Trending
By Michael Boytim
mboytim@altoonamirror.com
WINGATE -- When Bishop Guilfoyle Catholic lost its 2023 season opener at Bald Eagle Area, the goal was to get better and peak by the time the postseason started just like the Marauders did when they won the district title last year.
Unfortunately injuries and health setbacks never allowed that to happen, and the Eagles were actually the team that worked their way to the peak of District 6 Class 2A as the top seed. Bald Eagle Area lived up to its seeding with a 36-14 mercy-rule win over the Marauders Friday night at Alumni Stadium in the 2A quarterfinals.
Cameron Dubbs ran for 130 yards and three touchdowns, and the Eagles scored the first 36 points of the game.
"It started when we lost one of our starting middle linebackers the first day of camp in the first drill," Bishop Guilfoyle coach Justin Wheeler said. "It just never seemed to end with illnesses and injuries. Tonight, I thought we were about as healthy as we would be, and the first drive defensively we lost a three-year starter both ways and then a kid that just came back from injury was re-injured. It was just one of those years. But that doesn't take away from Bald Eagle. They are a great football team. We made some mistakes tonight, but we never quit. That's what I love about our guys."
Play of the game: With Bald Eagle Area leading 10-0, quarterback Carson Nagle was sacked at his own 20-yard line and fumbled. Eagles lineman Dakota McCool recovered the fumble at the 18, and BEA eventually scored a touchdown to go up 17-0 instead of BG potentially getting back into the game at 10-7.
Player of the game: In addition to Dubbs' big game on the ground, he recovered a fumble, caught a pass and had several pass breakups.
Unsung hero: Playing in his final high school football game, Kaden Wyandt rushed for a game-high 134 yards and a touchdown and made several defensive stops for the Marauders.
Most vital statistic: The Marauders ran only three plays from scrimmage in the first quarter as BEA controlled time of possession.
"Our offensive line is pretty good," Bald Eagle Area coach Jesse Nagle said. "Sometimes we look at Carson or Cam or Kahale (Burns) and say they are doing this or that, but at the end of the day it starts up front. (Bishop Guilfoyle) has a good, veteran defensive line, and I thought our offensive and defensive line definitely took it to them tonight."
Back to 1A?: The new classification cycle begins next year, and with Bishop Guilfoyle's elimination in the district quarterfinals, the Marauders did not accumulate enough points to remain forced up to 2A due to the PIAA competition formula. Official numbers aren't set in stone yet, but it is believed BG is well below the 143 male students in ninth through 12th grade standard needed to play at 1A, which would mean the Marauders should be set to return to the level they won four state championships.
"I know we don't have enough points to move up," Wheeler said. "I don't know what all the other stipulations are. I don't think we do. I'm anxious to see how that works out, but we won a 2A title last year. We thought we were one of the best double-A teams. Wherever we are, we're going to play as hard as we can."
Wyandt: "No excuses. We battled hard all year, but we just fell short at the end. I'll remember all the championships, all the players, coaches and the community at Bishop Guilfoyle. It was amazing to be part of this, and I'm very grateful."
Nagle: "Defensively, we knew we wanted them to throw. We wanted to stop the run first. We wanted them to throw, because we felt we had an advantage there. Offensively, we felt we could run or throw the ball. I think our offensive coordinator did a great job mixing it up and confused their guys."
Wheeler on his senior class: "They won three straight district titles. They won almost every game they played in November. They have been really good. Our line has been our strength this year, and they really had some games they played really well. They were a bunch of fighters. With injuries, they still fought. Kaden Wyandt led the way and was always fighting both on offense and defense. He was incredible. It's going to be a class we will miss, and it's a challenge for the younger guys to play as well as these senior linemen did."
Dubbs: "Not to brag, but we have been this good. We just had to kind of refine everything. We had to come together as a team. We put in a lot of time at practice, and our defensive line has been so good with pressure, and it helps our secondary make plays."
Notable: This was Bishop Guilfoyle's 12th straight playoff appearance. … BEA's Gavin Brooks wore No. 31 which is awarded in memory of Steve Dorman, who died in an automobile accident in 1991. … Kahale Burns had eight catches for 71 yards and a touchdown for the Eagles. … Braden Reilly caught a 41-yard touchdown pass in traffic from Chase Kissell late in the fourth quarter.
Records: Bishop Guilfoyle (6-5); Bald Eagle Area (10-1).
Next week: Bishop Guilfoyle's season is complete. Bald Eagle Area will host fifth-seeded Forest Hills in the District 6 Class 2A semifinals.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Bishop Guilfoyle 0 0 0 14 -- 14
Bald Eagle Area 3 14 7 12 -- 36
First Quarter
BEA--Kad. Burns 24 FG, 5:22.
Second Quarter
BEA--Dubbs 1 run (Kad. Burns kick), 11:58.
BEA--Dubbs 4 run (Kad. Burns kick), 1:56.
Third Quarter
BEA--Dubbs 5 run (Kad. Burns kick), 8:02.
Fourth Quarter
BEA--Wible 11 run (kick failed), 10:16.
BEA--Kah. Burns 6 pass from Nagle (kick failed), 7:25.
BG--Wyandt 3 run (Cacciotti kick), 5:52.
BG--Reilly 41 pass from C. Kissell (Cacciotti kick), 3:16.
TEAM STATISTICS BG BEA
First downs 9 24
Total yards 227 399
Rushes-yards 25-110 33-182
Yards passing 117 217
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 7-13-0 19-26-0
Punts-avg. 3-27.7 1-26
Fumbles-lost 5-2 3-1
Penalties-yards 4-45 2-25
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Bishop Guilfoyle, Wyandt 15-134, Gates 2-13, Hagg 3-(-2), C. Kissell 5-(-35). Bald Eagle Area, Dubbs 18-130, McCully 3-41, Wible 4-36, Clark 1-(-2), Nagle 6-(-12), TEAM 1-(-11).
PASSING--Bishop Guilfoyle, C. Kissell 7-13-0-117. Bald Eagle Area, Nagle 19-26-0-217.
RECEIVING--Bishop Guilfoyle, Reilly 4-68, Gates 2-34, J. Kissell 1-15. Bald Eagle Area, Kah. Burns 8-71, Watkins 4-71, Taylor 3-31, G. Burns 2-41, Spackman 1-2, Dubbs 1-1.