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PHILIPSBURG -- When you've lost as many times in a row as Philipsburg-Osceola has to Tyrone, taking big chances no longer seems like such a risk.
Which is why Mounties coach Jeff Vroman didn't hesitate on Friday at Philipsburg-Osceola Area Stadium when his team was faced with fourth-and-1, nursing a three-point with a little more than a minute on the clock.
P-O was positioned at the Tyrone 45 and could have easily punted and pinned the Eagles at their own goal line with little time to spare, but as hot as Tyrone's offense was in the second half, Vroman wasn't going to chance it. Instead, he handed the ball to sophomore Mason Vaughn, who powered ahead for the first down that secured the Mounties' 42-38 win over Tyrone.
It was P-O's first win against the Eagles since beating Tyrone at Memorial Field in 2004. Since then, the Eagles had taken eight in a row in the series.
"We were playing to win," said Vroman, whose team snapped a three-game losing streak to improve to 5-4. "We had faith in the kids. There were a couple of plays we thought we could run, and we executed."
Vaughn's run put the lid on an explosive second half that saw the teams combine for 46 points and 460 yards.
The loss eliminated Tyrone (4-5) from playoff contention in the 3A field and kept the door open for the Mounties.
Play of the game: With Tyrone winning 7-6 four minutes into the second quarter, Mason Marlow was alert enough to scoop up an incomplete pass that was ruled a backwards lateral when Ben Walk tried to connect with Caleb Whitby on a swing pass. He ran 33 yards for the touchdown to give P-O a 14-7 lead and Tyrone never led again.
Players of the game: For P-O, Demarcus Law was a first down machine, averaging over 10 yards each time he carried the football. He finished with 167 yards on 16 carries, and he scored in the fourth quarter on a 26-yard run. For Tyrone, Walk completed 19 of 26 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns.
Unsung hero: Connor Guenot caught all four of Archer Baughman's pass attempts for 81 yards. That includes the Mounties' first score.
Most vital statistic: The Mounties offset Tyrone's efficient, pass-based offense with a ground attack that produced 335 yards and averaged 7.4 yards per carry. Of the Mounties' six touchdowns, four came on runs, with Aaron Davis collecting three rushing touchdowns himself.
Tyrone coach Jason Jones: "They earned every bit of it. They got us tonight. You can't give up that many rushing yards, but we did. We started to look good (offensively), but I think we needed to score a little more early. We were in a hole 22-7, so it's not just on the defense. It's on the offense a little bit, as well."
Vroman: "This was a huge win for us. It's been a lot of hard work to get it to where it is right now. But it's worth it."
Notable: Mason Emigh had his fourth 100-yard receiving game of the season with six catches for 103 yards. Jesse Parks also had a big game, as well, with four catches for 92 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown reception in the third that made it 28-26.
Records: P-O (5-4), Tyrone (4-5).
Next week: Tyrone travels to Johnstown next Friday, while Philipsburg-Osceola goes to Bedford.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Tyrone 7 6 19 7 -- 39
Philipsburg-Osceola 14 8 12 8 -- 42
First Quarter
T - Starr 14 run (Novak kick) 8:37
P - Guenot 23 pass from Baughman (run failed) 7:16
P - Marlow 33 fumble return (Law run) 6:23
Second Quarter
P - Davis 3 run (Law run) 8:37
T - Emigh 13 pass from Walk (run failed) 3:06
Third Quarter
P - Davis 1 run (pass failed) 9:50
T - Emigh 75 kickoff return (kick blocked) 9:39
T - Parks 67 pass from Walk (Novak kick) 5:27
P - Davis 3 run (run failed) 3:57
T - Starr 2 run (pass failed) 1:17
Fourth Quarter
P - Law 26 run (Baughman pass to McClenehan) 7:49
T - Emigh 3 pass from Walk (Novak kick) 2:17
TEAM STATISTICS T P
First downs 15 16
Total yards 335 333
Rushes-yards 25-81 45-257
Yards passing 254 81
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 19-25-6 4-4-0
Punts-avg. 1-46 2-29.5
Fumbles-lost 1-1 1-1
Penalties-yards 3-35 1-5
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Tyrone, Whitby 6-4, Starr 15-43, Walk 5-34. Philipsburg-Osceola, Davis 16-50, Law 16-167, Vaughn 9-30, Guenot 3-10, Baughman 1-1, TEAM 1-(-1).
PASSING--Tyrone, Walk 19-26-254, 3 TDs, 1 Int. Philipsburg-Osceola, Baughman 4-4-81, 1 TD, 0 Int.
RECEIVING--Tyrone, Emigh 6-103, Stroup 6-30, Parks 4-92, Gwinn 1-5, Whitby 2-14. Philipsburg-Osceola, Guenot 4-81.