When the Tyrone Golden Eagles travel to Westmont on Friday to take on Westmont Hilltop, they will be facing a challenge much different from the one they encountered in Week 1.
Against Bellefonte one week ago, Tyrone was tasked with limiting a versatile offense that came at you in a lot of different ways. By the time the clock wound down on the Eagles’ 14-7 victory, eight different players had touched the ball for the Raiders, on plays ranging from counters to sweeps, from swing passes to quick hitches.
Things will be a little different this week at Price Field. Tyrone and Westmont clash at 7 p.m. in an LHAC crossover game, with the Hilltop hoping to get its first win since September 22, 2023.
While the Hilltoppers have a handful of capable skill players, their bread and butter is an inside power running game led by bruising back Bryce Goodman. At 6 feet and 205 pounds, the senior is an in-your-face power back all the way, and Westmont’s offense builds off him.
We talked about physicality this week and having an edge to us when we go out there. We may not be the biggest, and our guys know that, but it’s the mentality we play with.
Tyrone Coach Jason Jones
So while the challenge for Tyrone in Week 1 was to recognize and adjust to Bellefonte’s varied schemes, in Week 2 it will be much more about toughness – knowing what’s coming and being strong enough to stop it.
“They have some big guys on the offensive line, and their running back is big. They do have some playmakers in the slot and at wideout, but we’re expecting a pretty heavy run package,” said Tyrone coach Jason Jones. “We will have to match their size and physicality, especially inside the box.”
Tyrone’s toughness against the run was put to the test against the Raiders, and the results were a mixed bag. While the Eagles allowed 179 yards and an average of 4.6 yards per attempt, they made some important stops when it mattered most, especially in the Red Zone. That was when players like Dylan Robinson and Kyler Suhoney were at their best, coming up with stops behind the line of scrimmage to turn away two promising advances.
At the end of the day, the defense forced three turnovers and allowed just a single score, so something was going right, and it was more than just Tyrone’s punting game, which averaged more than 45 yards per kick, keeping the Raiders in difficult spots.
Jones would like to see the offense make a similar impact against the Hilltoppers.
Last week, Tyrone managed just 83 total yards on 35 plays, which is barely 2 yards per play, and were it not for a couple late-game connections from Ben Walk to Mason Emigh, chances are good the Eagles would have gone without an offensive touchdown.
Jones said some of the issues could be attributed to growing pains and a team learning a new system. There were missed reads and missed assignments, and those gaffs contributed to an offense that rarely produced much in terms of big plays, though some were there to be made.
“It was a bunch of things,” said Jones. “There’s a new system being put in place, and I also think the players have to know, if they’re not sure where they’re supposed to go on a certain concept, we have to make sure we hit it in review and not just say, ‘Yeah, we feel confident with that play.'”
Walk and Emigh both rebounded in the second half to help the Eagles pull out the win. Walk completed 5 of 6 passes in the third and fourth quarters, while Emigh had four second-half receptions.
Jones said he and his staff made some changes this week that could lead to improvements at Westmont, including adjustments to help their blocking scheme and others to address the strengths of their running game, which he said was getting to the perimeter of the defense.
Last season, it was the Hilltop game that got Tyrone’s offense moving following a similarly frustrating start at Bellefonte. In a 49-6 victory, the Eagles amassed 419 total yards, and Caleb Whitby alone accounted for 188 rushing yards.
“I’m confident in our players and our offensive line,” Jones said. “Everybody has made a big deal of the offensive line, and I’ll be honest, I used it as a little bit of motivation with them. I would love to be able to run the ball inside the box, but I think our strength is going to be getting the ball on the perimeter.”
Tyrone will be facing a defensive line that’s a little bigger up front than Bellefonte’s, but it’s one that was exploited by Forest Hills in their Week 1 win over the Hilltoppers. The Rangers ran for 266 yards and needed only 9 pass attempts to hold off Westmont in a surprisingly close 13-10 win.
Matching those players and moving them will be part of the challenge for the Eagles this week. Another will be avoiding becoming the team that ends the Hilltoppers’ losing streak, which has now reached 25 consecutive games.
“We talked about physicality this week and having an edge to us when we go out there,” said Jones. “We may not be the biggest, and our guys know that, but it’s the mentality we play with. They haven’t won a game in a long time, but it’s a pretty senior-heavy group. It’s a very big game for them. It’s their first game at home, and they think the way we struggled offensively they have a shot.”
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