Whitby averages over 48 yards/punt
Even when things looked bleak for Tyrone last night against against Bellefonte, you had to think Ben Walk and Caleb Whitby would have a say in the outcome of the game.
Few would have believed their impact would have been felt most as punters, but weird things happen in first games, and for the Eagles that meant two of their best playmakers helped turn the tide by booting the ball away rather than putting it in the endzone.
Their kicking was one of several factors Coach Jason Jones used to his advantage in locking down victory No. 1 at Tyrone in his first game as the Eagles’ skipper. Despite trailing most of the final three quarters and being outgained by more than 200 yards, Tyrone executed many of the little things very well, and that ultimately led the way to a 14-7 Laurel highlands East win at Gray-Veterans Memorial Field.
Whitby, in particular, helped the Eagles flip the field possession after possession with booming punts few Bellefonte returners could field. He averaged 48.4 yards on 7 kicks and had three kicks that went over 50 yards.
Special teams in general were a bright spot for the Eagles, who also returned a kickoff for a score and blew up a Raider attempt at a field goal in the fourth quarter.
“Special teams were fantastic,” said Jones. “Coach (Brad) Kanuch did a great job preparing our guys. We told them early in camp that special teams are going to win games. They did tonight with field position. You never know which way you’re going to win a football game. Two of the three phases were good tonight. We have to pick it up with the offense. But Coach Kanuch with the special teams and Coach (John) Shelton with the defense were fantastic.”
Tyrone needed something to gain an edge because it wasn’t happening offensively. The Golden Eagles ran for just 22 yards and gained only 83 yards total. They were held without a first down until their final series of the first half and only moved the chains 5 times all night.
And yet despite Tyrone’s offensive issues, Bellefonte was never able to pull away because the Raiders’ own offense couldn’t sustain drives or turn promising ones into points.
It all created a situation where a single play could make the difference, and after a half of struggling like few others Mason Emigh has endured in his three-year career, the senior receiver delivered two difference-making plays late in the fourth to propel Tyrone to its first win in the season-opener since 2022.
“We made plays when we had to, but we have a lot to work on,” said Jones. “I told our guys adversity would hit at some point. Our guys, our seniors, stepped up when needed. I couldn’t be happier for the seniors.”
The first several minutes were anything but adverse for the Eagles, who used special teams to get on the board early. Junior Coltyn Frye took the opening kick at the 9, darted for the wedge in the middle of the field, and then broke free down the left sideline for this 91-yard touchdown that gave Tyrone a 6-0 lead.
Tyrone kept the momentum rolling when Bellefonte got the ball and nearly secured a game-changing takeaway on the Raiders’ first play, but an inadvertent whistle blew the play dead, negating a fumble recovery by Dylan Robinson.
Still, the Eagles defense was holding the Raiders in check, keeping Bellefonte from converting a first down through its first three series.
The problem was, Tyrone’s offense wasn’t going anywhere, either. By the end of the first quarter, the Eagles had netted minus-2 yards and punted three times.
Just before the frame ended, the Raiders got themselves moving by involving quarterback Alten Howell in the running game. After running three times for 12 yards, Howell quickly zipped a pass on the perimeter to Parker Jodon, who made one defender miss at the line of scrimmage and raced to a 73-yard touchdown with 43 seconds left in the first quarter.
Noah Tomlinson came on to add the extra point and give the Raiders a 7-6 lead.
It was an edge Bellefonte would maintain for most of the game, primarily because Tyrone could not move the chains or make big plays on offense. Emigh himself had three uncharacteristic drops in the first half, while the Golden Eagles could barely reach 20 yards on the ground.
The one promising drive the Eagles had in the second quarter, which reached as far as Bellefonte’s 19, ended when Walk was picked off in the endzone throwing into double coverage.
Tyrone’s saving grace was most times a drive stalled, Whitby was there to shift field position with a perfectly lofted punt. His final punt of the first half went 58 yards and backed up the Raiders inside their 20.
“Their punter put them in a position to win that football game,” said Bellefonte coach Tony Confer “We had opportunities to put points on the board and we didn’t. If we can cash in, I’d feel good about our chances. Historically, our special teams are very good. They just caught us on (the kick return). That was probably the play of the game, between that and their punts. And we didn’t execute offensively when we needed to.”
Late in the third quarter Bellefonte had a chance to extend its lead after the Raiders drove as far as Tyrone’s 6. But after the series stalled, a poor snap rubbed out Tomlinson’s try at a 22-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Taking over at the 4, Tyrone couldn’t move the ball, forcing Whitby to get a punt off from inside his own endzone, but the senior responded with his best kick of the night, a 62-yard boomer that cleared the head of Bellefonte returner Ashten Howell and started the Raiders at their own 34.
“We practiced punting a lot during two-a-days,” Whitby said. “Special teams were very big. It took them out of field position.”
