Trick play in OT hands Eagles first loss
There was a time at the height of Attitude Era wrestling in the then-WWF when top guys were using their opponents’ finishers to win matches.
It was like a tip of the cap and a sign of disrespect all in one movement, like when Shawn Michaels defeated Bret Hart with the sharpshooter or the Rock wrapped up Triple H for a pedigree.
Central went that route on Tyrone in a Laurel Highlands barnburner at Gray-Veterans Memorial Field last night, and while there was no disrespect intended, it had all the gravity of Kenny Omega dropping AJ Styles with a Styles Clash on his exit from New Japan.
Tied 14-14 and facing 3-and-goal from the 15 in overtime, Central went to a play inspired by the Golden Eagles, a halfback throwback pass that went from Bentley Dickson to Parker Scott, who was wide open in the flat to catch the pass and sprint to the endzone for what became the game-winning touchdown in a 21-14 victory.
If the play looked familiar to Tyrone fans, it’s because they’ve seen it used in the borough and beyond by the Golden Eagles for decades. It’s called the Friday Special. They won a District 6 championship with a similar play in 1987 and scored a go-ahead touchdown against Aliquippa in the 2011 Western finals with one that was almost identical.
Tyrone even used it years ago against Central, which is why it was in the Dragons’ playbook to begin with. It’s a heck of a finisher, and as every wrestling aficionado knows a classic finisher has to have a name just as good.
“You’ll laugh when I say this, but we call that play the Tyrone Special,” said Central coach Jerry Albright, whose team remained unbeaten at 3-0. “They call it Friday Special. Back in the late 80s and 90s, they ran it against us several times. We stole it from them with Jack Krider, and we’ve been running it ever since. We throw it out against Tyrone every three or four years, so they somewhat forget about it. But it paid off tonight.”
It was a stone cold play, one that Albright said his team practices three times a week, and maybe it proved Steve Austin right: don’t trust anyone. At least that’s kind of what first-year Tyrone coach Jason Jones was thinking in the aftermath of his team’s first loss.
This game couldn’t be any more even. They’re a quality team. They’re a great team. We just played one more play better than them.
Central Coach Jerry Albright
“I’m going to say it all week. They got us on that one,” Jones said. “You second guess yourself for not taking a time out. I should have taken a timeout, but I was trying to save the timeout in case we did get a stop there to set up a field goal. At the same time, they made the trick play. We didn’t. They got us. They earned it.”
The Golden Eagles still had a shot after Scott’s touchdown because they had elected to play defense first in the extra frame, but on third down Jesse Muthler picked off Ben Walk in the endzone to put an exclamation point on one of the best games the LHAC East Division 1 has seen in its brief existence.
“We made one more play than they did tonight,” said Albright. “This game couldn’t be any more even. They’re a quality team. They’re a great team. We just played one more play better than them.”
Tyrone’s bend-but-don’t-break defense, which had been unshakeable through the first two weeks of the season, was solid again. Although they allowed more big plays than they had at any time before last night – including three plays for more than 20 yards – the Eagles normally had an answer to put an end to promising drives by the Dragons.
The Eagles also got more quality yards and plays out of their offense than they had through the first two weeks, including a gritty effort from running back Caleb Whitby and a breakout performance from sophomore runner Reid Starr, who produced 28 yards in the run game and 30 as a receiver.
With top receiver Mason Emigh blanketed most of the game by Muthler, Tyrone needed production from other players, and they got it, but Jones said there’s still a lot of work for the offense to do.
“Offensively, we’ve got to get better,” he said. “I think it’s growing pains. Let’s be honest. Everyone’s going to lose a football game every now and then, but it’s how do we recover from this? It was a bunch of things – missed reads, missed blocks. It’s not one guy. It’s the offense as a whole. We’ve just got to keep getting better.”
Behind 94 yards on 14 carries from Semaj Musei, Central ran for 139 yards, and it was the Dragons’ running game that got them on the board first.
After JJ Moushlian returned a first-quarter punt 17 yards to Tyrone’s 48, Musei broke loose off left tackle on the first play of the ensuing series and won a footrace to the endzone to put Central up 7-0 following the first of Cole Marks’ three PAT kicks with 6:51 to go in the period.
Tyrone’s offense couldn’t find its footing early as it tried to establish a run game of its own. Central held Tyrone without a first down in the first quarter, and were it not for Reid Starr picking off a screen attempt by Muthler, the Dragons may well have added on to their lead.
