
Jordan Stumpf, Franklin
All-Region 1
First team
John Lander, Oil City (50, 100, fly)
Second team
John Lander, Oil City (back)
Jordan Stumpf, Franklin (100, 500)
Franklin medley relay -- (Stumpf, Jacksen Clark, Parker Smith, Jacob Balsamo)
All-District 10 (girls)
Evelyn Highfield, Franklin (breast)
Dani Erdley, Franklin (back)
Natalie Wilson, Oil City (para)
All-Region 1
First team
Evelyn Highfield, Franklin, (breast)
Second team
Dani Erdley, Frankln, back
Franklin medley relay -- Erdley, Highfield, Chloe Switzerland, Sammi Smith)
Franklin 400 relay -- Erdley. Highfield, Switzer, Ellie Coyer)
​
​
So far...
KSAC softball
2nd team
Gracee Hess , Cranberry (P-IF)
Kennedy Stewart, Cranberry (1B)
Avery Coe, Cranberry (IF)
3rd team
Jadyn Shumaker, Cranberry (C)
​
KSAC baseball
2nd team
Brody Bowler, Cranberry (1B)
Alex McIntyre, Cranberry (OF)
3rd team
Jake McCloskey, Cranberry (OF)
​
Region 1 tennis
2nd team
Gabe Loughran, Oil City