Tyrone’s Seth Hoover cuts inside, past Forest Hills’ Austin Plamuk (1), and hits Kevin Brown (60) and Cody Plumke in a District 6 Class 3A semifinal game Friday night at Sidman. Defeated Biter (8). Mirror photo: Roger Kerekes
SIDEMAN — After losing star lineman John Stanton to injury in the offseason, Tyrone entered the season with a makeshift offensive and defensive line.
Despite some hiccups along the way, everything went well as the Golden Eagles defeated the Rangers 44-4 in the District 6 Class 3A playoff semifinal against Forest Hills on Friday night at GH Miller Field. I broke it with 0.
“(They) have improved in leaps and bounds,” Tyrone coach John Franco said. “We had some guys back, so that helped a lot. It wasn’t just the linemen’s runs that were blocked, the real story of the game was how well the defense played. I’m so excited for our defense to shut out Forest Hills on their turf. It’s the best they’ve played all year. I could see them getting better. ”
Seth Hoover benefited from that block, finishing with 250 yards and four touchdowns on 23 carries.
“It was unbelievable,” Huber said of the starting offensive line, consisting of Sian Hockenberry, Austin Lucas, Kayden Ansmann, Lucas Bonsell and Owen Oakes. “They get better every week. The holes were wide open tonight. It was awesome. I couldn’t have asked for a better night. The line played great.”
The Golden Eagles will play top-seeded Penn Cambria, which defeated Central 33-0 in the other semifinal, for the District 6 Class 3A championship next week.
How the game played: Ashton Emi recovered a Forest Hills fumble with Tyrone leading 17-0 with less than a minute left before halftime. On the next play, Ashton Walk connected with Trent Adams on a perfect pass into the corner of the end zone for an 18-yard score and a 23-0 lead at the half. Adams also had two interceptions on defense.
“Trent is a great player and a great addition to our team,” Franco said. “The children love him, they get along well with him, but it was very difficult for him to be in this situation and our children accepted him and protected him. He’s a part of us now. He’s very good in so many ways and there’s nothing he won’t do to help the team, whether it’s on offense or defense or special teams. , he does it, and most importantly, he’s a good kid.”
Most Valuable Player: Huber ran for 21 yards in the second quarter, giving him more than 1,000 yards rushing this season. He added touchdown runs of 1, 4, 32 and 60 yards and caught two passes for 17 yards.
“Seth is good at bouncing it off,” Franco said. “If you take him inside, he’ll go outside. He’s a very instinctive runner, like his father. The run blocking by this offensive line has been the best all year.”
The unsung hero: Ashton Emi not only recovered the fumble, but returned the interception 27 yards for a touchdown, helping Tyrone win 5-1 on turnovers.
The most important statistic: Tyrone, the top passing team in Blair County, didn’t throw a pass in the second half, much to Franco’s shock after the game.
“I don’t think we threw the ball in the second half,” Franco said. “can’t believe it.”
Franco: “We’ve had so much adversity throughout the year with injuries, suspensions, not having the whole team playing. When we got the whole team back, we still had two key players. I felt like I was lacking, but I thought I could do pretty well if I stayed healthy. Thankfully, we were able to do that.”
Forest Hills coach Justin Myers: “We knew they were going to run the ball, but we wanted to take away what they do best. Ashton is a phenomenal quarterback and we wanted to improve our passing game. They started hitting us in the run game, and it was really difficult. We’re a good football team, but we’re not a great football team, and we’re going to try to stop both of them tonight. It was really difficult.”
“I can’t wait. We lost to them in the first round last year. We have to get back,” Hoover said of Penn Cambria. “We had a great week of practice and we played like we played tonight. We’re going to have to make plays.”
Forest Hills senior quarterback Nate Cornell: “The whole team came together like a big family. Through the ups and downs, we’ve always had each other’s backs. We have a really good connection. It was a great opportunity for me to gain more friends and people I trust. I hope they continue to work. I will help them prepare for the next season, because this Because we are family.”
What to watch: Dante Novak kicked a 24-yard field goal to put Tyrone ahead. …Forest Hills’ Cody Biter prevented the extra point. …Forest Hills moved up from Class 2A to Class 3A this season. …Franco returned to Tyrone after serving as head coach at Penn Cambria, where he is currently serving.
Record: Tyrone (7 wins, 4 losses). Forest Hills (6-5).
Next week: Tyrone will face Penn Cambria in the District 6 Class 3A championship game at Mansion Park. Forest Hills season is over.
Score per quarter
Tyrone 3 20 7 14 — 44
Forest Hills 0 0 0 0 — 0
1st quarter
T.D. Novak 24 FG, 8:51.
2nd quarter
T-Hoover 32 runs (D. Novak kick), 11 minutes 39 seconds.
T-Hoover 4 runs (D. Novak kick), 6 minutes 47 seconds.
T-Adams, 18 passes (kick block) from A. Walk, :41.
3rd quarter
T-Hoover 1 run (D. Novak kick), 8 minutes 26 seconds.
4th quarter
T-Hoover 60 runs (D. Novak kick), 11:50.
TA. Emig 27 Interception Return (T. Novak Kick), 10:04.
Team statistics T FH
First down 17 12
Total yards 422 182
Rush Yards 32-300 38-139
Passing Yards 122 43
path (comp.-att.-int.) 8-13-0 6-16-3
Punt average 0-0 2-25.5
Lost fumble 1-1 2-2
Penalty Yards 5-40 3-20
personal statistics
Rushing – Tyrone, Hoover 23-250, Whitby 5-30, A. Walk 1-14, B. Walk 2-6, Robinson 1-0. Forest Hills, Mays 9-84, Papinchak 18-55, Cornell 10-1, Team 1-(-1).
Passing – Tyrone, A. Walk 8-13-0-122. Forest Hills, Cornell 4-12-2-104, Myers 2-4-1-16.
Reception – Tyrone, Woomer 3-56, Adams 2-47, Hoover 2-17, Weston 1-2. Forest Hills, Papinchak 2-11, McGough 2-10, Williamson 1-12, Russell 1-10.
