The Tyrone Golden Eagles rallied past Bald Eagle 26-21 in an exciting Eagle versus Eagle playoff matchup Saturday at Gray Field.

At one point the Golden Eagles were down 21-7 and looked to be headed for an early playoff exit.  But thanks in large part to the defense, Tyrone was able to battle back and extend their streak of first round home playoff wins to seventeen.

Tyrone senior James Oliver scored first on a 10 yard run only 2:26 into the first quarter to open up a 7-0 Tyrone lead.

Bald Eagle responded to tie it up near the end of the quarter when Bryan Greene scored on a 64 yard pass from BEA quarterback Jason Jones.

“They have explosive players and they showed a lot of character throughout the game,” said Tyrone head coach Steve Guthoff.

In the second quarter Bald Eagle pulled ahead 14-7 when Jason Jones hit Bryan Greene in stride for a 35 yard scoring strike.

Tyrone was held to no points in the quarter and as the teams entered the locker room at halftime the momentum and the score were both favoring Bald Eagle.

Bald Eagle then added to its lead in the third as Jones and Greene hooked up for their third touchdown of the evening, this one a 79 yard completion.

Down 21 – 7, the outcomelooked bleak for Tyrone. However, in the third quarter Tyrone picked it up and started their comeback.

Oliver began the rally with a 43 yard run touchdown, his second of the night.

The main turning point in this battle came from the Eagle defense in the form of an interception by junior Eli Sleeth, who returned the ball 18 yards for a touchdown.

“The quarterback threw it right to me, our guys made blocks and I was able to return it all the way,” said Sleeth.

Tyrone then took the lead for good on a fourth quarter touchdown from Oliver, his third of the evening.

The defense held Bald Eagle in check to seal the victory, including a key late sack by senior Jared Muir.

“That game was a gut check but we stuck it out, got our heads straight, and were able to get the win,” said Oliver.

Tyrone is set to square off against undefeated Richland on the road this Friday night.

“Richland is a tough team who will bend but not break” said coach Guthoff.

Box Score

First quarter

Tyrone: James Oliver 10 run (Seth Umholtz kick) 2:26

Bald Eagle: Bryan Greene 64 pass from Jason Jones (Tyler Schall kick) :52

Second quarter

Bald Eagle: Bryan Greene 35 pass from Jones (Schall kick) 1:22

Third quarter

Bald Eagle: Bryan Greene 79 pass from Jones (Schall kick) 8:07

Tyrone: Oliver 43 run (Umholtz kick) 6:56

Tyrone: Elijah Sleeth 18 interception return (kick failed) 2:22

Fourth quarter

Tyrone: Oliver 5 run (2pt failed) 7:49

TEAM STATISTICS

First downs

BEA: 9

Tyrone: 6

Rushes/yards

BEA: 35-86

Tyrone: 26-93

Passing (completions/attempts/interceptions)

BEA: 10-18-1

Tyrone: 17-23-0

Passing yards

BEA: 144

Tyrone: 154

Total yards

BEA: 230

Tyrone: 247

Fumbles/lost

BEA: 0-0

Tyrone: 0-0

Penalties/yards

BEA: 3-35

Tyrone: 1-5

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING:

BEA–Dakota Bartley 12-28, Mitchel Struble 7-31, Bryan Greene 1(-1), Kaleb Weaver 2-6, Tyler Schall 1-3, Ryan Watkins 1-0, Jason Jones 6-16, Bryce Greene 1-3.

Tyrone–James Oliver 17-98 3 tds, Elijah Sleeth 1-4, Erik Wagner 8(-9).

PASSING:

BEA–Jason Jones 10-18 244 3 tds, 1 int.

Tyrone–Wagner 17-23 154.

RECEIVING

BEA–Bryan Greene 7-221 (3 tds), Bryce Greene 2-14, Struble 1-9.

Tyrone–Nicholas Getz 5-56, Silas Crawford 1-10, Duane Boone 1-12, Aleic Hunter 4-21, Elijah Sleeth 1-13, James Oliver 3-20, Jacob Makdad -12.

INTERCEPTIONS

BEA–none.

Tyrone–Sleeth.