Dragons steamroll Golden Eagles

Central mercy rules Tyrone in 42-7 victory

When Tyrone coach John Franco looks at Central’s football team, it’s like he’s stepped into a time machine.

But the journey isn’t taking him back to some bygone era of football where players wear leather helmets and ride trains to road games. Instead, it’s a trip that sends him to a point in time a little more than a decade ago, and the team he sees isn’t the Dragons, but his own.

They’re on a roll. I can remember those days. They come each year believing they can win because they’ve seen their predecessors do it. And that’s what we’re trying to get back to.
John Franco

In essence, Central now is what Tyrone was in its best years under Franco. The Dragons have got a system that works, athletes galore, and a confidence that exudes from the players on the field.

It was all on display Monday night when the Dragons dominated the Golden Eagles at Roaring Spring Athletic Fields, building a 28-0 lead by halftime and cruising to a 42-7 mercy rule victory that dropped Tyrone to 1-2 overall and in the Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference.

The unique Monday evening time frame allowed the teams to make up a game that had been postponed on Friday due to lighting and then put off a second time on Sunday because of impending storms.

The Dragons played as complete a game as one could hope for under those circumstances. Their defense forced two turnovers – a pair of interceptions of Ashton Walk by Hunter Smith – and limited Tyrone to just 55 yards in the first half. On offense meanwhile, first-year starter Eli Muthler completed 16 of 28 passes for 217 yards and 4 touchdowns as part of 348 yards in total offense generated by the Dragons.

“You have to give them credit,” said Franco. “They are so well coached. They have really good kids, and everybody has bought into the program. They’re on a roll. I can remember those days. They come each year believing they can win because they’ve seen their predecessors do it. And that’s what we’re trying to get back to.”

It was Tyrone’s worst loss to the Dragons since falling 42-7 in 2015, which was the first time the Golden Eagles had ever fallen by mercy rule.

Central jumped on Tyrone early and spread the ball around to a group of skill players who were big and fast. Even when the Eagles’ defense made plays to put the Dragons in long distances on third downs, Central had an answer.

The Dragons were facing third-and-8 on their first series when Muthler hit Jack Dunn for a 23-yard gain. Dunn then capped the 69-yard drive later with an 8-yard touchdown reception to put Central up 7-0 after the first of Smith’s 6 PAT kicks.

Central strikes first.

On that one possession, Dunn had three receptions for 40 yards, and he finished with a season-best 6 catches for 90 yards.

For its part, Tyrone struggled to move the ball in the first half, managing just three plays and a punt on its first two series.

Brady Ronan gave the Eagles some life for a moment when he picked off Muthler at the Central 31 on this play where he dropped into zone coverage and read his keys perfectly.

Ronan picks of Muthler.

But even then the celebration was short-lived. Tyrone failed to net a yard against Central’s stiff defense, which has allowed only two scores in 12 quarters. The Eagles’ ended the series on downs at the 32.

That defensive stand ignited the Dragons, who went on to score three times in the final 9:14 of the first half to take a commanding lead by halftime.

The first score came on a 9-yard pass from Muthler to Jacob Benton to end a 68-yard drive and make it 14-0.

The big play on the series came from Smith, who had a hand in most positive plays the Dragons made. The 6-foot-3, 200-pound linebacker/running back took a pass in the flat, bowled over Eli Woomer at the 50, and barreled 24 yards to the 30. It was a textbook example of purposeful running, and it set a tone for things to come.

Smith drives for a first down.

Central was then turned away on a march that went to Tyrone’s 16, but on the Eagles’ ensuing possession Smith picked off Walk on a middle screen and returned it 45 yards for a score that had the Dragons ahead 21-0 with 3:18 left in the half.

If Ronan read the correct cues on his earlier pick of Muthler, Smith read his pick-6 from the snap of the ball, almost baiting a throw to the middle of the defense.

Hunter Smith delivers a pick-6.

Smith finished with 76 yards on 10 carries, a rushing touchdown, and 43 yards on 3 receptions.

“It was a great game. He made the plays at the right times for us,” said Central coach Dave Baker.

Franco, as well, heaped praise on Smith, who has dominated the Eagles physically and on the stat sheet the last two times the teams have faced off.

Franco praises Hunter Smith.

Tyrone went three-and-out for the third time in the first half when it got the ball back, and a 50-yard punt by Rocky Romani started Central at its 33 with 1:17 left until halftime. Undaunted, Muthler hit Dunn for 30 yards on first down and caped the 9-play drive with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Baron Dionis with 15.1 seconds left.

“They did everything right, and we did everything wrong,” said Franco. “We have a lot of growing up and learning to do, but we’ll get better every week. Tonight showed how much growing up we have to do.”

Central got the mercy rule clock running on its second series of the second half, which began after Smith picked up his second interception of Walk at the Dragons’ 23. Like the first one, he returned it for a score, but it was called back to the Dragons’ 37 on a clipping penalty. It took Central just five plays to cover the 63 yards, with the big play coming when Muthler threw deep to Benton for 43 yards to Tyrone’s 5. Smith blasted in on the next play to get the clock rolling with 4:24 left in the third quarter.

Muthler drops a dime to Benton.

Tyrone’s lone score came on the following possession when Walk hooked up with Eli Woomer for a 71-yard touchdown on third-and-12. Romani made the extra-point to make it 35-7.

Woomer makes a highlight-reel catch for a score.

The Dragons closed it out on their next series. Smith broke loose for a 66-yard run to move the ball from Central’s 14 to the Tyrone 20, and six running plays later Muthler scored from the 5.

It was the third straight game the Dragons won by mercy rule and the third time this season they’ve scored forty points – all in a year where the Dragons were supposedly coming back down to earth after winning three straight District 6 3A titles.

“I knew we had a pretty good team,” said Baker. “I’m not sure at this point how good we are. We have a long way to go, and we’ll see how it progresses.”