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By KERRY NAYLOR In a game of punishing hits, none was more devastating, nor more seemingly costly, than the one applied by Central’s Jarron Knisely on Tyrone receiver Derrick Emigh late in the fourth quarter last night in Roaring Spring. With the Golden Eagles trailing 20-14 and facing fourth-and-23 at the Dragons’ 28, quarterback Steve Franco zipped a pass to Emigh in the middle of Central’s zone defense – an area commonly referred to as the soft spot. But there was nothing soft about what happened once Emigh took the ball and ran. The 5-foot-5 senior had a first down inside Central’s 5, but as he turned towards the endzone, he was clobbered by Knsely, losing the football in the process. It was the Eagles’ only turnover of the game, and it could have meant curtains for Tyrone. Instead, Tyrone did what it was forced to do most of the game, after falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter. The Eagles turned the game over to their defense, held faith in their offensive game plan, and somehow turned Emigh’s fumble into a positive. Tyrone’s defense held the Dragons to three yards on four plays on their ensuing possession, forcing a punt from the end zone that eventually led to the game-winning touchdown drive in a 21-20 victory. With the win, Tyrone remained undefeated at 5-0, and improved to 2-0 in the Mountain League’s Nittany Division. Central, last year’s division champ, fell to 1-4, and 1-1, and is now faced with the daunting task of winning out just to make the District 6 playoffs. “We didn’t come ready to play,” said Tyrone senior lineman Jared Templeton. “They took it to us and drove it down our throats. We had to pick it up or we were going to get blown out.” The Eagles’ need for urgency was never more real than on their final drive, a drive that began with 3:19 to play at Central’s 33 thanks to a 17-yard punt return by Emigh. Christian Getz ran for seven yards on first down, but three plays later the Eagles were facing fourth-and-2 at the 25. On a rollout, Franco found Getz for 8 yards to the 17, and with time winding down Tyrone kept the ball on the ground. Getz went left off-tackle on three consecutive rushes, gaining 9 yards on first down and 4 on second before busting into the end zone with 38 seconds left from 4 yards out. Templeton came on to kick the extra-point to break a 20-20 tie. The decision to stick with the run, and keep Getz running behind the 6-foot-4 Templeton, was an easy one for Tyrone coach John Franco. “I still had a timeout,” Coach Franco said. “I felt like we were going to go with our best back behind our best lineman. We had a timeout if we needed, but players win games by making big plays, and we were going behind our best guy.” For the Dragons, it was one more heartbreaking loss in a season that’s already had plenty of them. Central had already lost two games to Bellefonte and Central Mountain in the final two minutes. “That’s the third time we’ve been in a situation like that this year,” said Central coach AJ Hoenstine. “It’s a tough situation. The guys know we’re going to have to run the table over the next five games if we’re going to make the playoffs. If we can find a way to do that, I wouldn’t want to be the Number 1 or 2 seed to play us, but we’re going to have our hands full.” If the Dragons could have captured and replayed their first quarter over the final three, that playoff run may not be as steep a climb as it is today. Central dominated the first 12 minutes in a way seldom seen against Tyrone. The Dragons scored touchdowns on their first two possessions and finished the period inside the Eagles’ 35. Lucas Runk scored the Dragons’ first touchdown on a 2-yard run, capping an 8-play, 65 yard drive. Runk carried six times on the series for 48 yards and completed a 14-yard pass to Eric Keefer. But following a procedure penalty, Dragon kicker Sebastian Mueller missed the PAT, foreshadowing kicking troubles that would plague Central all night. Tyrone lost 12 yards on its first possession, giving the ball back to Central at the Dragons’ 44. Central marched as far as Tyrone’s 2 before the Eagles’ defense stiffened, and after another procedure call the Dragons were facing 4-and-goal from the 9. Tyrone’s defense flushed Runk out of the pocket, but he managed to loft a pass to Knisely in the back-right corner of the end zone. Tight-roping the sideline, Knisely snagged the pass with one hand and stayed in bounds. On the PAT, Eric Keefer passed to Adam Kreider for a 2-point conversion to make it 14-0 with 3:16 left in the first. But Tyrone regrouped in the second quarter, and scored to pull within a touchdown thanks to a 73-yard scoring drive. The key play came on third-and-4 from Tyrone’s 43 when Steve Franco caught Central in a blitz and hit Getz off left end. Getz broke a couple tackles and made his way 55 yards to the Central 2. Four plays later, he broke into the end zone from a yard out on fourth down to make it 14-7. “It was a hot route that we go to when the linebacker blitzes,” said Getz, who finished with 142 all-purpose yards. “Stevie found me and things opened up.” Tyrone managed to keep the Dragons backed in their half of the field most of the second half, mostly because JD Dorminy finished Tyrone’s first series of the third quarter with a 47-yard punt that was downed at Central’s 3. That led to excellent field position on Tyrone’s next series, which began at their own 40. The drive lasted only five plays, with Emigh tying the game on a 30-yard pass from Franco with 2:59 left. But Central responded with its most productive drive of the final three quarters to go back on top. It started at the Dragons’ 17 and was kept alive by a 10-yard pass from Runk to Knisely on a fake punt on fourth-and-3 from the 37. Three plays later, Runk found Kreider on the sideline, and he turned it up field and outraced Tyrone’s defense for a 50-yard touchdown with 10:31 to play in the game. But on the PAT try, the snap was high and through the holder’s hands. Central recovered, and led 20-14. But the drive for the winning score didn’t come quickly or easily for Tyrone. After Knisely’s touchdown, the Eagles had several opportunities to go ahead, but couldn’t cash them in. They fumbled an option pitch from Central’s 13, losing 10 yards, and sure-handed receiver Nick Patton, who had three receptions for 59 yards, had what could have been the go-ahead score on a pass from Franco slip through his hands. All of that before Emigh’s fumble. “Those things happen,” Coach Franco said. “It was a tough competitive game. Things happen. I still felt we were going to find a way to win.” Steve Franco finished the game completing 9 of 18 passes for 184 yards and a touchdown. Runk, meanwhile, threw for 97 yards and rushed for 48, but was
held in check – relatively speaking – “We live for this,” said Eagle tight-end-linebacker Ian Murray. “We were in close games last year, and we never lost our nerve. We knew the mistakes we were making we correctable, and we made one more play than they did.” Tyrone 21, Central 20 First Quarter Receiving |
Tyrone Golden Eagles Football 