The Drive: Eagles March 96 Yards in Final 1:30 for Win at BEA

For most of the night against Bald Eagle, the Golden Eagle’s offense was a flop. With two interceptions and only seven points, it was not a good night for quarterback Brandon Lucas and the rest of the Tyrone offense. 

But Lucas and company came alive when it mattered most.

With only 1:34 left in the game, and Tyrone trailing 12-9, the Golden Eagles began on their own four-yard line.  In only four plays, Lucas and the Tyrone offense would put together the best drive of the season, marching 94 yards in just over a minute to secure a 15-12 win against Bald Eagle Area.

“I think our defense played phenomenal the whole game while our offense struggled a little. However, we never gave up and ended up making the plays that we needed to win,” said Lucas. 

Both offenses struggled as the defenses forced turnovers. The Golden Eagle forced five turnovers while Bald Eagle forced three.

Tyrone got on the scoreboard first on a 24 yard Lucas pass to wideout Damon Gripp for the touchdown. Kendall Markley kicked extra point to make it 7-0. 

The Golden Eagles offense would not score again until late in the fourth quarter. But the Tyrone defense held strong, keeping Bald Eagle scoreless for the rest of the quarter. 

The second quarter was a painful one for the Golden Eagles. The Tyrone offense could not push the ball downfield, going three and out or turning the ball over.

Bald Eagle scored right before the half ended, but a blocked point after kept Tyrone in the lead 7-6 going into halftime. 

In the second half, the Tyrone defense stepped up, forcing a safety on Bald Eagle quarterback Garrett Burns,  increasing the Golden Eagles narrow lead 9-6. 

Bald Eagle responded with a drive that ended with a one yard quarterback sneak to take the lead 12-9. The Bald Eagles tried to extend their lead by two but the conversion was unsuccessful.

With 1:34 left on the clock and 96 yards away from the end zone, a touchdown seemed unlikely, but the Eagles offense set aside their troubles and completed the best drive of the season.

“We finally put one good drive together at the end. This team needed a win like that. In years past we would have hung our heads and just found ways to lose. This group really came together and it found a way to win,” Tyrone Head Coach John Franco said.

It took the Eagles only four plays, ending with a 20-yard touchdown pass from  Lucas to running back Tommy Hicks in the last 30 seconds of the game to secure a 15-12 Tyrone win. 

“We knew the team was fast but we were well-conditioned. Coach put us in situations at practice where we have to score fast. It was all just a matter of who was going to step up and make plays,” said running back Tommy Hicks. 

Hicks had 94 yards in total offense and senior wideout Damon Gripp led all in receiving with 133 yards on five catches.

The Golden Eagles are now second in the district and play at Penns Valley on the road this week.

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Tyrone 7 0 2 6 — 15

Bald Eagle Area 0 6 0 6 — 12

First Quarter

TY–Gripp 24 pass from Lucas (Markley kick PAT), :56.

Second Quarter

BEA–Burns 1 run (PAT blocked), 1:06.

Third Quarter

TY–Burns tackled in end zone for safety, 5:59.

Fourth Quarter

BEA–lrvin 14 pass from Burns (2-point failed), 7:04.

TY–Hicks 20 pass from Lucas (PAT failed), 1:34.

TEAM STATISTICS 

First downs

Tyrone: 12

BEA: 13

Total yards

Tyrone: 331

BEA: 279

Rushes-yards

Tyrone: 30-130

BEA: 38-203

Yards passing

Tyrone: 201

BEA: 76

Passing (comp.-att.-int.)

Tyrone: 9-22-2

BEA: 15-32-4

Punts-avg.

Tyrone: 5-29.2

BEA: 2-49.5

Fumbles-lost

Tyrone: 1-1

BEA: 1-1

Penalties-yards

Tyrone: 5-35

BEA: 9-66

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING–Tyrone, Hicks 16-74, Gampe 2-0, Lucas 11-43, Clifton 1-13. BEA, Vaughn 6-24, Burns 23-127, Eckley 7-44, Cunningham 1-1, Irvin 1-7.

PASSING–Tyrone, Lucas 9-22-2-201. BEA, Burns 15-31-4-76, Irvin 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING–Tyrone, Gripp 5-133, Clifton 1-40, Gampe 1-4, Gwinn 1-4, Hicks 1-20. BEA, Eckley 6-20, Vaughn 4-23, Watkins 2-25, Irvin 3-8.