The tone for Tyrone’s game Saturday against Bellefonte was set early by defensive back-receiver Trey Brockett, who intercepted a pass deflected off the fingertips of Raider receiver Mike Englert on the sixth play of the game and returned it for a touchdown.
From there on out, whatever the Golden Eagles wanted, they took.
It didn’t matter if it was six yards on first down, three yards on fourth down, or a goal line stand to turn away a Bellefonte scoring threat. One way or another, the Eagles were going to have it.
In that way, the MAC’s Game-of-the-Year between two 5-0 teams never materialized into more than a clinic, with Tyrone – so experienced in the Franco era in primetime games – playing the role of instructor to the Red Raiders – who had made it to the season’s midway point unbeaten for the first time since 1968.
Tyrone won 41-6 at Gray Veterans Memorial Field on Homecoming, extending its regular season winning streak to 10 games.
“They have a great team from A to Z,” said Bellefonte coach Tom Gravish, whose team had already clinched a tie for the MAC Seven Mountains Division before Saturday. “From the moment they kicked the ball, there wasn’t too much they didn’t do well. I thought we would play a little better, but the sun will come up for us tomorrow.”
Tyrone owned the Raiders in every way possible. The Eagles forced four turnovers while committing none, outrushed Bellefonte 262-110, and held a commanding 386-214 advantage in total yards.
Of the Eagles’ eight offensive possessions, six ended in scores, while another – a second quarter punt – resulted in a Raider fumble on the return, which was recovered by Tyrone and converted into one of Buddy Stotler’s two field goals.
“I really liked how our offensive line dictated tempo,” said Eagle coach John Franco, who improved to 6-0 for the fifth time in his 11-year career at Tyrone. “They kept Bellefonte’s skill kids off the field. All the other guys get the credit, but you have to say something about Tyler Hoover and Buddy Stotler, James Updike, Josh Wright, Thad Graham and Doug Morrow because those guys controlled the football game.”
Behind that group, senior Brinton Mingle had his best day as an Eagle running back, rushing for 166 yards and one touchdown on 24 carries, while battering the Raiders in a variety of ways. Thirteen of his carries were in the grind-it-out 5- to 8-yard range, five resulted in gains of 11 yards or more, and one came on fourth down in the middle of the third quarter after Bellefonte had just scored its only touchdown. Needing three, Mingle blasted free for seven, and six plays later Stotler’s second field goal gave Tyrone a 27-6 lead.
“We were blocking well at the point of attack, our running backs blocked well, and Brit Mingle ran as hard as I’ve ever seen him run,” Franco said.
It was the fourth time in the first six weeks of the season that Tyrone’s high-powered offense went over 40 points, but the complexion of the game first began to turn with Brockett’s big play on defense.
Bellefonte had moved the ball 12 yards on its first series and picked up one first down before facing a third-and-9 from its own 31. Versatile quarterback Chris Snare threw to the sideline for Englert, but the pass went through his hands and right into those of the oncoming Brockett.
After eluding several defenders, Brockett made it down the sideline and into the end zone for a 41-yard return that gave Tyrone a 7-0 lead and the early momentum.
Tyrone forced a punt on the Raiders’ next series and took over at its own 10-yard line with 4:34 to go in the first quarter. Mingle ran for six yards on first down, Tyler Gillmen broke loose for 23 yards on a third down screen pass, and the Eagles marched ahead on an 11-play drive that went into the second quarter and worked more than five minutes off the clock.
Gillmen later sprung free for a 21-yard gain down to the B-17, and three plays later he found his way into the end zone from four yards out to stake Tyrone to a 14-0 with 11:23 left in the first half.
The Red Raiders had one chance to get back into the game in the first half when they took their ensuing possession as far as the Tyrone 4. The drive lasted 10 plays and was helped by a 38-yard run by Josh Gentzel and a 15-yard completion from Snare to Nate Carson, which put the ball at the 10.
