Football

Big first half key to Tyrone’s win

By Todd Irwin

sports@altoonamirror.com

TYRONE -- Tyrone hadn't beaten Bellwood-Antis in the Backyard Brawl since 2018. And it seemed like the Golden Eagles were motivated early on.

Tyrone sophomore quarterback Ashton Walk threw three touchdown passes, including two to Ross Gampe, in the first four possessions to jumpstart the Golden Eagles toward a 27-12 win Friday night before a large crowd at Tyrone's Gray-Vets Memorial Field.

Tyrone hoisted the Backyard Brawl trophy afterward.

"I thought (Walk) did a really nice job, especially when things broke down," Tyrone coach John Franco said. "He made such good reads so many times. Our receivers did a great job of running their option routes. Ross is great at finding open spaces."

"There were so many close plays where we had (Walk) in the backfield and we just missed it," Bellwood-Antis coach Nick Lovrich said. "Us going three and out didn't help. Our kids played hard the entire game."

The game was delayed twice due to lightning in the area -- before the game started and before the second half started.

While the Eagles came out hot in the first half, the Blue Devils had a lot of momentum in the second half.

B-A senior quarterback Gaven Ridgway, a converted running back, threw for 103 yards and led the team in rushing with 76 yards on 17 carries. He threw a 20-yard TD pass to Dylan Andrews in the second quarter and darted 31 yards for a score in the fourth quarter.

"Gaven made some plays with his legs," Lovrich said. "We threw the ball a little bit and we got better protection."

Play of the game: Walk threw a 44-yard touchdown pass to Deegan Baldauf in the first quarter.

"Deegan saw the corner coming off and ready it perfectly," Franco said. "He took the track that he was given."

Player of the game: Walk and Gampe, who caught four passes for 94 yards. Gampe also broke up a couple passes.

Unsung hero(es): The Tyrone offensive line helped the Golden Eagles amass 303 yards.

Most vital statistic(s): Tyrone had 15 penalties for 105 yards. Bellwood had one penalty for 5 yards.

"The penalty situation is really bothering me," Franco said. "I want to go back and watch the film. I can't wait to watch it. You've seen my team. We never have penalties. Last year, even with the young guys, we averaged like 4.1 penalties a game. We've got to correct that. I'm sure some are legit, and some are not."

Lovrich on the atmosphere: "It's awesome. You hate to come out on the losing end, but you're not going to see this in many other communities. Our kids will be rooting for Tyrone, and I'm sure they'll be rooting for us the rest of the year."

Franco on the atmosphere: "Oh man, it may be the best atmosphere since before the pandemic. This was a typical, old-fashioned Tyrone-Bellwood (game)."

Notable: Tyrone running back Brady Ronan had four 10-yard carries en route to leading the Eagles in rushing with 59 yards on 10 carries. ... The Blue Devils got their initial first down with 6:05 left in the second quarter. That was followed by their only penalty. ... The game ended at 10:15 p.m.

Next week: Bellwood-Antis hosts Glendale. Tyrone hosts Brookville, a change with its schedule.

Records: Bellwood-Antis (0-1); Tyrone (1-0).

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Bellwood-Antis 0 6 0 6 --12

Tyrone 14 7 6 0 --27

First Quarter

T--Gampe 19 pass from A. Walk (Romani kick), 6:14.

T--Baldauf 44 pass from A. Walk (Romani kick), 2:58.

Second Quarter

T--Gampe 11 pass from A. Walk (Romani kick), 7:00.

BA--Andrews 20 pass from Ridgway (kick failed), 1:00.

Third Quarter

T--A. Walk 2 run (pass failed), 7:36.

Fourth Quarter

BA--Ridgway 31 run (kick failed), 9:07.

TEAM STATISTICS BA T

First downs 12 13

Total yards 203 306

Rushes-yards 33-100 31-119

Yards passing 103 187

Passing (comp.-att.-int) 8-19-0 11-18-0

Punts-avg. 3-28 4-37

Fumbles-lost 3-1 2-0

Penalties-yards 1-5 15-105

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING--Bellwood-Antis, Ridgway 17-76, J. Pluebell 5-28, Kyle 4-12, Kost 4-9, Hescox 1-1, TEAM 2-(-26). Tyrone, Ronan 10-59, A. Walk 11-23, Miller 5-23, Hoover 4-21, Klein 1-(-7).

PASSING--Bellwood-Antis, Ridgway 8-19-0-103. Tyrone, A. Walk 11-18-0-187.

RECEIVING--Bellwood-Antis, Andrews 4-57, Kost 2-34, E. Pluebell 1-10, Schreir 1-2. Tyrone, Gampe 4-94, Baldauf 1-44, Weaver 3-31, Ronan 3-18.