Last Friday at Gray-Veterans Memorial Field, before the players had even gotten on the bus to begin celebrating a 41-21 victory over Huntingdon, Tyrone coach John Franco pulled his linemen aside and began preparation for this week’s game in Cresson against Penn Cambria.
This wasn’t an X’s and O’s session. Instead, it was motivation, a reminder that one good game only demonstrates what is possible. He was relaying a message similar to that of Aristotle millennia ago: excellence isn’t a one-time thing.
“I grabbed our linemen before we left the field, and I said, ‘Which group is going to show up on Friday?'” Franco recalled. “‘If we get the group that showed up to play Huntingdon, there’s no telling how well we can play. If we get the group that showed up against BG, we’re going to get thumped. It’s up to you guys.’ We’re talented enough to get the job done.”
In that one message lies the key to Friday’s game, in Franco’s eyes. If the offensive line responds like it did when its backs were against the wall needing a win over Huntingdon to stay alive for the playoffs, Tyrone will be in a position to win, and a win over the 6-1 Panthers at this stage of the season would almost guarantee a place in the 3A bracket.
“Our linemen have to meet the challenge. It’s as simple as that,” Franco said. “This game is going to be determined by how well our linemen can compete against their linemen on both sides of the ball. Last week was the same story, and our guys came through with their best game of the year. A week before that was the complete opposite against BG. It’s a pretty simple story of what to look for.”
This game is going to be determined by how well our linemen can compete against their linemen on both sides of the ball. Last week was the same story, and our guys came through with their best game of the year.
John Franco
Tyrone’s struggles running the football had actually been brewing well before the Bishop Guilfoyle game. Against Bald Eagle Area in Week 4, the Eagles managed just 78 yards on the ground, and they followed that up a week later with a season-low 44 against Bellwood-Antis.
But it all came to a head in Altoona against the Marauders. While the 48 yards Tyrone generated on the ground was slightly higher than the week before, most of those yards came from freshman Reid Starr, who was inserted late in the fourth quarter when the score was 26-0. He carried 7 times for 51 yards, which is nothing to sneeze at, but without that late flourish the Eagles were in the red for rushing yards in a humbling performance.
That’s what made last week’s game against the Bearcats a little strange. The Eagles ran for 257 yards behind 200 from junior Caleb Whitby against a team that had been rather stout against the run. That was a positive step for Tyrone’s line, but it was also a bit of a head-scratcher, as in ‘Where has this been all season?’
It’s going to take a similar performance this week because Penn Cambria’s strength is in its offensive and defensive lines.
“When I look and compare positions, offenses, and defenses, things seem to match up evenly,” Franco said. “Their big thing is they are very strong up front. They probably have the strongest offensive line we will see all year. I think they have three of five starters back on the offensive and defensive line.”
Behind returning quarterback Brady Jones, a three-year starter, the Panthers have a fairly balanced offensive attack. While Jones has passed for 1,066 yards and 13 touchdowns, their running game has produced 1,590 yards, and it’s dangerous because it doesn’t rely on one runner. Corbin Vinglish leads the team with 633 yards and 10 touchdowns on 90 carries, but both Jones and Ian Beck have contributed 278 yards and at least 50 carries. Receiver Blake Lily has another 89 yards on 12 carries. The Panthers spread the ball around, and that will be a challenge for Tyrone’s defense.
Penn Cambria’s passing game is similar. Lily leads the way with 36 catches for 642 yards and 8 touchdowns, but two other receivers have more than 100 yards.
Slowing that group is one issue. The other will be moving the ball when Tyrone has possession. Three weeks ago, everything on offense stalled for the Eagles against B-A because, with 4 turnovers, they couldn’t hold onto the football. Against BG, the line was manhandled, and gaining an inch was tough.
Against Huntingdon, Tyrone averaged 5.8 yards per rush and 7.4 yards per play. Along with Whitby’s big game, quarterback Eli Woomer completed 12 of 18 passes for 200 yards, and Mason and Ashton Emigh had 68 and 60 receiving yards, respectively.
Everything was working, but it sprung from the fact that the holes were bigger and Woomer had plenty of time to set up. Franco said the coaching staff spent time this week emphasizing to the line the importance of creating space for the running game because its success against the Bearcats opened up the passing game and made life easier for everyone involved.
Penn Cambria will bring stronger pressure than the ‘Cats, which will make the job of Tyrone’s line all the more difficult. The Panthers have stopped 47 plays behind the line of scrimmage and sacked the quarterback 16 times.
Woomer’s numbers sent him over 1,000 passing yards for the season, making him just the second player in school history to go over 1,000 yards at two different positions. He has completed 63 of 122 passes for 1,103 yards and 8 touchdowns, but most importantly Woomer went without an interception for the first time since Week 2.
Whitby is the team’s rushing leader with 564 yards on 95 carries. He has also caught 10 passes for 131 yards as one of four players with double-digit receptions and at least 100 yards. Mason Emigh leads the team with 322 yards on 13 catches, and Brayden Parsons isn’t far behind with 13 grabs for 288 yards. Ashton Emigh has 181 yards on 10 receptions.
Fullback Dylan Robinson has emerged in the last three weeks to become a weapon out of the backfield, and in that time he’s caught 5 passes for 40 yards, including a touchdown reception against Huntingdon.
That gives Woomer plenty of weapons, but they key is providing him enough time to find the right ones.
At 4-3, the Golden Eagles moved into the No. 4 spot in the 3A playoff standings after defeating the ‘Cats, but Philipsburg-Osceola is close behind, trailing by just 30 points. That means Tyrone will need another strong finish to get into the bracket.
“We’ve done that the last couple of years,” said Franco. “We’ve played our best ball at the end of the year, but I think also last year it was a matter of getting injured players back. We have played so much better at the end of the year than the beginning of the year, and we need to do that, obviously, this year. We have an opportunity tomorrow to play what we thought at the beginning of the year would be the best team on our schedule.”
Tyrone has faced the Panthers in each of the last two seasons. In 2023, Tyrone had a 28-19 lead in the fourth quarter before the Panthers scored twice in the final 8:48 to win 32-28 in Cresson in the District 6 3A semifinals. Last season, the Eagles led 14-8 at halftime in the District 6 title game in Altoona before Penn Cambria went on a tear in the second half to win 39-14.
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