Four plays later, with Bellefonte facing fourth-and-goal from the 4, Snare rolled to his right and looked for Carson in the corner of the end zone, but he couldn’t get the pass off before Robert Emigh chased him down and threw him out of bounds for a seven-yard loss.
“Give Tyrone credit,” Gravish said. “They played hard, and when they had the lead, they played even harder.”
Tyrone’s next drive stalled at the B-49, but Snare fumbled the Eagles’ punt and it was covered up by Ethan Etters at the 36. Wilson then connected with Doug Morrow for 13 yards and Brockett for 23, setting up Stotler’s 22-yard field, which gave Tyrone a 17-0 halftime lead.
The Eagles made it 24-0 after taking their first possession of the third quarter 65 yards in four plays, with Mingle covering the last seven for his eleventh touchdown of the season.
Bellefonte made it 24-6 with a 65-yard drive aided by a Tyrone personal foul penalty. Snare ran it in from 17 yards out, but the Golden Eagles got three of the points back on its next series when Stotler kicked a career-long 31-yard field goal on the first play of the fourth quarter.
The Eagles closed the scoring with a 39-yard pass from Wilson to Brockett on a play-action out-and-up route that made it 34-6, and a 29-yard run by Johnny Franco with 3:23 left in the game.
Wilson finished the game completing 6 of 9 passes for 124 yards and a touchdown, while going without an interception for the fourth straight week.
“It was a big win against a really good football team,” Franco said. “We’re a growing team this year. We have a lot of new kids and every experience is different. These kids needed the experience of going against a great team in a big setting to see how they would react in that situation.”
GRID TIDBITS: Tyrone stopped seven plays in the Raiders’ backfield … Robert Emigh had two quarterback sacks and forced Snare’s fumble on the punt return… Gentzel, who was averaging over 160 yards per game, was held to 75 on 15 carries … the Eagles have now forced 16 turnovers … Tyrone will play Bishop Guilfoyle Saturday at Mansion Park … BG has won four in a row.
Tyrone 41 Bellefonte 6
Bellefonte 0 0 6 0 – 6
TYRONE 7 10 7 17 – 41
First Quarter
T – Brockett 41 interception return. (Stotler kick) 8:48.
Second Quarter
T – Gillmen 4 run. (Stotler kick) 11:23.
T – Stotler 21 field goal. (0:02.4).
Third Quarter
T – Mingle 7 run. (Stotler kick) 10:59.
B – Snare 17 run. (run failed) 8:03.
Fourth Quarter
T – Stotler 31 field goal. (11:57).
T – Brockett 39 pass from Wilson. (Stotler kick) 6:11.
T – Franco 29 run. (Stotler kick) 3:28.
Team
T B
First Downs 20 13
Yards Rushing 262 110
Pass Att.-Comp. 6-9 7-11
Pass Yards 124 104
Total Yards 386 214
Fumbles/Lost 2-0 4-2
Interceptions Thrown 0 2
Penalties/Yards 4-35 3-25
Punts/Avg. 1-29 1-24
Rushing
Tyrone – Mingle 24-166; Franco 8-64; Gillmen 5-35; Wilson 5-3; B. Williams 2-2; Golden 1-2; Walk 1-1; M. Williams 1 (-3); Team 1-(-8).
Bellefonte – Gentzel 15-75; Snare 14-33; Maddox 2-2; Poorman 1-0.
Passing
Tyrone – Wilson 6-9 124 yards, 0 Int., 1 TD.
Bellefonte – Snare 7-11 104 yards, 2 Int., 0 TDs, Poorman 0-1 0 yards, 0 Int., 0 TDs.
Receiving
Tyrone – Gillmen 1-23; Brockett 2-62; Barr 1-20; Morrow 2-19.
Bellefonte – Carson 4-59; Robbins 1-27; Benner 1-6; Englert 1-12.
