PC ends Tyrone’s season in final seconds
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By Brad Rosemas
For the Mirror
CRESSON -- For the first 47 minutes and 28 seconds of Friday's District 6 Class 3A semifinal matchup against Tyrone, Penn Cambria played from behind.
Miscues and penalties kept putting the Panthers into rough spots as Penn Cambria was unable to catch Tyrone, which led by as many as 14.
It wasn't until the fourth quarter that the Panthers posted their biggest plays of the game, scoring 13 unanswered points, capped off by Gavin Harrold's go-ahead touchdown with 32 seconds left that gave Penn Cambria a 32-28 victory.
"It's Mountain Mentality," said Penn Cambria coach Nick Felus, whose team will matchup with undefeated Central (10-0) in the championship game next Friday at Mansion Park in Altoona.
"Our kids buy in. They have that blue-collar work ethic. They're so resilient and they're so tough. This is what happens when you play for four quarters and never give up. There is no other group I would rather go to war with than this group."
Penn Cambria split two matchups with the Dragons last year, with the latter ending the Panthers' season in the district playoffs.
The Panthers' win over Tyrone capped off an unbeaten mark at home in 2023.
"Throughout the season, we did not lose a game on our home field, and I was not intending to lose in my last home game," Panthers senior Carter McDermott said. "We were down, but we got back in with guys doing everything they could to make plays. Every single one of us did a part in this win tonight."
Play of the game: With Tyrone leading by nine with 8:48 to go in the fourth quarter, Penn Cambria's Derek Hite blocked a Golden Eagles punt, which was recovered by McDermott and returned 7 yards for a score. That cut Tyrone's lead to 28-25 following a missed extra point.
"We expected a rush," Tyrone coach John Franco said. "We went tight punt because they were going to overload. We worked against it the last three weeks in practice. They made a great play on it. That's the first block that our punt team has allowed all year. That was the big turning point in this game. They took over in the fourth quarter."
The score swung the momentum in Penn Cambria's favor, as the Panthers then forced a Tyrone punt on the ensuing drive after Mason Mento sacked Golden Eagles quarterback Ashton Walk on third down.
McDermott returned the punt 40 yards to near midfield, then hauled in a 33-yard strike from Brady Jones to set up Penn Cambria deep in Tyrone territory. Three plays later, Harrold found the end zone from 2 yards out to put the Panthers ahead.
Player of the game: McDermott, while accounting for three touchdowns, sealed the win by intercepting a heave from Walk after the Golden Eagles reached the Panthers' red zone with no timeouts.
He also hauled in two first half touchdown passes that helped keep Penn Cambria in the game.
"I knew our quarterback Brady Jones was nervous," said McDermott, who totaled five receptions for 120 yards. "It was his first playoff game, and he's only a sophomore. I just kept talking to him and tried to keep him calm. It didn't matter if he made a mistake, it was always about the next play. We picked him up whenever we could."
Unsung heroes: Harrold's score was his second coming out of the wildcat formation. The junior ran 57 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter that cut Tyrone's then-lead to 21-19 following Penn Cambria's failed two-point conversion.
He finished with 87 yards and two scores on 10 carries. Harrold also hauled in four passes for 51 yards.
"We didn't give up," Harrold said. "We got the stops when we needed them and got our offense the opportunity to possess the ball again. I knew they were going to give me a chance in the wildcat, and I wanted the ball. I got a great block and took it into the end zone."
Notable: Penn Cambria remained in the game despite being hampered by three interceptions and 110 penalty yards … Tyrone's Brady Ronan compiled 23 carries for 151 yards and two touchdowns, including an 88-yard score late in the third quarter … Ronan also surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the season in the game.
Records: Tyrone (6-5); Penn Cambria (9-2).
Next week: Tyrone's season has concluded. Penn Cambria plays Central in the District 6 Class 3A title game.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Tyrone 7 14 7 0 -- 28
Penn Cambria 0 13 6 13 -- 32
First Quarter
T--Crowell 27 pass from Walk (Romani kick), 8:26.
Second Quarter
PC--McDermott 23 pass from Jones (kick blocked), 10:36.
T--Ronan 7 run (Romani kick), 8:22.
T--Weaver 10 pass from Walk (Romani kick), 5:37.
PC--McDermott 14 pass from Jones (Dillon kick), 1:30.
Third Quarter
PC--Harrold 57 run (run failed), 0:50.
T--Ronan 88 run (Romani kick), 0:32.
Fourth Quarter
PC--McDermott 7 fumble recovery (kick failed), 8:48.
PC--Harrold 2 run (Dillon kick), 0:32.
TEAM STATISTICS T PC
First downs 13 15
Total yards 303 361
Rushes-yards 28-151 34-190
Yards passing 152 171
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 13-26-1 10-22-3
Punts-avg. 5-35 3-29.7
Fumbles-lost 1-1 1-0
Penalties-yards 7-75 11-110
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Tyrone, Ronan 23-151, Hoover 1-3, Walk 1-(-5), Crowell 1-2. Penn Cambria, Plunkett 11-79, McDermott 2-1, Jones 11-23, Harrold 10-87.
PASSING--Tyrone, Walk 13-26-1-152. Penn Cambria, Jones 10-22-3-171.
RECEIVING--Tyrone, Ronan 2-11, Woomer 3-49, Weaver 4-56, Hoover 3-21, Crowell 1-15. Penn Cambria, Plunkett 1-0, McDermott 5-120, Harrold 4-51.