Tyrone Golden Eagles football makes run game work in win over Westmont Hilltop
H.S. football
Trending
TYRONE -- Tyrone coach John Franco was not happy with how the Golden Eagles ran the football in Week 1 against Bellefonte.
Needing just a couple of first downs in the fourth quarter to seal a win over the Raiders, his team mustered only 18 yards on the ground over the final 12 minutes and watched a 13-point lead evaporate in a 21-20 loss.
That was something he wanted to see change last night in a Laurel Highlands crossover game against Westmont Hilltop, and it did.
Powered by a career-best game for junior running back Caleb Whitby, the Golden Eagles ran for 265 yards and five touchdowns in a 49-6 bounce-back win over the young Hilltoppers at Gray-Veterans Memorial Field in Tyrone.
Tyrone scored a pair of touchdowns in each of the first three quarters to get the mercy rule clock running by the 1:30 mark of the third quarter. By then it was 42-6, and both Whitby and Ashton Emigh had run for a pair of touchdowns.
The Eagles' defense, meanwhile, limited Westmont to just 19 yards on 20 carries, stopping five plays behind the line of scrimmage and forcing a pair of turnovers.
Despite the lopsided final, the Hilltoppers had their chances. After Tyrone scored on its first series, Westmont advanced as far as Tyrone's 25 but was unable to convert on a fourth-and-2 run. From there, Tyrone went 76 yards on 8 plays to go up 14-0 on a 10-yard pass from Eli Woomer to Brayden Parsons.
Woomer finished 8-for-14 for 154 yards and two touchdowns. His second scoring toss went 6 yards to Marshall Martin with 34 seconds left in the first half to make it 28-6.
Play of the game: On the Eagles' first offensive play, Whitby took a sweep to the left and darted between two defenders to the sideline, on his way to a 62-yard gain to the 2. Ashton Emigh scored two plays later, and the run set the tone for Tyrone, who made getting to the perimeter against the Hilltoppers a priority.
Player of the game: Whitby finished with 188 yards on 14 carries in the best game of his career. He had five carries that went for 11 or more yards, including a pair of touchdowns in the third quarter that went for 30 and 36 yards, respectively.
Unsung hero(es): Tyrone's offensive line fell under heavy scrutiny this week from Coach Franco, who wondered if they were overwhelmed by the moment in last week's loss to Bellefonte. But the group controlled the line of scrimmage and only allowed one play to end in the Eagles' backfield. It's a senior-heavy group that includes Owen Oakes, Kayden Ansman, John Stanton, Lucas Bonsell, and Caden Harris, along with tight end Ben Walk, who is the unit's only underclassmen.
Most vital statistic(s): After averaging just 2.5 yards per carry against the Raiders, Tyrone went for 8.2 yards per try against the Hilltoppers. Along with Whitby's big game, freshman Reid Starr collected 36 yards on seven carries and scored his first varsity touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Franco: "We had to get our running game going. We made progress. We still aren't where we need to be. We're getting better, and we have to because our schedule is so tough."
Westmont coach Josh Rearick: "Anytime you're playing a program the caliber of Tyrone, you need to start off well. You need to start off fast. We moved the ball and hit a good play and just sort of stalled out. Credit to Tyrone. They scored their first possession, stopped us, and put another one in."
Whitby: "Our line was really good. They were working hard and we ran the ball really good. Coach was very frustrated about last week, but he was happy with today's game."
Notable: The Eagles limited Westmont's leading rusher Bryce Goodman to 16 yards on nine carries. Goodman did not play in the second half ... Tyrone produced seven plays that went for 28 yards or longer. A week ago, Forest Hills similarly burnt the Hilltoppers for several long-distance plays.
Records: Tyrone (1-1); Westmont Hilltop (0-2).
Next week: Westmont travels to Richland. Tyrone will play at Central.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Westmont Hilltop 0 6 0 0 -- 6
Tyrone 14 14 14 7 -- 49
First Quarter
T -- A. Emigh 2 run (Novak kick), 9:14
T -- Parsons 10 pass from Woomer (Novak kick), 1:58
Second Quarter
T -- A. Emigh 5 run (Novak kick), 7:52
W -- Goodman 1 run (kick blocked), 1:12
T -- Martin 6 pass from Woomer (Novak kick), :34.7
Third Quarter
T -- Whitby 30 run (Novak kick), 10:56
T -- Whitby 36 run (Novak kick), 1:30
Fourth Quarter
T -- Starr 1 run (Novak kick), 11:53
TEAM STATISTICS WH T
First downs 8 17
Total yards 170 419
Rushes-yards 20-19 32-265
Yards passing 151 154
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 13-28-1 8-14-0
Punts-avg. 4-31 1-27
Fumbles-lost 2-1 1-1
Penalties-yards 1-10 6-60
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Westmont Hilltop, Goodman 9-16; Ray 4-(-6); Torquato 3-5; Johnson 3-5; Jashienski 1-(-2). Tyrone, Whitby 14-188; Starr 7-36; Rawlings 2-13; Johnson 2-7; Moore 2-2; Woomer 2-12; A. Emigh 3-7.
PASSING--Westmont Hilltop, Ray 10-22-1-142; Subich 3-6-0-9. Tyrone, Woomer 8-14-0-154
RECEIVING--Westmont Hilltop, Torquato 5-44; Galiote 3-65; Surloff 3-37; Stratton 1-5. Tyrone, M. Emigh 3-98; Parsons 2-15; Whitby 1-0; A. Emigh 1-36; Martin 1-6.