After last week’s disappointing loss to the Blue Devils, the Golden Eagles will have to keep their heads up when the undefeated Bishop Guilfoyle Marauders make the trip to Gray Field this Friday.
Last year Tyrone did the unthinkable as they pulled off a 28-27 win as the defense held strong when BG attempted a two-point conversion at the end of the game.
Guilfoyle Head Coach Justin Wheeler has had no shortage of success as he has a career record of 133-38 including four PIAA class 1A championships from 2014 to 2020.
The Marauders are currently ranked first in the state for the 1A classification as they are 5-0, outscoring opponents 170-51. The majority of those points come from senior athlete Hamilton Gates. Though Gates is listed as a wide receiver he will also line up in the backfield at running back often.
Gates leads the team with 12 total touchdowns as junior running back Taurean Consiglio follows behind him with six touchdowns.
Throwing the ball to Gates is senior quarterback Chase Kissell, who has completed 68 of 94 attempts for 1,109 yards with 13 touchdowns and only two interceptions. Gates has 556 of those yards and seven receiving touchdowns on only 23 receptions. Complementing Gates is senior wideout Braden Reily who has hauled in 22 receptions for 278 yards and two touchdowns.
The Marauders have three players with over 200 rushing yards which includes Gates who has 281 yards and four touchdowns on 39 carries, Consiglio who has 257 yards and three touchdowns on 33 carries, and Kissell who has 219 yards and one touchdown on 42 carries.
Interestingly, the Golden Eagles have a long streak of wins over the Marauders. Dating back to the early 2000s, Tyrone has won the last four meetings, including one of the most exciting games of the 2023 season. To keep the streak going, Tyrone must focus on containing Hamilton Gates as he is the vocal point of the Marauder’s offense.
The Golden Eagles will be happy to have starting receivers Eli Woomer and Trent Adams back in action, as Adams was forced to leave the game early due to his shoulder injury. Along with that junior Kayden Ansman tackle suffered an ankle injury, filling into that spot will be either senior Ian Gibbons or junior tight end Marshall Martin.
Tyrone must limit turnovers as that has been one of the biggest problems for the offense, they have 11 turnovers in only five games. If they win this could be the most important game of the season as it could be the turning point of the season.
