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By Michael Boytim
mboytim@altoonamirror.com
It's not fair to call Penn Cambria and Tyrone rivals, but the schools have certainly been crossing paths a lot on the gridiron recently.
It really began when legendary coach John Franco left his head coaching job with the Panthers in February of 2019 to return to the school he found the most success with, Tyrone.
Since then, the teams have met in the District 6 Class 3A semifinals twice, with Tyrone winning in 2020 and Penn Cambria coming out on top in 2021.
The Golden Eagles and Panthers meet again Friday in this year's semifinal round with the chance to play Central in the District 6 title game a week later on the line.
"There are such good people up there," Franco said. "Chuck Terek, the athletic director, and the superintendent, Bill Marshall, have always been really good friends of mine. I have always admired the work they did, and they really do a great job in developing all their sports programs. I had a great experience with them up there. I really enjoyed the community, and I have a lot of fond memories of Penn Cambria."
Unlike the first two matchups, this game will be played at second-seeded Penn Cambria in Cresson.
"It's going to be off the charts," Penn Cambria coach Nick Felus said. "Our place is going to be electric. Our student section is the best in the state. Our community loves the Panthers, and everyone is going to be excited for this one. The progress we have made as a program, having this playoff game at home, means a lot to our players and our community. It's going to be an unbelievable atmosphere."
Franco has been impressed with what his successor has accomplished with the Panthers.
"I think Nick has done a fantastic job up there," Franco said. "In a short period of time, he has really gotten that program back on its feet. They have basically become a power every year."
Penn Cambria was the top seed in District 6 last year and has played in the district final in each of the last two seasons, but going into this season, some wondered how the Panthers would fare without all-state quarterback Garrett Harrold, who is now at Duquesne.
"It's football. Maybe in basketball or maybe baseball to an extent, that can happen," Franco said. "But in football, if you're good, you are not good because of one player. In football, you have 22 positions that you deal with, and maybe a guy plays two of those, but maybe only one. If you are good, and they have been good the last couple years, you have a lot of good players around you. I think that's what Penn Cambria is showing."
Franco said he's had teams over the years that also excelled after losing a star player.
"We have had that in the past where we lost a great player like a Jesse Jones (Tyrone's running back on its 1999 state championship team), but we would come back the next year and be undefeated," Franco said. "People would ask how we did that. Well, we had some really good players that you just didn't hear about. A football team is more than one player, and Penn Cambria was more than Garrett Harrold, and they have proven that this year with the outstanding season they have had."
When it comes to standout quarterback play, Tyrone has been the team getting that more often than not this season. Two weeks ago, Ashton Walk broke the school's single-game passing record with 360 yards against Penns Valley.
"Their quarterback can get out of the pocket and extend plays," Felus said. "We have to be able to contain him and force him to step up a little bit. He does a great job of keeping the play alive. Their running game is tough with (Brady) Ronan. He's elusive, and they can run the ball. They are balanced, and their receivers have done a good job and made some big plays. For us on defense, we have to be very disciplined and get pressure on the quarterback which is tough to do when you're also stopping the run."
Both teams will be trying to bounce back from Week 10 losses. Penn Cambria was blanked, 46-0, on the road against District 6 Class 2A top seed Bald Eagle Area, and Tyrone lost a thriller, 31-29, to Forest Hills at home.
"We have a good plan going in, and we put some things in at our coaching meeting on Sunday about getting our playmakers the ball," Felus said. "We have to find some different ways, and our guys up front understand we have to be able to run the ball through some of our quarterback reads and do a little better job at putting our kids in better situations."
Franco said his team's loss actually might be beneficial.
"We had been winning by huge scores and not playing four full quarters," Franco said. "That was really good. We had to come from behind a couple times. We were ahead early and lost the lead, but we proved that we can come back and regroup and still make plays. I think we did that."
Felus is expecting that type of game on Friday.
"I think it's a great thing for football in our area," Felus said. "Tyrone has obviously had success, and they have a great tradition they have built over the years. Our program has really turned the corner and developed into a program that can compete each year. It's a good thing for local high school football and a good thing for the players."