Tyrone’s previous two seasons ended at the District VI semi-final game. But this year the Golden Eagles cruised past the visiting Huntingdon Bearcats; defeating them 42-15 to advance to the district title game for the 13th time in school history.

This week we asked coach Wilson about the victory, and the first time experience for him and his senior class to play in a district championship against the undefeated Mount Union Trojans.

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Ask the Coach with Mount Union Head Coach Matt Young

EE: How has leadership on your team played a role in previous games?

JW: I think the leadership has been good since the beginning of the year. There are several seniors on the team. The captains have always stepped up. They made sure when we were in tough games that we stuck together and got through it.

EE: What special traits has your team displayed in the past few weeks?

JW: The running game. The line has been excelling the past couple of weeks. We have been running the ball a lot more than we did throughout the season. There has been a lot of improvement there since the beginning of the year.

EE: The last two weeks your team has faced a talented running back. How do you plan to defend one of the best athletes in district 6, BJ Loner?

JW: This running back is probably the best we’ve seen all year. They key is that we have to contain him and eliminate the big plays. He is going to break some runs, we just need to make sure we make the tackles, and make their offense drive the field on us.

EE: How does it feel to coach in your first district championship?

JW: I haven’t really sat down and thought about it because all the film break down, and trying to get things ready. I’m sure it will sink in, but until then we’re just focused on winning the title.

EE: Do you think your team has what it takes to bring home the gold?

JW: Absolutely, any team that makes it this far has a shot to win. At this point in the year, the matchups get tough. We just have to play together as a team.

EE: What is your focus in this weeks practice?

JW: We need another good week of practice. We’re playing for the district championship, so we must have a good practice every day this week. We need to practice with intensity and excitement so it carries over to the game.

EE: What is your opinion on your team bleaching their hair blonde?

JW: Well I haven’t seen all them yet. It really doesn’t matter to me what they do with their hair. Although some of the guys have some pretty interesting designs on the back of their heads.