Tyrone captured their 10th district title by defeating the Mount Union Trojans 35-21. Tyrone now leads district 6 in championships breaking the tie with Forest Hills. We talked to coach Wilson about winning a title his first year coaching, and the upcoming quarter final game against the Hickory Hornets.

EE: You must be one proud coach. What are your thoughts on winning the district 6 title?

JW: I’m really proud of the players and the coaching staff. Everybody came together, and we achieved our goal.

EE: Your defense had an outstanding game limiting Mount Union’s high powered offense to just 14 points, the other score coming from special teams. Also, your defensive backs picked off talented QB Trevon Walker four times. What keys led to that success?

JW: We dropped a lot of guys into coverage. We really wanted to take away the deep ball, and the big plays. We had them outnumbered on the passes.

EE: How did your Gatorade bath feel?

JW: I figured it was coming. I put my hood up just before it happened, so it wasn’t too bad.

EE: Aleic Hunter dominated from start to finish, rushing for 304 yards and five scores. Can you talk about his performance?

JW: I don’t think it was any secret that we were going to go out there and pound the ball. Aleic runs hard all the time, and goes a hundred percent. The offensive line and the fullbacks worked really hard allowing the running game to be a huge factor.

EE: Do you feel like you’re bringing back the tradition?

JW: It never left. We won the district championship in 2011, and made it to the semi-finals the past two years. I think the tradition has always been here, the kids have looked up to it since they were in youth football. The tradition here never graduates.

EE: Coaching in a district championship your first year as a head coach must feel awesome. What was it like facing another first year coach that you actually played against in high school? Did you get a chance to talk to him before or after the game?

JW: We briefly talked before the game at the coaches meeting. It was pretty cool playing against another first year coach. He played for Huntingdon in 2004, and I played in 2003. I don’t remember playing against him in high school. However, I bet we both never expected to be coaching against each other as first year coaches in the district championship.

EE: The game was a nail biter going into halftime. What was the turning point?

JW: Every time we scored, they countered with another score. The big kickoff return they had for a touchdown gave them a lot of momentum. It was back and forth all game, but we out conditioned them and came away with the victory.

EE: How did you motivate your team for this big game coming in as the underdog?

JW: Everybody on the team knew that their goal was to win the district championship. There wasn’t much motivation that had to be said because everyone had the mindset that they wanted to make it to Mansion Park and win the title.

EE: The last time Tyrone and Hickory met, Tyrone won 40-28. What key factors will have to play affect in order to keep your season alive?

JW: This team is really tough on defense. We just need to avoid the big plays, and avoid turnovers on offense. We need to make sure we catch all punts and kicks and not give up any big plays on special teams. I think the game is going to be a defensive battle.