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Saturday, June 7, 2025 | 11:01 AM
Kiski School’s Owen Sinclair
There is a reason they call it prep school.
Owen Sinclair knows that better than anyone at this point.
The former Franklin Regional standout linebacker spent a year at The Kiski School in Saltsburg to enhance his skills and build his resume for college football.
The opportunity gave him a fresh perspective, boosted his talent and landed him a spot on an NCAA Division III team.
He is prepped for the next step in his career.
The 6-foot-1, 225-pound Sinclair is set to play next season at Washington & Jefferson of the Presidents’ Athletic Conference.
“Staying on a campus during football camp and getting a different experience than public school was really important,” Sinclair said. “I definitely had to make relationships quickly, and there were so many new people and verbiage. That’s the part similar to what I anticipate the college experience to be like.”
Cross-country road trips also were something new to Sinclair, a team captain and defensive MVP.
“We had to travel longer distances than high school and sometimes stay overnight for games,” he said. “I had to learn how to get game-ready on the road in an unfamiliar place and sometimes after being on a bus for five hours. The competition was also pretty good. We were consistently going up against teams with multiple D-1 commits.”
Sinclair also had interest from Fordham, but opted for the D-3 level and tight-knit quality he found at W&J.
“The sense of community was so important on the Kiski campus, and that was something that coach (Mike) Sirianni preached when I was on my visit to W&J,” he said. “Everyone really working together for a common goal, which is to win and be competitive. At Kiski, we were trying to rebuild, but at W&J, I’m going to a place where winning is already a part of the culture. My job there would be to not only maintain that culture but strive to attain higher goals to the best of my ability.”
Sinclair made 64 tackles last season, an impressive 20 for loss, and seven sacks. He also forced two fumbles, recovered a fumble and blocked an extra point.
A mauling linebacker from Franklin Regional, which was known for producing them over the years under former coach Greg Botta and now, Lance Getsy, Sinclair’s story has shades of another such player. Justin Johns was a dominant force in the middle for the Presidents, finishing his five-year run as the program’s all-time leading tackler (350).
Sinclair believes he can follow the path carved by Johns, who also is a Franklin Regional product.
“I definitely think I can,” he said. “I think every coach on my visit asked if I knew Justin, so he obviously had an enormous impact on the program. I didn’t know Justin personally, but I have heard about the type of person he was and how he carried himself through Franklin and then W&J. Using his demeanor and attitude as a blueprint would put me in a great place to succeed.”
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
Tags: Franklin Regional
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