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Huntingdon Bearcats edge Tyrone Golden Eagles in wild one

H.S. Football Extra

By John Hartsock 5 min read

HUNTINGDON -- The latest matchup between two long-time rivals, Tyrone and Huntingdon, carried a large bearing on postseason fortunes for both teams in District 6 Class 3A.

And they both played like it Friday night.

In a knock-down, drag-out brawl that featured all the excitement that anybody could ask for in a high school football game, Tyrone had apparently pulled victory from the jaws of defeat before watching Huntingdon turn the tables in the final minute to carve out a 36-33 Laurel Highlands Athletic Conference victory at War Vets Field.

Tyrone, which trailed for most of the game, capped off a valiant comeback when senior quarterback Ben Walk, who completed 16 of 24 passes for an otherworldly 342 yards and two touchdowns, found senior wideout Mason Emigh on a 60-yard, fourth down scoring pass with 1:58 remaining to give the Golden Eagles a 33-29 lead.

Huntingdon got up off the deck, however, courtesy of a costly personal foul penalty against Tyrone, and covered 59 yards on a six-play drive that senior quarterback Reese Hughes polished off with a 9-yard scoring burst up the middle with 34 seconds remaining to give Huntingdon its final margin of victory.

"(Tyrone is) our biggest rival, and this is my favorite game that I've ever played,'' said Hughes, who rushed for 147 yards on 14 carries and two touchdowns to complement the running of junior scatback Cole Lane, who rushed for 121 yards on 27 carries and three scores for Huntingdon (3-4).

"This is the best feeling ever, and I couldn't be more proud of my teammates,'' Hughes said.

Tyrone had apparently clinched the victory when Hughes was chased out of the pocket, tackled by a Tyrone defender near the sideline, and forced into a wobbly pass that was intercepted by Tyrone's Carter Gwinn with 1:03 left.

But a personal foul penalty was called on the play against Tyrone, giving Huntingdon a first down at the Eagles' 24 with 55 seconds left.

"From our vantage point, it wasn't a personal foul,'' said Tyrone coach Jason Jones, whose Eagles dropped to 3-4. "And (the officials) didn't give an explanation. It's disappointing to say the least.

"We had the interception and the next thing you know, it's a 15-yard penalty,'' Jones added. "But at the same time, we've got to come back from that. We struggled against their running game all night, and their offensive line blocked very well.''

After Hughes ran for 5 yards, another personal foul penalty assessed to Tyrone gave Huntingdon a first down at the Tyrone 9, and on the very next play, Hughes ran in for the game-winner.

Play of the game: The 9-yard Hughes touchdown scamper gave Huntingdon the victory, but the costly personal foul penalty that negated the Gwinn interception and kept the Bearcats' drive alive was most pivotal.

Players of the game: Walk had a monster game, throwing for the 342 yards, while Hughes accounted for 239 yards in total offense for Huntingdon, as he also completed four passes totaling 92 yards.

Unsung heroes: There were plenty on both sides of the ball. Lane's contributions were vital to the Huntingdon cause, as was the play of the Bearcats' offensive line, which opened huge gaps for Lane and Hughes, especially in the second half.

Most vital statistics: Tyrone was penalized eight times for 70 yards, including the two personal foul calls on the winning Huntingdon scoring drive. Total yardage was about even, with Huntingdon holding a narrow 372-370 advantage, but while Tyrone gained 342 through the air, Huntingdon's ground game produced 280 yards.

Huntingdon coach Tim Lucko: "I thought that both teams played gritty all night. It was one of those games where the last team that had the ball was going to come out winning this game.''

Notable: Emigh caught six passes for 178 yards, while junior Jon Stroup made four catches for 61 yards and senior Jesse Parks also made four catches for 82 yards, including a 19-yard touchdown reception in the final minute of the first half that pulled Tyrone to within 22-20 at the break ... In addition to his passing exploits, Walk also had a pair of 1-yard rushing touchdowns in the first and fourth quarters, and sophomore back Reid Starr ran 2 yards for a second-quarter touchdown jaunt for Tyrone ... Lane had scoring runs of 3 yards in both the first and second quarters, and 7 yards in the third quarter for Huntingdon, which also got a 12-yard first-quarter TD run from Hughes ... Javaughn Dodson intercepted a desperation downfield heave from Walk at the Huntingdon 20 with 28 seconds left to cement the victory for the Bearcats ... It was Huntingdon's homecoming game, and Emma Royer was named the school's homecoming queen in a halftime ceremony.

Records: Tyrone (3-4); Huntingdon (3-4).

Next week: Tyrone hosts Penn Cambria. Huntingdon hosts Bedford.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Tyrone 7 13 0 13 -- 33

Huntingdon 15 7 7 7 -- 36

First Quarter

T--Walk 1 run (Novak kick), 8:45.

H--Lane 3 run (Dodson run), 4:40.

H--Hughes 12 run (Mykut kick), 0:26.

Second Quarter

T--Starr 2 run (pass failed), 8:38.

H--Lane 3 run (Mykut kick), 2:59.

T--Parks 19 pass from Walk (pass failed), :28.

Third Quarter

H--Lane 7 run (Mykut kick), 7:02.

Fourth Quarter

T--Walk 1 run (Novak kick), 8:41.

T--Emigh 69 pass from Walk (pass failed), 1:58.

H--Hughes 9 run (Mykut kick), :34.

TEAM STATISTICS T H

First downs 19 19

Total yards 370 372

Rushes-yards 22-28 43-280

Yards passing 342 92

Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 16-24-1 4-10-0

Punts/avg. 2-34 1-41

Fumbles-lost 2-1 0-0

Penalties-yards 8-70 4-46

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING--Tyrone, Starr 13-19, Walk 7-9, Frye 2-0. Huntingdon, Hughes 14-147, Lane 27-121, Dodson 2-12.

PASSING--Tyrone, Walk 15-24-1-342. Huntingdon, Hughes 4-10-0-92.

RECEIVING--Tyrone, Emigh 6-178, Parks 4-82, Stroup 4-61, Starr 1-21, C. Zupon 1-0. Huntingdon, Carthen 3-50, Dodson 1-42.

Starting at /week.