The Eagles were finally able to free up Emigh early in the second quarter to even the score. Facing fourth-and-3 from Central’s 39, Walk used a play-action fake to give Emigh some time to get behind the defense, and he delivered a strike to his classmate, who scored to tie it following a Tytus Novak PAT with 8:49 until halftime.
The Eagles had one more shot to get on the board before the break, but a drive that reached as far as the Dragons’ 35 was halted by an illegal block, and the score stayed 14-14 at the half.
The Golden Eagles got even deeper into Central territory on their first series of the second half, moving as close as the 20, but after a holding penalty set them back to the 30, Brooks Decker came up with this diving pick on a fourth down try.
It was almost as good as a punt, starting Central at its own 10, but after Musei broke free for 22 yards on first down, the Dragons were off to the races. In its most sustained attack of the night, Central moved 90 yards on 12 plays, and Musei’s wasn’t the only big one. Carter Schenk had a 25-yard reception to get the Dragons into Tyrone territory, and he later cut back on a 16-yard run to get the ball to the 4.
But the biggest play of the drive was all Muthler. Behind the chains and facing fourth-and-11 at the 34, Muthler scrambled to his right towards the sideline, where it looked like he might get knocked out of bounds. But the junior broke free on this run and made it to the 20, extending the drive and setting up Schenk for the go-ahead score.
Three plays later, Schenk bounced in from the 3 with 2:25 left in the third to make it 14-7, Central.
Not to be outdone, Tyrone answered with a high spot of its own, a 64-yard march in response that lasted 11 plays and brought the game into the fourth quarter. Starr did a lot of the work, including a 9-yard reception to convert a third down and an 11-yard to catch to move the sticks on fourth-and-2 after Walk had orchestrated his own mad scramble to get 12 yards on third-and-14.
Whitby powered for 11 yards to the 5, and on second-and-goal from the five Starr blasted through tacklers to even the game at 14-14 with 9:48 left.
Both teams had chances to win it in regulation, with Tyrone getting to Central’s 32 and the Dragons moving to the 35, but when Muthler threw incomplete on fourth down from there, it set up the overtime period and a chance for the Dragons to hit the Eagles with their own best shot.
The game was a pivotal one for both teams because after two weeks of crossover games with the LHAC West to start the season, the next several weeks will be played against the East, most of them within Division 1, and none of them are easy for either school.
Tyrone hosts undefeated Bald Eagle Area next week before playing Bellwood-Antis and Bishop Guilfoyle. The Dragons, meanwhile, host the unbeaten Blue Devils next week before taking a trip to Mansion Park to play the Marauders.
“I told our guys just a moment ago, adversity hit us, now we’re going to rely on the seniors and coaching staff to come together this week and get better and go after Bald Eagle,” Jones said. “Our guys have come in with a different mentality, and we’re fighting. We just have to put some drives together. Our defense is really tough. This is in no way on the defense. It was a trick play. They kept us in the game. It’s tough to be excited or happy after a loss, but I was proud of our guys.”
TYRONE 0 7 0 7 0 – 14
CENTRAL 7 0 7 0 7 – 21
SCORE BY QUARTERS
First Quarter
C – Musei 48 run (Marks kick) 6:51
Second Quarter
T – Emigh 39 pass from Walk (Novak kick) 8:49
Third Quarter
C – Schenk 3 run (Marks kick) 2:25
Fourth Quarter
T – Starr 5 run (Novak kick) 9:48
Overtime
C – Dickson 15 pass to Scott (Marks kick)
TEAM STATISTICS C T
First downs 13 11
Total yards 275 195
Rushes-yards 26-139 33-103
Yards passing 135 95
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 13-26-1 10-21-2
Punts-avg. 4-38 5-41.6
Fumbles-lost 2-0 1-0
Penalties-yards 5-55 3-25
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING
TYRONE – Whitby 22-78, Starr 5-28, Walk 3-(-7), Emigh 2-8, Team 1-(-4). CENTRAL – Musei 14-94, Schenk 8-33, Muthler 2-14, Team 2-(-2).
PASSING
TYRONE – Walk 10-21-95, 1 TD, 2 Ints. CENTRAL – Muthler 12-24-121, 0 TD, 1 Int., Dickson 1-1-15, 1 TD, Schenk 0-1-0.
RECEIVING
TYRONE – Emigh 3-47, Starr 5-30, Stroup 2-18. CENTRAL – Dickson 3-35, Decker 5-44, Scott 1-15, Schenk 1-25, Moushlian 1-2, Wareham 2-15.
ORANGE AND BLACK 