Huntingdon rides early momentum to win over Tyrone in D6 semis
A little over two months ago, Tyrone lost a game it probably shouldn’t have lost. After taking a two-score lead into the fourth quarter against Bellefonte in the season-opener, the Eagles lost 21-20, and they spent the better part of the season chasing the points they didn’t earn for beating a 4A team.
When Tyrone finally squeezed into the District 6 3A playoffs, that loss appeared to be in the rearview mirror, but last night’s semifinal against Huntingdon made it abundantly clear why every game matters and even the most mundane of losses can come back to haunt you.
Two minutes into the second quarter at War Vets Field, the Bearcats had possessed the ball for 7 offensive plays and gained 24 yards.
And they led 13-0.
It was a nightmare scenario for the Golden Eagles, who had dominated the Bearcats just four weeks earlier, winning 41-21 when the game was played in Tyrone at Gray-Veterans Memorial Field
But on the road, in front of a lively Huntingdon crowd, the Eagles were never able to gain any type of momentum following the disastrous start, and in a reversal few saw coming lost to the ‘Cats by mercy rule 42-7.
As a game between the No. 2 and 3 seeds, had Tyrone won that game in Centre County two months ago, the semifinal would have been played in the borough.
Huntingdon (8-3) will now face defending champion Penn Cambria next Friday at Mansion Park in the title game. It will be the first championship game appearance since 2017 for the Bearcats, who haven’t won it all since 2005.
The Eagles’ fist series ended with a pick-6 going the other way, and early in the second quarter had a punt blocked to give the ‘Cats possession inside the 20.
Huntingdon soon had its two-score lead, and that allowed the ‘Cats to do what they do best – run the football and avoid the pass, something they were never able to do when the teams played in Tyrone. Huntingdon ultimately rushed for 207 yards and five touchdowns and had built a 35-0 by the third quarter.
“That was the difference this time around compared to the first time. We were able to control the line of scrimmage,” said Huntingdon coach Tim Lucko, who has the ‘Cats playing for a District title in his third season. “We got into some things we liked, and it worked out for us. I’m proud of our kids and their effort all around.”
On their first possession, Tyrone had actually moved as far as Huntingdon’s 23 with a smooth drive that was keyed by a 35-yard pass from Eli Woomer to Ashton Emigh and was halted only when the Eagles were called for offensive pass interference on a third down play from the 25. That set the ball back to the 40, and when Woomer rolled out on his next pass he was sandwiched by Landon Erdman and Owen Herncane on his release. The ball wobbled for 10 yards and was intercepted in the flat by Cole Lane, who weaved down the sideline for this 70-yard touchdown that had the ‘Cats ahead with 7:52 left in the third quarter.
Two series later, Tyrone was punting from its own 31 when Caleb Whitby’s kick was blocked by Gavin Norris and recovered at the 17 by Luke Mykut. Four plays later, Erdman went in from the 4 and it was 13-0 before Tyrone knew what happened.
“Eli gets hit in the back and they get a pick-6 out of it, and the first punt we had blocked all year sets up another touchdown,” Tyrone coach John Franco said. “When things go wrong, they really go wrong. It was just one of those nights.”
While Tyrone’s offense was capable of recovering from a two-score deficit, Huntingdon’s is built to protect those leads, and it did so behind the wheels of Erdman, who ran for 145 yards on 15 carries and scored three times, in the process going over 1,000 yards for the season.
Unlike the earlier matchup, when Tyrone ran for 257 yards and controlled the line of scrimmage, Huntingdon had its way up front on both sides of the football, limiting the Eagles to 85 rushing yards.
“Since I’ve been at Huntingdon, they’ve jumped on us the previous three games early,” Lucko said. “We were preaching all week that you can’t allow them to gain momentum. We have to actually seize the momentum, and you see it. Once you get the momentum and are able to run the ball, which we excel at, it’s a big difference in the game.”
