This site is about the sports doings -- mainly football -- of the high schools in Venango County, Pa. Contact:
State champ!
Berry Proud!
Many, Many Medals this fortnight for CRANBERRY
Swimming, wrestling, BOYS BASKETBALL...
Dalton Wenner has an opponent on his back en route to the PIAA 3A state wrestling title at 139 pounds. His big month included the West regional and the District 8/9 crowns where he was named Outstanding Wrestler. Click here for more.
District 10 champs
John Lander and Natalie Wilson won District 10 2A titles in the 50 and 100 freestyles two weeks ago. They are Cranberry students who swim for Oil City in the co-op between the two schools. Both will compete in the state meet this weekend at Bucknell.Photos by Christy Fackler (Lander) and Kelly Malek (Wilson).
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Cranberry boys repeat as D-9 3A champs
A Connor/Kelly Malek in focus photo
It's a wrap
With the Cranberry boys' loss to Aliquippa on Saturday, the 2025-26 basketball season became a done deal in Venango County. Visit the BASKETBALL PAGE to review -- although it is still awaiting all-stars from the various District 10 regions.
Cole Findlay pull-up jumper in the paint/JB Graphics
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Franklin graduates Easton Fulmer and Camdon Bashor finished their senior seasons of college basketball. St. Vincent (Bashor) was 21-7 and Chatham (Fulmer) was 18-8 but neither team made the NCAA Division III playoffs. Chatham played to a share of the PAC regular season title. Bashor received an honorable mention on the Presidents Athletic Conference all-stars. Photos from their school web sites. Final stats:
NEXT UP...swimming
Franklin's Erdley, stumpf join Lander, Wilson in D-10 2A winners' circle
Franklin's Jordan Stumpf qualified for states in two open events -- as did Dani Erdley -- and Evelynn Highfeld and Jacksen Clark made the cut in the breaststroke.
Franklin relays that advanced were the girls medley (Erdley, Highfield, Sammi Smith and Ellie Coyer) and the 200 free (Smith, Coyer, Erdley and Chloe Switzer) FHS photos/
Christy Fackler Madyson Kissell of Oil City was runnerup in the 500 and a third alternate for the state meet. (Photo by Kelly Malek)
John Lander (Photos by Erie Times News)
Seeds announced for
state swimming meet
Here are the seeds involving local swimmers for the PIAA 2A swim meet later this week at Bucknell.
2A events will be Friday/ Saturday. Para 50 will be Thursday.
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3rd seed -- John Lander, Oil City. 100 free, 46.72; top seed 46.57
5th seed -- Jordan Stumpf, Franklin, 500, 4:43.08; top seed 4:35.89 (Sharon's Nate Dorsch, 7th seed, 4:35.89)
6th seed -- Stumpf, 200, 1:44.04; top seed 1:37.93 (Dorsch, 5th seed, 1:43.95)
6th seed -- Dani Erdley, Franklin, back, 58.77; top seed 54.94
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11th seed -- John Lander, Oil City, 50 free, 21.71; top seed 20.78
19th seed -- Franklin girls medley, 1:54.20; top seed 1:45.18
20th seed -- Evelynn Highfield, Franklin, breast, 1:07.98; top seed 1:03.77
25th seed -- Jackson Clark, Franklin, breast, 1:01.24; top seed 55.36
25th seed -- Highfield, 200 IM, 2:18.36; top seed 2:01.36
27th seed -- Franklin girls 200 free, 1:45.56; top seed 1:36.80
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Oil City's Natalie Wilson along with Grove City's Miles Gardner will be the first two from District 10 to participate in the para swimming. This is the second year for para swimming. Para events are scheduled for Thursday.
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Football
Franklin finds
its man
Austin Ion was introduced as the new Franklin football coach at a school board work session on Jan. 19. He officially became Franklin's 26th paid coach at the board's Jan. 26 meeting.
Ion succeeds Matt Turk, a former Knight all-star, who resigned after six years at the helm.
Ion is a 2017 Keystone High School graduate who played football, basketball and baseball for the Panthers.
He played wide receiver at Grove City College, where he majored in accounting.
He has coached at Keystone for eight years and most recently served as jayvee coach under coach Todd Smith.
The commiittee to select a new coach at Franklin consisted of athletic director Becky Barnes, high school co-principal Tom Holoman, Central Elementary principal Joe Keenan and assistant AD Chris Romanowski.
Ion was the choice among "nine good applicants," according to Barnes.​