top of page

Franklin Escobar '24: A Record Breaking Legacy on the Soccer Field

By Eian Kiyashka and Kyle Lee

IMG_8092.JPG

In all of Portledge history, it is rare to come across an athlete as talented as senior captain, Franklin Escobar. Ever since joining the Boys Varsity Soccer team in the eighth grade, Franklin has become an icon and tremendous key player for the Varsity team, as well as a prominent name throughout the school. Through his immeasurable talent and dedication to the sport, this year, Franklin was able to make Portledge history and achieve an unthinkable accomplishment. Permanently inscribing his name into the Portledge Athletics records, Franklin officially became the leading scorer for Portledge School.

This feat is not one to take lightly, as it is an extremely rare and special accomplishment - one that most don’t get a chance to witness during their high school careers. In fact, before Franklin scored his record-breaking goal against St. Dominic Highschool this past fall, the Portledge School record remained standing since 1994, with Armand Kulpa, who scored a total of 74 career goals.  Although the idea of surpassing the goal record seemed impossible to many, by the end of his final season with the Panthers, Franklin absolutely destroyed the Portledge record by scoring an impressive total of 95 goals!

Throughout his entire Portledge soccer career, Franklin has been a major contributor to several of the team’s hard-fought victories and successes, including winning back-to-back PSAA championships, reaching the PSAA finals, and, for the first time in Portledge’s boys varsity soccer history, making it to the NYSAIS semi-finals. 

Known for being a determined and talented player on the pitch, Franklin has not only been an important athlete on the field, but a role model and leader for his teammates, especially the underclassmen. During an interview with some of Franklin's teammates, Sena Manzone, a freshman player on the Boys Varsity Soccer Team, stated, "Franklin has been a true inspiration and a leader to me. Although I've only played a season with him, he's helped me grow as a player and a person."

This paper is dedicated to the amazing feat accomplished by Franklin, as we celebrate his remarkable journey and the impact he has had on our school. We wish him all the best in college, where he will play Division 1 Soccer for St. John’s University. Congratulations, Franklin!

bottom of page