Tyrone went most of the way with junior Ben Walk calling signals after he came on for Woomer on the Eagles’ second series. Walk and Woomer had essentially split time at quarterback in each of the last three games, but in the week leading up to the District 6 semifinals Woomer had not practiced at all after missing school wit the flu. Woomer went the distance against the Bearcats, but after Walk took over at quarterback it was as a wide receiver.
Huntingdon never started a drive in its own territory in the first half and began from behind the 50 twice the entire game. The Bearcats added one more score before halftime on a four-play, 40-yard drive that Erdman opened with back-to-back runs of 21 and 17 yards. He capped the drive with a 4-yard run that made it 20-0 with 1:44 left in the second quarter.
Tyrone’s first series of the second half began at its own 13 and ended with a punt from the 8, which allowed the ‘Cats to set up at the Eagles’ 33. On the ensuing series, Huntingdon went to its other senior back, Evan Edmiston, who carried four straight times and scored on a 20-yard blast up the middle. The third of Kaiden Snare’s 5 PAT kicks made it 27-0 with 7:20 left in the quarter.
The Eagles had a chance to cut into the lead when they drove 64 yards on four plays, including a hook-and-lateral from Walk to Woomer to Whitby that went for 43 yards to the ‘Cats’ 36. But on second down from the 15, Walk’s pass to Mason Emigh went through the receiver’s hands into the waiting arms of Javaughn Dodson, who returned the pick 95 yards to the 5.
Three plays later, Elliott Guisler – who threw only three passes – avoided a sack and scrambled to find Dodson for a 9-yard touchdown pass. Erdman ran in the PAT to make it 35-0 and put Tyrone under the mercy rule in the postseason for the first time in its history.
Tyrone finally got on the board as time expired in the third when Walk hit Emigh in the front corner of the endzone on a 14-yard pass. The drive was ignited by a 46-yard hookup from Woomer to Emigh on a reverse.
That made it 35-7, but the ‘Cats quickly got the score back. Their ensuing series began on their own 48, and on the first play Erdman broke free for a 52-yard touchdown that set the final.
“Give them credit. They beat us one-on-one at the line of scrimmage,” said Franco. “We tried everything running-wise and couldn’t get anything established and were left with just throwing the ball. You can’t just do one thing. It was a night where everything that could go wrong did go wrong.”
The Golden Eagles finish the season 6-5.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
TYRONE 0 0 7 0 – 7
HUNTINGDON 7 13 15 7 – 42
First Quarter
H – Lane 70 interception return (Snare kick) 7:52
Second Quarter
H – Erdman 4 run (PAT kick failed) 9:58
H – Erdman 2 run (Snare kick) 1:44
Third Quarter
H – Edmiston 20 run (Snare kick) 7:20
H – Dodson 9 pass from Guisler (Erdman run ) 3:27
Fourth Quarter
T – Emigh 14 pass from Walk (Novak kick) :00
H – Erdman 52 run (Snare kick) 11:27
TEAM STATISTICS T H
First downs 12 9
Total yards 292 216
Rushes-yards 24-84 27-207
Yards passing 208 9
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 12-34-3 1-3-0
Punts-avg. 5-28.6 3-45.3
Fumbles-lost 1-0 2-1
Penalties-yards 8-81 5-43
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Tyrone Whitby 9-55, Woomer 3-(-2), A. Emigh 6-21, Starr 2-15, Walk 1-(-5). Huntingdon Edmiston 7-40, Erdman 15-145, Guisler 5-9, Lane 1-(-7), Rivello 3-2, Gibson 2-12, Mykut 1-6.
PASSING—Tyrone Woomer 3-5-80, 0 TD, 1 Int.; Walk 9-29-128, 1 TD, 2 Int. Huntingdon Guisler 1-3-9, 1 TD, 0 Int.
RECEIVING—Tyrone M. Emigh 4-96, Woomer 5-62, Whitby 1-(-1), Parsons 1-15, A. Emigh 1-35. Huntingdon Dodson 1-9.
ORANGE AND BLACK 