Eagles hope to bounce back

TORJANS SEEKING FIRST WIN SINCE 2019

There are certain historical dividing lines that resonate with Americans as clear markers of a before-time and after-time.

Post-war America. Post-9/11. The country and the world were demonstrably different in the times before those eras and after.

Post-COVID is the most recent marker of a shift in eras. It was only four years ago, but in many ways it feels as though a lifetime has passed since March of 2020.

We’ve got to get ourselves playing a game where we aren’t making mistakes. We corrected them this week, and we’re going to be improved over what we were last week.

Coach John Franco

That broad perspective helps to bring into focus the struggles of the Greater Johnstown football team, which visits Gray-Veterans Memorial Field on Friday for a Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference intersectional game against Tyrone. The Trojans have not tasted victory on the gridiron since October 18, 2019, when they scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to come from behind and defeat Somerset 33-27.

Schools were open, Americans were as yet unaware of the job performed by Anthony Fauci, and social distancing was not yet a phrase.

Even without the seismic changes that occurred as a result of a global pandemic, four years is a long time to go without a football victory, and yet that’s where the Trojans are as they head into the borough. They have lost 31 straight games, a streak of misfortune that includes a 47-0 loss to Forest Hills last week in the season-opener.

In that way, it would seem Greater Johnstown is tailor-made for the Golden Eagles. After losing to Clearfield last Friday, blowing a two-touchdown lead in the second half, Tyrone is in need of a confidence boost, and playing a team that has been down since 2017 could provide just that.

But that’s not the way Coach John Franco is looking at it. For him, the game isn’t about the opponent. Its about Tyrone addressing and correcting the miscues that helped to gift wrap Clearfield’s comeback victory a week ago.

“We’ve got to be concerned about ourselves,” he said. “We’ve got to get ourselves playing a game where we aren’t making mistakes. We corrected them this week, and we’re going to be improved over what we were last week. That’s always the factor after the first week, whether you win or lose.”

Some of the specific areas where Franco said his team needed to be better:

• Pre-snap penalties: Tyrone was flagged 10 times against the Bison, including three penalties for a false start against the center. Penalties in general were a problem. Up 14-2 with just seconds left in the first half, the Eagles drew a penalty for a kick out of bounds, and then on the ensuing play were flagged for roughing the passer and a hit out of bounds, which set up Clearfield for one last untimed play from the 7. The Bison failed to score, but the problems on Tyrone’s side of the ball were obvious. Later, in the third quarter, Tyrone had a fourth-and-goal stop nullified with a defensive holding penalty, opening the door for a Clearfield score on the next play.
• Playmaking: Franco recalled a crucial fourth down in the fourth quarter when Bison quarterback Will Domico was flushed from the pocket and threw up a Hail Mary into the vicinity of two Tyrone defenders, but it was Clearfield that came away with the ball for a key first down. One play later the Bison scored to take the lead.
• Snaps on punts: Tyrone took a safety because of one mishandled snap in the first quarter and then held off a serious threat that penetrated its 20 in the third for the same reason. Punter Rocky Romani actually had a good day kicking the ball, averaging more than 36 yards per punt, but the exchange from center to punter was precarious and frequently put the Eagles in a bad situation.

“There are a lot of corrections we are going to be able to make, and it’s just the whole idea,” said Franco. “Playing hard every play, what our culture is all about, not taking any plays off.”

After three shaky series on offense to open the game, Tyrone moved the football fairly well when it was able to mix things up. While Ashton Walk completed 14 of 28 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns – in the process becoming the fourth quarterback at Tyrone to go over 3,000 yards for his career – Brady Ronan ran for 79 yards on 17 carries and added another 66 yards on short passes. Andrew Weaver (4 receptions for 53 yards and a touchdown) stood out in his first game as Tyrone’s top wide receiver. Seth Hoover had a touchdown reception out of the backfield.

Things changed when Tyrone fell behind in the fourth quarter and the offense became more one-dimensional, but the Eagles fell behind, in large part, because 4 of 11 defensive starters were out with cramps by the end of the third quarter.

There were also issues, Franco noted, on the offensive line, where he felt pass protection was lacking (Walk was sacked four times). Franco attributed it to young linemen learning to deal with the quickness of a varsity rush, but warned that the same issues could arise this week.

“If there’s one thing that these guys have, it’s quickness,” he said. “So we’ve been working all week on correcting that. Hopefully, we’ll have it taken care of.”

Led by Johnstown alum and former Pitt standout Antwuan Reed, the Trojans have some things they’d like to tidy up this week, as well, but the concerns in Johnstown run deeper than in Tyrone. Reed said he’s looking for his team to handle the little things and to play with a sense of urgency that wasn’t there against Forest Hills, but beyond that the Trojans are working with a lot of young players who are just getting a taste of varsity football.

“We have some young players playing, and they have to get used to that,” Reed said. “The only way you can do that is playing. You can simulate it at practice, but you have to go through those learning curves and grow from them. We have to take something from each game and each practice and grow from it.” It’s a journey. I tell guys, when you’re a young player, it’s tough. You still have to grow, though.”

Johnstown surrendered 389 yards in total offense to the Rangers while mustering only 107 and had the mercy rule clock running against it by the third quarter.

Tyrone has not had a win over an LHAC opponent outside of the Mountain League teams in its section since 2020. The Eagles are 3-0 versus Johnstown all-time, with their last win over the Trojans coming in 2013 (20-9).