Coach John Franco’s first tenure at Tyrone was special in a lot of ways, but above all was the way it changed and even distorted perceptions.
Wins, for example, became commonplace, so much so that seasons like 2007, when the Golden Eagles went 10-1 and were upset in the District 6 semifinals, were viewed by many as a letdown.
The vision of what it meant to run the football became skewed, as well. During that 18-year period from 1994 through 2011, Tyrone was so good at rushing the ball that thousand-yard seasons for a running back became the expectation. Beginning in 1995, when Marcus Owens produced the program’s first thousand-yard campaign since 1988, through 2011, the Eagles had 15 thousand-yard backs, and on some occasions, like 2006 with Johnny Franco and Tyler Gillmen, there was such a surplus of talent that they nearly had two in the same season.
Those days have been gone for a long time now, and in recent years the Eagles have struggled to generate a thousand yards on the ground as a team, let alone from an individual back, but if ever there was a runner who could reverse that trend it’s senior Brady Ronan.
Ronan has three 100-yard games this season and after gaining almost 200 yards in Tyrone’s 39-7 win over Huntingdon last week he’s got 653 yards with three regular season games remaining. He’s closer to the magic mark at this point in the season than anyone since Brandon Loose, who ran for 961 in 20017, and becoming the first rusher to enter the millennium club since Gary Weaver in 2015 is absolutely one of his goals.
Ronan has three 100-yard games this season and after gaining almost 200 yards in Tyrone’s 39-7 win over Huntingdon last week he’s got 653 yards with three regular season games remaining.
Brady Ronan
“One hundred percent. I was on pace earlier this season, but we’ve played a hard schedule,” Ronan said. “Late in the season I’m starting pick up the slack, and hopefully I can get it.”
A three-year starter as a running back and defensive back/hero, Ronan has the size, speed, vision, and natural instincts of all the great rushers who came before him. He’s unique in his ability to patiently read where the hole will be before slashing through the gap. He’s also got a solid line in front of him that includes players like Braden Ewing, Richard Rawlings, Jake Rice and John Stanton.
Recently, classmate Cian Hockenberry was added to that group after he had missed five games with back issues. In the two games since his return the line has gelled, and Ronan has run for 187 and 194 yards, respectively.
Ronan sees his success as many factors coming together at the right time.
“We have a lot of players back, and holes are opening up a lot more,” he said. “Th O line is really working its butt off in practice, and play calling has been really good.”
What makes Ronan stand out even when compared to some of the top rushers at Tyrone is his versatility. While he leads the team in rushing yards, he is second in receiving yards with 281 on 14 receptions.
For his career, he’s got 450 receiving yards to go along with 1,382 yards on the ground, which means a 2,000-yard career is right on the doorstep.
“Brady is an awesome talent,” said Coach John Franco. “If we can keep him healthy and on the field, he can really show you what he’s capable of. That poor kid has just had trouble stating on the field. We’re hoping those injuries are behind him, but when healthy, he’s as good as anyone around.”
Ronan started on both sides of the ball as a sophomore, but he missed one game with an injury in a season when he ran for more than 400 yards. Last season, he suffered a back injury early on and missed five games, although he was still able to rush for 320 yards.
While Ronan has been nicked up this season and sat out his share of practices, he hasn’t missed a game, and his numbers reflect that. Along with his three 100-yard outbursts, he also had 99 receiving yards against Bald Eagle Area, and last week he scored one of his five touchdowns on a 28-yard screen pass.
“I played receiver the first three or four years of my football career, so it kind of transferred over,” Ronan said. “It’s helped me a lot.”
Ronan will have the chance to add to his numbers this week when the 4-3 Golden Eagles travel to Ebensburg to play the 3-4 Central Cambria Red Devils. The game marks the beginning of the home stretch for Tyrone, and as a senior Ronan realizes what’s at stake and how quickly it can all end.
As someone who has played a major role in the program’s resurgence in Franco’s second stint in the borough, Ronan said playing three seasons for Tyrone has meant “everything.”
“There’s history, championships, coaches, records” he said. “It’s just an honor, but especially to start all three years, at a school like this, has meant a lot.”
ORANGE AND BLACK 