With his team gathered around him on the 20-yard line of a muddy and torn Penns Valley Athletic Field, sullenly hanging on every word, Tyrone coach John Franco looked like a persistent father who’s determined to coax a smile from an obstinate child’s face.
It was hard to tell whether most of the Golden Eagles were buying into it.
Tyrone (8-0, 5-0 MAC)) had just defeated Penns Valley 21-14 in one of its most frustrating games this season – a game where two Golden Eagle turnovers led directly to Valley touchdowns, and where no matter how hard they tried they couldn’t seem to shake the determined Rams.
For a coach whose team over the last decade has often been judged by margin of victory rather than victory itself, it was a bit frustrating.
“Our fans sometimes think we have to win every game 40-0,” said Franco. “Everything went against us tonight and we probably shouldn’t have won the game, but we found ways to win. We found ways to make plays to make plays to win the game when you shouldn’t have won.”
Part of Tyrone’s struggle stemmed from playing an opponent that was battling to make the playoffs. A win meant Valley was assured a spot. A loss made it nearly impossible.
So what the Eagles found every time they were poised to deal a knockout blow was a team that refused to be emotionally staggered.
“Our kids played very hard,” said Rams coach Martin Tobias. “That’s a fun game to coach when you have two teams that are going after it like that. I’m really pleased with how our kids came out and played with one of the best teams in Pennsylvania.”
In the end, Tyrone did what it has done so many times during Franco’s reign as coach of the Eagles – rise to the occasion when it matters most. They also clinched their second straight outright MAC Nittany Division championship.
With the Rams (5-4, 1-4 MAC) driving for the tying score with under a minute to play at the Tyrone 36, senior receiver-defensive back Justin Schopp stepped in front of a misread pass by Matt Johnson for the game-clinching interception.
It was one of many big stands made by Tyrone’s defense, which limited Valley’s rushing offense, averaging 200 yards per game, to 115 yards.
But the biggest plays of the night belonged to running back Johnny Franco, who totaled a career-high 222 yards on 23 carries, while scoring all three Eagle touchdowns. The 5-10 junior had seven carries for 10 yards or more, and three for over 15, including a 46-yard scamper on the second quarter that tied the game at 14-14 after the Eagles had fallen behind an opponent for the first time this season.
“He’s an outstanding running back,” Tobias said. “We knew he was one of the guys you had to be concerned with.”
Tyrone led 7-0 in the second quarter when on first down from its own 27 and Eagle fumble was recovered by Eric Herrold to set Penns Valley up at the 35. Valley covered the distance in eight plays, capped by a hitch pass from Johnson to Chris Korn , who shook one Tyrone defender before breaking a tackle to get into the end zone and tie the game at 7-7 with 10:47 left in the second quarter.
The Eagles were backed to their own 12-yard line on their ensuing possession. Quarterback Tyler Golden dropped back to pass on third down but was met by Ty Corl, who knocked the ball free from Golden’s hand as he recorded the sack. Corl was also able to scoop up the fumble and score from the 2, giving the Rams a 14-7 lead.
“When was the last time we fumbled twice in a half?” said Franco said. “I thought, ‘This is exciting. Let’s see how we respond.’”
The response was a 63-yard drive that took three plays and 76 seconds. Franco ran for four yards on first down, Tyler Gillmen went for 13 on second, and on the next play Franco broke containment around left end on his way to a 46-yard touchdown run to tie it at the 7:57 mark.
The Eagles forced a punt after three plays on Valley’s next series, but Corl dropped the ball and was stopped after a 1-yard gain, giving Tyrone the ball at the Rams’ 28. From there, Tyrone took eight plays to get the go-ahead score.
On third-and-8, Golden avoided the rush and found Shayne Tate along the sideline for 13 yards, and four straight running plays set the ball at the 1. Franco crashed in from there at the 1:51 mark of the first half to make it 21-0.
The Eagles were poised to widen their lead on several occasions in the second half but couldn’t cash in. Franco ran 68 yards on Tyrone’s first play of the half to move the ball from the Eagles’ 13 to Penns Valley’s 19, but a 31-yard field goal attempt by Johnny Shaffer was blocked after the drive stalled.
Franco runs of 15 and 13 yards on Tyrone’s next series had the Eagles as close as Valley’s 20, but again the drive sputtered out, this time on downs.
Valley, in turn, went deep into Tyrone territory midway through the fourth quarter after Gillmen was stopped for no gain at the Eagles’ 40 on fourth-and-1. On he first play following the stop, Johnson connected with a diving Brandon Von Voigt for 34 yards to Tyrone’s 26. Six plays later, Valley faced a fourth-and-6 from the 10, but a Johnson keeper on the option netted only four yards.
Valley again went drove into scoring position late in the game before Schopp’s pick ended it.
“It doesn’t mater if it’s 40-0 or 21-14, it’s a ‘W’,” Franco said. “It also shows us what we have to work on. Last year, we went into the playoffs maybe a little too cocky. This year, we know there are a ton of teams capable of beating us.”
Grid Tidbits: Korn, who was averaging 142 yards per game, was limited to 79 on 19 carries … sophomore Matt Murray recorded a sack in he second quarter that went for an 18-yard loss … Franco’s numbers game him 1,219 yards this season on 168 carries.
Tyrone 21 Penns Valley 14
Tyrone 7 14 0 0 – 21
Penns Valley 0 14 0 0 – 14
First Quarter
T – Franco 6 run (Shaffer kick) 5:22
Second Quarter
P – Korn 13 pass from Johnson (Von Voigt kick) 10:47
P – Corl 2 fumble return (Von Voigt kick) 9:20
T – Franco 46 run (Shaffer kick) 7:57
T – Franco 1 run (Shaffer kick) 1:51
Team T PV
First Downs 13 11
Yards Rushing 279 115
Pass Att.-Comp. 3-10 7-19
Yards Passing 40 89
Total Offense 319 207
Fumble-Rec. 3-2 1-0
Interceptions 0 1
Pen./Yards 3-25 4-43
Punts/Avg. 3-33.6 5-37.6
Rushing
Tyrone – Franco 23-222; Gillmen 17-54; Golden 4-3.
Penns Valley – Korn 19-79; Bickle 10-26; Johnson 7-10; Corl 1-1.
Passing
Tyrone – Golden 3-10-40, 0 Int., 0 TD.
Penns Valley – Johnson 6-19-79, 1 Int., 1 TD.
Receiving
Tyrone – Schopp 1-20; Tate 1-13; Franco 1-7.
Penns Valley – Von Voigt 3-47; Homan 2-27; Korn 2-15.
