Stanton returns after a year-long injury
From 2019 through 2022, the first four seasons after John Franco returned to coach at Tyrone following a seven-year hiatus, a top priority was getting the team’s offense back on its feet.
Point production had steadily fallen from 2016 through 2018, bottoming out at barely 17 points per game the year prior to Franco’s return. More and more teams on the schedule were spreading out their offense and producing big numbers, so something was going to have to change.
By 2020, the Eagles had evolved and made big improvement before generating record-setting offenses in 2023 and 2024.
What was unique about the teams reviving Tyrone’s offense was, contrary to teams of the past, production began with the passing game, which was both by design and necessity. From 2021 through 2024, the Eagles clearly had one of the best passers in the area in record-setting quarterback Ashton Walk, but during that same era they typically lacked an offensive line that was good enough to make running the football the first priority.
That could all change in 2025, when Tyrone returns the biggest and most seasoned offensive line of Franco’s second tenure.
“Last year, (the offensive line) was a weak spot for us, and it took us a half a year to really get a solid group in place,” Franco said. “It wasn’t a coincidence we took off after that and had a really good year. Those guys are back.”
By the end of 2024, Tyrone’s running attack, led by Seth Hoover, was just as effective as its passing game. Hoover had at least 90 rushing yards in four of the Eagles’ last five games, including a 249-yard, 4-touchdown explosion against Forest Hills in the District 6 4A semifinals. The balance Hoover gave Tyrone on offense opened things up further for Walk, who ultimately passed for more than 3,000 yards.
Much of that production was possible because a line that started on shaky ground made major improvements. Some of those players graduated, like Austin Lucas, Cian Hockenberry, and Ian Gibbons, but injuries and a general lack of depth necessitated that many younger guys made it into the rotation.
That means this year Tyrone is starting 2025 with both experience and depth on the line, which is an ideal situation considering the Eagles will be operating with a new starting quarterback for the first time since 2021.
The unit includes a strong group of returning seniors in Owen Oakes, Kaden Ansman, Alex Starr, and Lucas Bonsell, all of whom started last season. Add to that mix a junior like Kyler Suhoney and a sophomore in Zach Silva, and there’s depth and size on Tyrone’s line for the first time in a long time.
Injuries played a big role in some of those underclassmen gaining experience last season, but that has created a surplus in 2025, where there’ are a number of quality players fighting for spots in the starting lineup.
It’s an interesting comparison to last year when we had all skills kids back, but we had no linemen. This year, we have the linemen back, but few skill kids returning.
John Franco
“Those guys are all back, so that looks good,” Franco said. “And then we have John Stanton, who we had projected as our Number 1 lineman for the year (in 2024), and he didn’t play a down. He’s recovered from the injury and been rehabbing. We have to build around that.”
The loss of Stanton for all of 2024 was a big blow to the Eagles. A two-year letter-winner, he missed the entire season with a knee injury suffered outside of football. By the final weeks of the campaign he was close to a return, but it never happened.
Franco expects him to be a factor on both the offensive and defensive lines in 2025.
Oakes missed half his junior year after dislocating his ankle in a Week 2 victory over Johnstown, and his absence was notable. By then, the Eagles were just beginning to adjust to the loss of Stanton.
It’s not a coincidence that Hoover’s numbers improved markedly after Oakes made his return, with the Eagles averaging just under 200 yards per game over the last five.
Like those two all-conference candidates, Starr will be in recovery as 2025 begins after suffering a knee injury late in 2024, but he is expected to be back at some point. Also expected to contribute are senior Parker DeStefano and Suhoney, who grew into a starter at defensive end as a sophomore and will rotate in on the offensive line this year.
Rounding out the rotation will be senior Caden Harris, who like Suhoney was a defensive starter in 2024, and Silva and classmate Gage LaRosa.
Added into the blocking mix will be senior H-back Marshall Martin, who spent part of 2024 starting at tight end, and senior fullback/receiver Ashton Emigh, who has lettered each of the last two seasons and expanded his role in Tyrone’s offense as a junior, with 10 receptions.
And then there’s junior tight end Ben Walk, a 6-foot-4 quarterback by trade whose size alone demands he get snaps. He has received rave reviews from his coaches in the preseason and could be a true X-factor for Tyrone’s offense, emerging from nowhere to take on a new role.
Those players will make the transition from Ashton Walk to 2025 starter Eli Woomer much easier. While Woomer is a capable passer (Franco said he has had a nice summer throwing the football in 7-on-7 games), his biggest strength is as an athlete, and an offensive line that can provide time for him to scramble and be creative is a big plus.
“It’s an interesting comparison to last year when we had all skills kids back, but we had no linemen,” said Franco. “This year, we have the linemen back, but few skill kids returning. One of these years we may get everybody back together.”
The strength of Tyrone’s line also creates a fortuitous situation for junior Caleb Whitby. He’s a junior who became a serious contributor in 2024 as a kick returner, but he’s spent the past two seasons waiting his turn at running back behind Brady Ronan and then Hoover.
Both of those backs went over 1,000 yards despite running behind lines that were always works in progress. The explosive Whitby will have luxury of working with a line that’s big-game ready from the start.
“The key is keeping Whitby healthy,” said Franco, referring to an injury Whitby suffered last spring that ended his track & field season prematurely. “We can rotate Ashton Emigh and Whitby at running back, and then we’ve got some younger kids that are giving us a little bit of depth.”
The Golden Eagles were able to put on the pads Monday for their first contact drills of the preseason.
Tyrone will travel to Clearfield for its first scrimmage on Saturday before opening its season August 22 at Rogers Stadium against Bellefonte.
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