As much as the District championships and touchdown passes, the career of Tyrone quarterback Leonard Wilson is marked by his flawless execution.
Before last night’s game at Gray-Veterans Field against Huntingdon, the three-year starter had thrown only 10 interceptions in 311 attempts, which means defensive backs who do pick Wilson are inclined to save the game ball because it doesn’t happen too often.
His career is also marked by resiliency – interceptions are normally followed by touchdown passes, loss followed by wins.
Against the ‘Cats, an uncharacteristic Wilson fumble in the open field nearly opened the door for Huntingdon to claw its way back into the game in the third quarter, but he recovered to intercept Kyle Kyper on his next two pass attempts, once setting up a touchdown in Tyrone’s 27-0 MAC non-divisional game.
Wilson finished the game completing 9 of 14 passes for 118 yards and one touchdown with one interception. He also ran for 22 yards, and totaled 92 return yards on two interceptions.
“Leonard still has to be careful that he doesn’t try to do too much,” said Tyrone coach John Franco. “But you saw what he can do. You win games because great players make great plays and that’s what happened tonight.”
While Wilson’s second half interceptions highlighted for him a superb night on both sides of the ball, it was his handling of the two-minute drill as the first half wound down that put Huntingdon on the ropes.
The ‘Cats (1-1) had just punted and pinned Tyrone at its own 17 with 1:35 to go until halftime, and Huntingdon was content to go into the locker room down just 7-0. But the Eagles had different thoughts, and in only six plays they drove to the H-18, where they faced a third-and-10 with 19 seconds left.
Wilson tried unsuccessfully to hook up with Trey Brockett on two plays, but with time winding down he rolled left and found him open at the five yard line. Brockett pulled in the pass, turned up field and extended the ball across the goal line just before he was forced out of bounds by Huntingdon’s Kevin Cressman.
Brockett’s first career touchdown made it 14-0 with 12.3 seconds to go until halftime, and it deflated a Bearcat defense that was pushed to the limit without breaking for most of the first half.
“The second touchdown was a big part of the game,” said Huntingdon coach Jim Zauzig. “That was a hard one to take.”
Huntingdon showed signs of life in the second half, but the ‘Cats never again seriously threatened the Eagles, who improved to 2-0. In a dominating performance, Tyrone’s defense got its first shutout of the season, registered eight tackles behind the line of scrimmage, and picked off Kyper on three separate occasions.
Junior linebacker Tyler Gillmen turned in the best defensive performance of his career, recording three stops behind the line of scrimmage, including two sacks while deflecting a pass. Tyler Hoover assisted on two other sacks as Tyrone kept Kyper running for his life most of the game.
But the real key was Tyrone’s ability to take advantage of Huntingdon’s miscues, while never forced to pay for its own. So while the Eagles parlayed one Kyper interception into a touchdown, Tyrone’s turnovers never changed the scoreboard for the ‘Cats.
And there were several miscues still fresh in Franco’s mind when the game was over. Along with Wilson’s third quarter fumble, Brinton Mingle mishandled a ball in the second, and Wilson threw his first interception of the season in the fourth.
But two of Huntingdon’s series following Tyrone turnovers went four plays and out, while another ended in an interception after three plays.
“It was tough getting things going when we didn’t have the ball that much,” Zauzig said. “Clock control was big for Tyrone.”
Tyrone made it 7-0 early in the game with a seven-play, 70 yard drive after receiving the opening kick. Wilson completed a pair of passes in the series to Brockett and Gillmen, but the big plays were back-to-back runs by Mingle that totaled 40 yards, the second of which put him in the endzone with a 14-yard touchdown run.
That was the start of a big day for Mingle, who carried the ball 20 times for 125 yards and two touchdowns.
Penalties and a turnover kept the Eagles out of the endzone for the remainder of the half, until Tyrone’s two-minute-drill drive that gave them a two-touchdown cushion at halftime.
Tyrone was poised to go up 21-0 in the third when Wilson’s had the ball knocked out of his hands after a 14-yard gain. But true to form, he rebounded two plays later when he jumped a slant route and returned his interception 65 yards to the H-6. Mingle scored two plays later and the Eagles were up three touchdowns.
Tyrone’s last touchdown came in the fourth quarter on an 11-play 51-yard drive. Gillmen and Johnny Franco carried most of the load, toting the ball 10 times for 39 yards, with Franco getting the final yard to make it 27-0.
“I’m not always sure what we’re going to have from week to week, but we’re starting to develop an identity,” Franco said. “Tyrone outrushed Huntingdon by nearly two hundred yards (239-66), giving Franco a chance to flash a smile as he spoke about the offensive line.
“I’m pleased at this point with the progress of our line and they’re really coming on,” he said. “They’re going to be better as the year goes on, but they’re coming.”
GRID TIDBITS: Brockett had four receptions for 75 yards … tight end Doug Morrow made an acrobatic catch in the first quarter when he tipped a ball in the air to himself and hauled it in as he fell on his back … Wilson’s second-quarter touchdown pass to Brockett gave him 23 touchdown passes for his career … the Eagles host Lewistown next Friday.
Tyrone 27 Huntingdon 0
Tyrone 7 7 7 6 – 27
Huntingdon 0 0 0 0 – 0
First Quarter
T – Mingle 14 run (Stotler kick) 8:30
Second Quarter
T – Brockett 18 pass from Wilson (Stotler kick) :12.3
Third Quarter
T – Mingle 2 run (Stotler kick) 1:14
Fourth Quarter
T – Franco 1 run (kick failed) 2:14
Team
T H
First Downs 21 8
Yards Rushing 45-239 20-66
Pass Att.-Comp. 9-14 6-14
Pass Yards 118 92
Total Yards 357 158
Fumbles/Lost 2-2 1-0
Interceptions Thrown 1 3
Penalties/Yards 5-55 4-20
Punts/Avg. 2-35 5-35
Rushing
Tyrone – Mingle 20-125; Gillmen 11-45; Franco 7-36; Wilson 3-22; Barr 1-12; Golden 3-(-1).
Huntingdon – Culbertson 11-40; Kyper 7-28; Cressman 1-4; Shoemaker 1-(-6).
Passing
Tyrone – Wilson 9-14-118, 1 TD, 1 Int.
Huntingdon – Kyper 6-14-92, 0 TD, 3 Int.
Receiving
Tyrone – Brockett 4-75; Morrow 1-13; Schopp 1-13; Gillmen 1-12; Barr 1-9; Franco 1-(-4).
Huntingdon – Shoemaker 4-24; Reed 1-20; Jones 1-13; Rohrer 1-12; Cressman 1-4.
