Franklin Regional in first state final

Franklin Regional topped General McLane in a PIAA Class AAA semifinal.
ASSOCIATED PRESS
SLIPPERY ROCK, Pa. --Robbie Armstrong rushed for 203 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries to lead Franklin Regional to a 24-14 win over General McLane in the PIAA Class AAA semifinals on Friday.
The victory earns Franklin Regional (14-1) its first trip to the state championship game, a Dec. 9 contest against Pottsville (13-1) at Hersheypark Stadium. Pottsville earned its berth with a 14-9 win over Manheim Central.
Armstrong scored Franklin Regional's first touchdown on a 21-yard run with 6:39 left in the first quarter. He then scored on a 33-yard run on the first play of the fourth quarter.
General McLane (12-1) tied the score at 7-7 with a 9-play, 83-yard touchdown drive, capped by a 29-yard run by Ryan Skelton.
But Franklin Regional regained the lead with a 21-yard field goal by Glen Halperin with 7:21 left in the second quarter. The Panthers increased their lead to 17-7 with a 1-yard sneak by Lenny Gallo.
General McLane's Drew Astorino returned the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for a touchdown, cutting Franklin Regional's advantage to three points.
Franklin Regional iced the victory with two scores in the fourth quarter.
Pottsville 14, Manheim Central 9
HERSHEY, Pa. -- Quarterback Jake Wartella scored the go-ahead touchdown late in the third quarter to give Pottsville (13-1) a victory in a Class AAA semifinal.
Wartella's TD, coming on a 16-yard run, helped erase a 9-0 deficit.
Manheim Central (12-2) took a 2-0 lead near the end of the first quarter when Pottsville snapped the ball through the end zone on a punt.
The District Three champion Barons pushed their lead to 9-0 right before halftime on Jeff Ochoa's one-yard run and Steve Bullock's point-after.
Pottsville, the District 11 champs, opened the third quarter with a 13-play, 76-yard drive, which culminated with Andy Buziak's five-yard TD run.
Manheim Central's ensuing punt went just 17 yards and Pottsville needed just four plays to get Wartella's game-winning TD.
Pottsville's J.J. Moran rushed for a game-high 103 yards on 16 carries. Buziak ran for 85 yards on 16 carries.
Duquesne 33, Coudersport 2
CLARION, Pa. -- Chris McCall, Shon Taylor, and Pete Hawkins returned interceptions for touchdowns to lead Duquesne in a Class A semifinals.
The victory earned Duquesne (14-0) its first trip to the state championship game, which will be held Dec. 9 at 1 p.m. at Hersheypark Stadium. The Dukes will face the winner of today's game between defending champion Southern Columbia (11-2) and Steelton-Highspire (11-2) in the title game.
The game was delayed one hour and 15 minutes due to weather conditions. The field, covered by snow, quickly turned to mud, which led to 19 turnovers. Coudersport (13-1) fumbled 13 times, losing nine, and was intercepted five times. Duquesne fumbled six times and lost five.
McCall opened the scoring for Duquesne with a 25-yard interception return. Elijah Fields gave the Dukes a 14-0 first quarter lead with a 70-yard punt return.
Duquesne added three more defensive touchdowns in the second half. In the third quarter, Layton Dunn recovered a fumble in the end zone. In the fourth quarter, Taylor returned an interception 53 yards for a touchdown, then Hawkins returned another 27 yards for a score.
Dunn rushed for 188 yards on 33 carries to become only the second running back in Duquesne history to reach 2,000 yards. Dunn has 2,106 yards for the season.
Coudersport's only points came on a safety in the third quarter.