Bellefonte (0-0) at Tyrone (0-0)
Gray-Veterans Memorial Field
Friday, August 28, 2026
Last Time Out: TYRONE – lost in the first round of the District 6 3A playoffs to Huntingdon 42-7 at War Vets Field in the final game at Tyrone in the legendary career of John Franco. An early pick-6 form the Bearcats put the Eagles on their heels, and they never recovered, but it was a slow death. Tyrone couldn’t stop Huntingdon’s powerful running attack and ultimately surrendered more than 200 yards on the ground. Landon Erdman, who ran for 145 yards, scored twice in the second quarter to make it 21-0 by halftime, and added one more touchdown in the fourth quarter to set the final. Franco retired just two months later, opening the door for Jason Jones to accept his first varsity coaching job and begin a new era in the borough. BELLEFONTE – lost to Shamokin 42-13 in the first round of the PIAA 4A playoffs. The Indians set the tone with their rushing attack, with two players gaining more than 100 yards and a third finishing with 93. in all, Shamokin ran for 425 yards. The Raiders, meanwhile, turned the ball over three times and could never get untracked after a promising scoring drive in the first quarter to answer the Indians’ first touchdown. The loss ended a 6-7 season, but the Raiders captured the District 6 4A championship, their first title since 2019.
Series: The series between Tyrone and Bellefonte began in 1922, just the second year Tyrone High School fielded a football team, and it’s one that has generally been dominated by the Eagles, thanks in no small part to an 18-game winning streak Tyrone forged from 1993 through 2015. Among those 18 wins were five shutouts and eight games where the Eagles scored over 40 points. But the Raiders flipped the series in 2016 with a 14-13 come-from-behind win at Gray-Veterans Memorial Field and would go on to take the next four matchups. Tyrone has since won three of the last four.
In one of the most bizarre periods in the series, the teams tied three straight games from 1983 through 1985 before the Raiders won by a single touchdown in 1986 and lost by a point in 1987. During the ’87 game, Bellefonte had two tries at game-winning field goals inside Tyrone’s 7 with time winding down and missed both.
Tyrone leads the all-time series with 46 wins and 24 losses. Nine games have ended in ties.
Coaches: TYRONE – Jason Jones (0-0); Tony Confer (15-21 in 3 seasons at Bellefonte)
Last Meeting: The Raiders looked dead in the water, down 20-7 in the fourth quarter, before rallying late two score twice in the final two minutes and deal Tyrone a 21-20 defeat at Rogers Stadium on Friday, August 22, 2025.
First, Bellefonte quarterback Brennan Huntsinger pulled off a pair of big scrambles with his team behind the chains to keep alive a drive that ended with a 26-yard touchdown run by Ashten Howell that made it 20-14. Then, the Raiders caught Tyrone flat-footed on the ensuing onsides kick, and recovered at Tyrone’s 43.
The Eagles thought they had Bellefonte’s final drive squashed until Mason Emigh was flagged for pass interference on a fourth-down pass. That set up Huntsinger’s game-winning throw to Jackson Long with just 21 seconds to play.
Until then, Tyrone had been in control. They had taken the lead early on a run by Caleb Whitby, regained the lead on an 80-yard reception from Emigh, and gone up two scores on a 4-yard run by Ashton Emigh in the third. But their inability to sustain a running game was the difference. The Eagles gained just 56 yards on the ground and could never move the sticks with their running game in the second half.
PLAYERS TO WATCH: TYRONE – Caleb Whitby (RB-DB) … Mason Emigh (WR-DB) … Kyler Suhoney (OL-DE) … Ben Walk (QB) …. Reed Starr (RB-LB) … Jon Stroup (WR-DB). BELLEFONTE: Brennan Huntsinger (QB-DB) … Ashten Howell (SB-DB) … Alten Howell (QB-RB-DB) … Landyn Langille (WR-DB) … Carson Crawford (RB-LB) … Mason Englert (OL-DL).
TYRONE – has not won a season-opener since 2022 … is employing a first-year starter at quarterback (Ben Walk) for the second straight season … is replacing all but one player on its offensive and defensive lines.
BELLEFONTE – was 1-6 against Laurel Highlands teams who made the playoffs in 2025 … returns more than 800 rushing yards in Alten and Ashten Howell … has had one winning season since 2019.
Hidden Stat: In 2025, Bellefonte was 3-5 against teams from lower classifications.
ORANGE AND BLACK 