Tyrone and B-A bring identical 3-1 records into Blair County’s biggest game
At a glance, Tyrone and Bellwood-Antis couldn’t be more different.
The Blue Devils are a team that has run the ball at will this season and looked good doing it. They’ve got more legitimate offensive weapons than they know what to do with and their coaching staff is reaching Penn-State-in-the-90s kinds of experience and cohesion.
Tyrone, on the other hand, under the direction of their its first-year head coach Jason Jones, has had to fight for every inch it has gained. The Eagles have few offensive superstars, and none of their wins have looked particularly pretty.
But they have two big things in common: both Tyrone (3-1) and Bellwood-Antis (3-1) can honestly claim they’re a play away from being undefeated heading into Friday’s Backyard Brawl at Memorial Stadium, and both suffered their only loss against that pesky team from Martinsburg that just doesn’t want to lose.
The Golden Eagles, 21-14 losers in overtime against Central two weeks ago, were able to shake it off and get back on track last week with a 15-6 win over Bald Eagle Area. As for the Blue Devils, who fell to the Dragons 28-26 last week, their ability to bounce back remains to be seen, but Coach Nick Lovrich is confident the group he has possesses the kind of character it would need to rebound strongly.
If that’s going to happen, it will be under more than a little pressure in Blair County’s top rivalry game – the Backyard Brawl.
“Last week was a tough loss for us. We were right in the game and had a chance, but just didn’t come up with the win,” said Lovrich. “Anytime you come off a loss, you want to do better the next week. It just so happens that our biggest rival is our next game, so that just adds some more incentive.
“Friday showed a lot about their character. We got down 21-6, and not one person’s head went down. No one was complaining or pointing fingers. They stuck together. It says a lot about the brotherhood we’ve been talking about all year. So I feel really comfortable with that.”
It will be Lovirch’s ninth Brawl as B-A’s head coach, though he’s been around for many more than that. Lovrich began coaching on the Devils’ staff in the late 90s and before that he played for B-A. It won’t be a must-win game for his team, but in a loaded 2A field consecutive losses are the difference between hosting playoff games at home and long drives on November Fridays.
For Jones, on the other hand, the game will be his first against Tyrone’s arch-rival, so he’s drawn on his own experiences in rivalry games, both in high school at Bald Eagle Area, where a matchup in the Curtain Bowl against Bellefonte was the game-of-the-season, and as a player at Juniata.
“Be humble,” he said. “We know how good they are. The last thing we want to do is give them any bulletin board material. The other thing in a game like this is to stick together. It’s always been team, toughness, Tyrone. I added ‘together’ when I got the job. It’s not just the 44 guys in the locker room. It’s the band, the administration, the parents, the coaching staff, the players, anybody who’s around our program together. You win together. You lose together, and you build a program together. When things hit (Friday), adversity is inevitable. Stick together and fight through it.”
The biggest battle of the game will be one of strength against strength, namely B-A’s relentless rushing attack against the Eagles’ vastly improved run defense. Under defensive coordinator John Shelton, Tyrone is allowing just over 100 yards per game, and their numbers in that area have steadily improved since allowing 179 rushing yards against Bellefonte in Week 1.
The Eagles’ run stoppers were at their best last week in their win over BEA, when they allowed just 60 yards on the ground and stopped 12 plays behind the line of scrimmage.
But the Blue Devils have seen teams loading up to stop the run for years now, with little effect. B-A is led by senior Alex McCartney, who has gained 529 yards and is averaging 132 rushing yards per game.
If the issue was simply limiting him, the challenge facing Tyrone would be difficult but not impossible. The problem comes from the depth in the Devils’ running attack. Senior Bradyn Partner, who will start at quarterback in place of the injured Brendan McNelis, has 286 yards on 31 carries (9.2 yards per carry), while Chase Plummer has run for 148 yards on 28 carries.
Just a year ago, the same crew torched the Golden Eagles for more than 250 yards in B-A’s 26-7 win.
The matchup of the night is going to be our defense against their offense. Their run game is so potent. It’s so good. They have a bunch of dudes. So we know that their run game is going to be their biggest thing.
Tyrone Coach Jason Jones
“The matchup of the night is going to be our defense against their offense,” Jones said. “Their run game is so potent. It’s so good. They have a bunch of dudes. So we know that their run game is going to be their biggest thing. They’re going to look to get McCartney the ball, and why wouldn’t you? He’s one of the best runners I’ve seen in high school in this area. I know this sounds simple, but if we can tackle and continue to read our keys, and continue to do the things we’ve built through the first four weeks, I think we’ll be okay.”
Limiting B-A’s three-headed attack will be tough enough, and even then the Eagles will still have to find a way to generate offense against a very good defensive team. The Golden Eagles average just over 19 points per game, a number skewed slightly by defensive and special teams scores.
Tyrone is still working to find consistency and piece together long scoring drives under a new offensive system, which has given it a feast-or-famine look. The Eagles scored twice on long pass plays last week, and for the season four of their nine offensive touchdowns have come on plays of at least 40 yards.
“Tyrone has made some big plays,” Lovrich said. “They’ve been in more defensive struggles, but they’ve made some big plays with the guys they have. They have a big play offense.”
The Eagles’ top playmaker, senior Mason Emigh, had a breakout game even by his own standards last week, with 5 receptions for 159 yards. He’s been the guy, and even against defenses geared specifically to stopping him and him alone, he’s found ways to make plays.
Quarterback Ben Walk experienced a similar breakthrough against BEA, completing 10 of 17 passes for 186 yards. On the season he has completed 30 of 66 for 416 yards and 6 touchdowns.
Since keeping the current group of Blue Devils off the board is unlikely (B-A hasn’t been shutout since a 34-0 loss to Tyrone in 2023), the Eagles will have to find a way to make their scoring opportunities count.
“For us, at times, it’s about getting out of our own way and doing things we can do to execute our game plan,” said Jones. “Last week, even though we didn’t score until the fourth quarter, I thought our offensive line played their best game of the year. We’re trying to build off that. It’s just one or two things every play – a missed block, a missed assignment – and it snowballs. But this week in practice we felt very good about where we’re headed.”
The weight of moving the ball on the ground will now fall squarely on the shoulders of sophomore Reid Starr after Tyrone learned this week starting running back Caleb Whitby will miss the remainder of the seasosn with a knee injury. It’s a heavy blow for the Eagles both offensively and defensively, but the durable Starr has been improving each week. After running for 97 yards against BEA, he now has 189 yard and two touchdowns on 47 carries.
Outside of those matchups, one that could go under the radar is that of Tyrone’s punt and kick coverage teams against B-A’s electric return man Jackson Dorminy. While Tyrone is averaging 43 yards per punt, with four punts this season over 50 yards, Dorminy has averaged 30 yards per punt return, giving the Devils an ability to shift field position without running an offensive play.
“Dorminy is very good, and we’ve talked about him,” said Jones. “Spceial teams is always a key in a game like this. Especially when our offense is struggling the way it is, you’ve got to win two our of three phases, and that’s something we’ve done each of the four weeks. I hope it does come down to special teams. I feel confident in our ability to do that. If it doesn’t, it means one of the two teams is getting shredded.”
Lovrich, who is 5-3 against the Golden Eagles since 2018, is anticipating a tight game, and with a ball control offense capable of long possessions and capping drives, that’s a game the Devils can win.
“Anytime you have the Backyard Brawl, it’s always going to be close,” he said. “There haven’t been too many blowouts in the history of the series. You can throw the records away because both teams really get up for this game.”
