No game is won or lost on a single play alone, and yet every game has a sequence of events that turn the tide from one team to another. This series delves into the monumental plays that swung momentum for the Golden Eagles in some of their most memorable games.
Marcus Owens called it one of the most important touchdowns for the Tyrone football program.
Coming from a man who made a career of scoring big touchdowns during an era when every victory was monumental, that’s pretty high praise.
What’s interesting is that outside of the players who were involved with the game back on October 8, 1994, few remember it.
One reason why is because it opened the gates to so much more. What came after became the story. Everything else was mere prologue.
But a serendipitous bounce on a flubbed option play against unbeaten Central started making believers of the Golden Eagles and their fan base. From the win it helped produce sprung other wins thanks to even more magical plays on bigger stages against better teams. It was the stuff legends are made of.
However, all legends are based on at least a kernel of truth, and that October evening the truth was Brady Naylor was in the right place at just the right time to spring a touchdown unlike any Tyrone had seen in years. It was the defining play of an upset victory, the likes of which would soon become the norm under Coach John Franco, who was just then cutting his teeth with the Golden Eagles, just six games into a career that would grow to more than 20 seasons in the borough.
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ORANGE AND BLACK 