The teams exchanged punts two more times, but by then the field had been flipped thanks to Whitby’s kicks. Ultimately, Tyrone took possession at Bellefonte’s 42 with under five minutes remaining.
That was when Emigh finally got loose.
On second down, he took a slant from Walk and cut between a couple defenders to make it 22 yards to the Raiders’ 20. Whitby lost two yards the following play, setting the stage for the game-winning pass.
On second-and-12, Walk dropped back, avoided pressure from an outside rush, stepped up into the pocket, and delivered a strike to a wide open Emigh in the endzone after he had somehow sneaked behind double coverage.
Jones had expected Bellefonte to give Emigh plenty of attention with double coverage consisting of a defensive back and a linebacker underneath, and that’s what happened on most plays, so that made taking a chance for something big when it was available crucial.
“I told (our coaches) we were going to get a shot with Mason. We had to take it,” said Jones. “At that point I think they (Bellefonte) thought we were playing for a field goal, which was definitely in mind, but when we knew we had a chance to take a shot, we did. I give our guys credit for stepping up in such a big game.”
It was no small bit of vindication for both Walk and Emigh, who had been frustrated until that series in their efforts to connect.
“I had my team, my coaches, everyone believing in me,” he said. “I told them I was going to go out and get them one, and I did. I figured I had to get them one for what I did.”
Walk, who was making his first varsity start after working into the quarterback rotation in the back end of the 2025 season, didn’t find it hard to keep his confidence in Emigh, despite some big drops in the first half, one of which came in the endzone in the second quarter.
“That’s probably the most he’s dropped in his entire career,” Walk said. “I knew in the second half, if I just put it somewhere catchable, he was catching it.”
Jones and company opted to go for two following the touchdown to establish a 7-point lead, and once again Walk looked for Emigh. Facing single coverage in the flat after moving back through the formation in motion, the pitch-and-catch may have been the duo’s easiest connection of the night.
The scores came with 2:53 remaining, so all that was left was for Tyrone to play defense and run some clock. After shutting down the Raiders on four plays, Tyrone took over at Bellefonte’s 48 and ran three plays to get the clock under a minute.
Then on fourth down, the Eagles lined up in shotgun formation but used a quick snap to allow walk to pooch a kick 28 yards to Bellefonte’s 18.
By then, just 6.4 seconds remained.
The Raiders produced 288 yards in total offense, with Howell alone accounting for 162, 109 of which came through the air. Brantley Hall finished with 79 yards on 15 carries to front a rushing attack that generated 179 yards.
‘We didn’t execute offensively when we needed to,” Confer said. “I felt like our guys took over the physicality in the second quarter, and that led into the second half, but we gave up big plays and didn’t come up with big plays on our own. It’s one of those games you’d like to have over.”
Tyrone was thinking the same thing a year ago when a similar scenario played out at Rogers Stadium. While the Eagles dominated much of the game, the Raiders controlled the final two minutes, and that was enough in a 21-20 win.
After this one, Jones talked about the need for the Eagles’ running game to improve and even offered a critique of his own play-calling, but in the end he recognized it as a significant win for the program.
“I couldn’t be happier for the coaches,” he said. “The guys who one our staff who decided to stay bleed Tyrone. Scott Gummo, Brad Kanuch, and our entire junior high staff decided to stay, and they have been nothing but great. I’m happy to do it with them because they decided to stay. This one’s about our seniors and coaching staff, and I’m just happy to be along for the ride with it.”
Tyrone will take on Westmont Hilltop in Johnstown next week while Bellefonte hosts Forest Hills.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Bellefonte 7 0 0 0 – 7
Tyrone 6 0 0 8 – 14
First Quarter
T—Frye 91 kick return (PAT kick failed) 11:44
B – Jodan 73 pass from Howell (Tomlinson kick) :43.1
Fourth Quarter
T – Emigh 22 pass from Walk (Walk pass to Emigh) 2:56
TEAM STATISTICS B T
First downs 11 5
Total yards 288 83
Rushes-yards 39-179 19-22
Yards passing 109 61
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 8-17-2 8-17-1
Punts-avg. 5-28.4 8-45.9
Fumbles-lost 3-1 2-1
Penalties-yards 5-53 2-10
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Bellefonte: Al. Howell 13-53, As. Howell 6-40, Hall 15-79, Park 1-1, Bowman2-(-1), Bartley 1-5, Jodan 1-2. Tyrone: Whitby 11-25, Walk 3-10, Starr 3-3, TEAM 2-(-16),
PASSING—Bellefonte: Al. Howell 8-16-109, 1 TD, 1 Int.; Park 0-1-0, 1 Int, Tyrone: Walk 8-17-61, 1 TD, 1 Int.
RECEIVING—Bellefonte: As. Howell 4-24, Weaver 2-5, Jodan 2-80. Tyrone: Emigh 4-59, Whitby 1-(-2), Stroup 1-0, Gwinn 1-1, Frye 1-3.
ORANGE AND BLACK 