There’s really no easy way to combat the kinds of things Penn Cambria can do when holding a lead in the fourth quarter.
That’s the scenario the Panthers are built for, when they’re running time, and grinding for yards is first priority.
The best option would be to not trail late against Penn Cambria at all, but despite three solid quarters last night in Cresson, that’s where Tyrone found itself as time wound down, chasing a 14-10 deficit as the Panthers churned out run after run as the clock and the Eagles’ hopes dissipated.
In the end, Penn Cambria scored twice in the final 12 minutes, employing just one pass as it blasted for 200 yards on its way to a 27-10 Laurel Highlands victory that propelled the Panthers into the top position in District 6 3A when coupled with Forest Hills’ 28-14 loss to Bishop Guilfoyle.
“I don’t know why we make it hard on ourselves sometimes, but we had a little adversity there, and we got behind and responded,” said Penn Cambria coach Jason Grassi, who is in his first season leading the defending 3A champs. “We kind of just went from there and played our game. It’s a credit to our kids. It was a tough game, a physical game. We got punched in the mouth early on. I like how we responded in the second half.”
As strong as the Panthers finished, Tyrone was there with them the whole way. Tyrone led 3-0 after its first possession of the game and took a 10-7 led on its initial series of the second half. But when push came to shove, the Eagles had no answer for Penn Cambria’s powerful running game, which ultimately generated 305 of the team’s 420 total yards.
“They just pushed us around,” Tyrone coach John Franco said. “We knew that was possible because that’s how they’ve won this year. We shut off their big-time plays, but they pushed us around. We’ve got to do a better job with our front people, both offensive and defensive. Last week we won because of our offensive line and our defensive line. This week, we lost for the same reason.”
For the first two quarters and into the third, Tyrone’s line held up well. The first time the Eagles had the ball in the third quarter, they ran the ball three times with Caleb Whitby, who popped a sweep for 11 yards before breaking free on this 42-yard run that put Tyrone ahead 10-7 following the kick by Tytus Novak.
By then, Whitby had gone over 100 yards for the second consecutive game, but the lead wouldn’t last for even one series, and Whitby had just three carries as Tyrone chased from behind.
The Panthers’ ensuing possession lasted just 5 plays and was sprung mainly on the efforts of backup quarterback Evan Latterner, who completed a 19-yard pass to Blake Lily, scrambled for 21 yards to Tyrone’s 35, and then completed another pass to Blake Nadolsky to get the ball to the 23. On the next play, Corbin Vinglish scampered in on a score that restored a 4-point lead with 4:44 left in the third quarter.
Tyrone’s offense went three-and-out when it got the ball back, but after the punt Eli Woomer picked off Latterner and returned it 10 yards to the PC 30, handing the Eagles a prime opportunity to steal a score and regain the lead. Their next drive, however, lasted only four plays and netted 7 yards.
Penn Cambria took over at its 23 and covered the distance using just one passing play – a 29-yard gain by Lily – to go ahead two scores. Vinglish carried tacklers on gains of 16, 6, and 12 yards, and Brady Jones broke more tackles on this 11-yard run that made it 20-10 with 8:14 left in the fourth quarter.
The Panthers’ defense held firm again on Tyrone’s next series, forcing a punt after three plays, and a 35-yard punt return by Lily set up Penn Cambria at the 50. Vinglish carried three straight times for 30 yards, and Jones again capped the march with a 15-yard run to make it 27-10.
“We played well for three quarters, and I can’t believe we got pushed around like that in the fourth quarter,” Franco said. “But give them credit. What it comes down to is making plays. They made some plays, and we didn’t. Even though the line was the most telling factor, we still needed to come up with some plays.”
Tyrone had gone ahead early thanks to a 63-yard drive after it had received the opening kick. Whitby had the big play of the drive when he weaved through traffic to pick up 48 yards on a screen to the Panthers’ 25. The advance stalled at the 12, and Novak came on to kick his first varsity field goal from 30 yards out.
Penn Cambria drove to Tyrone’s 21 when it got the ball for the first time before Woomer got his first pick of the night, intercepting Jones at the 5. A holding penalty led to the Eagles punting from their 9 when the Panthers turned in their first big play of the night. Lily took the kick and evaded the first wave of tacklers before dashing to the sideline and beating the defense to the endzone on a 50-yard return. Jones made the PAT and the Panthers had a 7-3 lead with 1:49 left in the first quarter.
That score would remain until halftime as both defenses came through with important stops. The Panthers halted one Tyrone drive with an interception of Woomer and ended another by picking off Ben Walk. The Eagles, meanwhile, ended one drive with a fourth-down stop and forced a punt on Penn Cambria’s last series of the half.
It was a defensive struggle all the way into the fourth quarter, but for the third time in the last three seasons, the Eagles couldn’t hold up over the final frame.
Two years ago, the Eagles led the Panthers by 9 in the fourth quarter of the District 6 3A semifinals only to lose 32-28 on a last second score following a late-game collapse that included a punt blocked for a touchdown. Last season, in the 3A finals, the Eagles were down just 10 against Penn Cambria before allowing a pair of fourth quarter scores off two interceptions.
Vinslish finished with 103 yards on 16 carries while Latterner, who took most of the second-half snaps with Jones playing running back, had 7 carries for 117 yards after sprinting for 89 yards on the game’s final play.
Whitby ran for 112 yards on 19 carries and Ashton Emigh had 41 on 9 carries as part of a solid running attack that produced 161 yards.
The Eagles will now face Philipsburg-Osceola next Friday on Homecoming in a game that may well determine their playoff fate. Tyrone remained No. 4 in 3A after the Mounties lost 42-0 last night to Bishop McCort, but P-O is just 30 points behind the Eagles with two games remaining.
“It looks like next week it’s going to be a playoff game,” Franco said. “We’ve got to lick our wounds and get back to work and have a better performance than we had in the fourth quarter tonight.”
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Tyrone 3 0 7 0 – 10
Penn Cambria 7 0 7 13 – 27
First Quarter
T – Novak 30 field goal 8:39
P – Lily 50 punt return (Jones kick) 1:49
Third Quarter
T – 42 run (Novak kick) 6:02
P – Vinglish 23 run (Jones kick) 4:44
Fourth Quarter
P – Jones 10 run (PAT kick failed) 8:14
P – Jones 15 run (Jones kick)
TEAM STATISTICS T PC
First downs 17 21
Total yards 319 420
Rushes-yards 33-161 35-305
Yards passing 158 115
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 10-22-2 9-18-2
Punts-avg. 2-34.5 1-53
Fumbles-lost 1-1 0-0
Penalties-yards 6-65 8-61
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Tyrone Whitby 19-112. A. Emigh 9-41, Woomer 3-15, Walk 1-6, Team 1-(-13). Penn Cambria Vinglish 16-103, Jones 7-59, Beck 3-19, Lily 2-7, Latterner 7-117.
PASSING—Tyrone Woomer 4-9-81, 0 TD, 1 Int.; Walk 6-13-77, 0 TD, 1 Int. Penn Cambria Jones 5-11-46, 0 TD, 1 Int.; Latterner 4-7-72, 0 TD, 1 Int.
RECEIVING—Tyrone M. Emigh 3-32, Whitby 1-48, Robinson 2-12, A. Emigh 2-21, Harris 1-10, Woomer 1-41. Penn Cambria Lily 7-99, Nadolsky 2-16
ORANGE AND BLACK 