The Tyrone Area High School football team still has the playoffs-semifinals tonight and hopefully the District 6-AA championships next week at Mansion Park, and PIAA state playoffs to follow.
The Golden Eagles have already pulled down their share of the Mountain Athletic Football Conference post-season honors in the recently released All-Conference lists. In all 17 spots on the First and Second Team All-Stars belong to the Orange and Black, including four First Team honors on the offensive side of the ball, and five more on the First Team defense.
Senior Matt Murray (6-3, 215) picked up First Team honors at both offensive guard and defensive end for the Eagles. Fellow senior Jerrod Good (6-2, 245) was selected at both First Teams as well, with a tackle spot on offense and D-lineman on defense. Good was one of five unanimous selections on offense. Senior Larry Glace (6-1, 185) was picked for the running back position on the First Team offense, as well as making the First Team on defense as linebacker.
Senior John Shaffer (6-2, 205) was selected to the First Team tight end position, as well as Second Team selections at both place-kicker and defensive end. Senior Mark Mingle (6-2, 215) was a First Team pick at linebacker on defense and a Second Team selection on offense at running back. Senior Ben Ingle (6-1, 175) was a First Team choice and unanimous pick on defense in the secondary, and also was a Second Team offensive pick at wide out. Dustin Weaver was a First Team selection on the defense at linebacker.
Junior Eric Desch (6-0, 160) was a Second Team pick on offense at wide out and defense in the secondary, and junior Levi Reihart (5-11, 165) was a Second Team pick at quarterback.
Senior Andrew Clark (5-6, 160) was selected as a Scholar-Athlete for the Golden Eagles.
Good was a First Team pick in 2007, at tackle on offense. Murray was Second Team at both offensive guard and defensive end. Shaffer was Second Team on offense at tight end, and place-kicker and D-line on defense. Mingle was a Second Team running back on offense and linebacker on defense. Shaffer was also a Second Team pick on the defensive line as a sophomore in 2006. Reihart was the Second Team punter in ‘07.
Tyrone finished just one point away, a 35-34 loss to Clearfield, from winning their fifth straight MAFC Nittany Division title. The Eagles finished in a three-way tie with Bellwood-Antis and Philipsburg-Osceola for the initial championship in 2004, and won outright titles in ‘05, 06, and ‘07.
Tyrone scored an average of 37.9 points per game, second only to Nittany Division champ Clearfield’s 38.5, and was the best defense in the entire MAFC, including both divisions, giving up just 8.8 points per contest.
