Editors’ Picks: Tyrone’s top 10 sports stories of 2014
We’ve ranked the top ten Tyrone sports stories of 2014. Let the debate begin!
2014 was a very good year for Tyrone sports. Championships were won and records were broken.
Narrowing the accomplishments of Tyrone’s athletes to the top 10 of the year was not an easy task. Much debate and discussion went into creating our first annual list of the top 10 moments in Tyrone sports.
Here’s our list, complete with hyperlinks to the original Eagle Eye stories, starting with 10 and ending with our greatest Tyrone High School sports moment of 2014.
Be sure to also check out our companion story, Top 10 Tyrone news stories of 2014.
10. Powder Puff: Juniors rock seniors in the annual Powder-Puff football game.
At Tyrone the annual girls Powder Puff game is taken very seriously. The girls attend weeks of practice leading up to the annual event. The juniors have beaten the seniors only three times in Tyrone Powder Puff history.
This year, some incredible junior performances coupled with a stellar coaching staff was enough to topple their elder opponents. Check out our take on the game.
9. Football: Varsity football team becomes the “Bleached Boys” for 2014 playoff run.
Tradition is a big part of what makes Tyrone football special. Perhaps the most peculiar tradition involves “a new look” for the team during playoff time.
Take a look at what every single player on the football team did — and why they did it.
8. Track and Field: Senior Jordyn Swogger breaks a 34 year-old record at Bellwood Invitational.
Dual-sport senior standout Jordyn Swogger had a lot of success in her Tyrone track career. Despite an injury plagued senior year, Swogger broke a 34-year-old record in the 400 meter dash at the annual Bellwood Invitational in March 2014.
7. Wrestling: Senior Jason Schopp follows in brother’s footsteps and goes to Division 1 Edinboro for wrestling.
Schopp is already a big name in Tyrone wrestling. In 2014 it got a whole lot bigger. Tyrone’s Jason Schopp signed on to wrestle at Division 1 powerhouse Edinboro, joining his older brother AJ, who is currently a gold medal contending NCAA D1 wrestler with the Fighting Scots.
6. Backyard Brawl: Tyrone boys beat Bellwood both on the gridiron and on the hardwood in 2014.
The Tyrone-Bellwood rivalry is the stuff of legends. This year, Tyrone swept Bellwood in both basketball and football.
In one of the more memorable fall classic finishes, Ricky Reader sacked Bellwood quarterback Jake Burch on the final play of the game to seal the win for Tyrone.
On the hardwood, the underdog Golden Eagles, returning only a few lettermen, upset the highly favored Bellwood Blue Devils in Tyrone’s home opener to complete the sweep.
5. Football: Tyrone football goes through transitional period in coaching.
In March 2014 Tyrone head coach Steve Gutthoff resigned, leading to much speculation about return of former Tyrone head coach John Franco. Franco eventually declined to interview for the position, opening the door for Tyrone alum and former Franco assistant Jason Wilson. Wilson had no problem settling into the job, winning a district title in his first year as head coach.
This story was also very important in the brief history of the Eagle Eye, as we scooped the local sports press several times with news on Tyrone’s football coaching vacancy.
4. Girls Soccer: Senior Carrie Vance becomes first Tyrone soccer player ever to surpasses the 50 career goal milestone.
Much like scoring 1,000 points in basketball, the 50 career goal mark is one that most high school soccer players can only dream of. Senior Carrie Vance, Tyrone’s all time leading scorer in soccer, reached and ultimately destroyed the mark, ending her high school career with a staggering 76 career goals.
3. Basketball: Seniors Jordyn Swogger and Brandon Gripp both reach 1000 career point milestone.
It isn’t too often that a basketball player scores 1000 points in one season. It’s simply ludicrous that there could be two in the same year.
In 2014, Tyrone’s Brandon Gripp and Jordyn Swogger both hit the career mark for the Golden Eagles.
2. Football: 2014 Golden Eagles win Tyrone’s 10th District 6 Football Championship.
The Golden Eagles entered the 2014 football season with a lot of question marks – new coach, new quarterback, new featured running back.
How would they do? They responded with a near perfect regular season and a record setting 10th District VI title. Didn’t see the game? Check out our game review of the District 6 AA football championship.
1. Track and Field: Sophomore Erika Voyzey goes undefeated and wins gold at state championship meet in the high-jump.
It takes a lot for winning a District VI football title not to be the biggest sports story of the year in Tyrone, but sophomore Erika Voyzey had a 2014 to remember in high jump. After going undefeated in the regular season, Voyzey claimed the district championship and accomplished what only a select few Tyrone athletes have done: a state championship.
Voyzey will be back again this year, hoping to add the state high jump record and a second gold medal to her already impressive high jump resume.
So there you have it, our Top 10 sports stories of 2014. Do you agree with our rankings? What stories did we leave out? Continue the discussion in the comments, and don’t forget to check out our companion story, the Top 10 Tyrone News Stories of 2014.
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Hey good looking, come here often? My name is Mark Lewis and I'm a senior this year. DUDE, I'm super stoked to be the Sports Editor of this year's Eagle...
Krystal Hess/Dry • Jan 6, 2015 at 7:40 pm
I think the Tyrone Volleyball Program deserves a “Well Done” for all the hard work the Coaches and Team Players accomplished in 2014. With the very successful coaching the Volleyball Teams receive the Volleyball Program will only continue to grow and be a huge success for the Tyrone Area School District!