Getting any first-year program off the ground can be a challenge, but Franklin Regional is handling the move rather seamlessly.
The district’s new boys volleyball team is a full-fledged WPIAL program and is competing this spring in Section 2-3A with Armstrong, Latrobe, Hempfield, Norwin and Penn-Trafford.
The Panthers are led by coach Mike Feorene, who won a WPIAL title and was a PIAA runner-up with the girls program in 2021. Feorene knows about starting a program, having founded the Norwin boys team in 1994. He coached the Knights for 10 years.
Who knows how long he will lead the Panthers, but his enthusiasm is as fresh now as it was a decade ago.
Watching a fledgling program grow makes him smile.
“Things are going well. I’m loving every bit of it, and the players are too,” Feorene said. “It’s been a ton of work both on the court and off. Finding players when you have so many spring sports is tough. I actually have one player who is playing both baseball and volleyball and balancing it quite well. Not all of the after-school activities are as flexible, especially the ones that perform year-round. However, I found a group of players who are committed to building our program.”
The team has 17 players, and Feorene said they are committed to doing more than participating.
Initially, he had 34 players for summer workouts, but some decided the sport was not for them.
“This group works hard to make themselves better every time they enter the gym,” Feorene said. “They realize they are the underdog every time we play, which inspires them to play harder. They don’t make excuses; they just work to make themselves better every time they touch a ball.”
Just because the team is new does not mean it is raw. The Panthers have size and athleticism and already are winning.
In eight sets at the Fox Chapel tournament, Franklin Regional beat the host team twice, split two with Plum and lost 29-27 to perennial 2A playoff contender Derry.
The Panthers lost 25-19 to Upper St. Clair in the playoffs.
“We achieved my overall goal of scoring at least 15 points per game,” Feorene said.
The team’s first official win in the standings came March 18 when it edged past McKeesport, 3-2.
Top players include 6-foot-7 sophomore Jason Buczynski, a middle blocker, junior setters Anthony Poole and Dom Mascara, junior outside hitters Cruise Lamanna and Noah Walker and senior libero Brandon Chan.
Sophomore Nico Fioravanti, who also plays baseball, adds power to the opposite side, while junior defensive specialist Josh Chen, junior middle blocker Lucas Kozuch and senior defensive specialist Gabe Tomko are other contributors.
“Every one of these kids adds something to our team,” the coach said. “We have a ton of height, which will help in our blocking game.”
Feorene also coached the Norwin girls and was an assistant with the Cal (Pa.) women, both stints lasting five years.
He led the Franklin Regional girls for eight seasons.
Promotion has helped the booster program gain traction. Alexa Feorene, the coach’s daughter and a former Franklin Regional standout, is an assistant coach. She has taken to social media to get out the word that the program not only exists but is thriving.
“We are a work in progress,” Mike Feorene said. “As of right now, we are ahead of where I thought we would be. I’ve seen us grow and perform at times at a competitive level; however, they are developing players, so they make mistakes that typical new programs make.”