The 6-0 Tyrone Golden Eagle football team hosts the 4-2 Clearfield Bison in Tyrone’s Homecoming game this Friday, October 10.

Both teams come off blow-out wins in their previous week, Tyrone against Bald Eagle and Clearfield against Bellefonte.

Historically Clearfield and Tyrone match up very well against each other.  While Clearfield  has won three of the past four against Tyrone, all four games have been decided by a grand total of 12 points.   Clearfield beat Tyrone in a heartbreaker 27-26 last year.

Clearfield’s losses this year are against defending District 6 champion Central Dragons and the 5-1 Keyser Golden Tornado from West Virginia.

“This is definitely the toughest team we have played of the past 4 weeks,” Coach Jason Wilson said. “We will have to play well this week to come out with a win.”

Tyrone will have to make some adjustments to their gameplay for this contest.

In each of their past four weeks, Tyrone’s starters have barely played in the second half. The Golden Eagles have outscored their opponents 183 – 37 in this time span. If they come out of the gates expecting another easy game, Clearfield will make them pay.

This all being said, Tyrone has proven itself to be a dominant force in the league so far.

The real story actually starts with the defense. Tyrone’s starting squad has allowed only four touchdowns so far this year. No one person can take all the credit — Tyrone’s defense has found success so far through its players commitment to one motto: “do your job.”

“Our defense is so good because every single one of us does our job, and we do it well. When the line fills up all the gaps, defensive backs have their assignments on lockdown, and the linebackers stop the charge at the line, there is nowhere to go,” senior defensive back Cameron Bakhsheshe said.

The Golden Eagle offense has also made some great gains this season. After struggling with the passing game in the first two weeks, quarterback Garrett Hunter has been able to hook up with his receivers very consistently.

Meanwhile, the Eagle’s running game has been practically unstoppable. Senior running back Aleic Hunter is averaging 8.4 yards per carry for 716 yards. Powerhouse fullback Eli Sleeth has been quite the bane for defenses so far this season, carrying defenders on his back for some big yardage.

Clearfield will bring a defense that Tyrone has not yet seen so far. The Bisons play man coverage on defense, which is often very difficult to throw against if played well. Similar to Central, their linebackers are very aggressive. They have found success sneaking through the line and busting up a play before it can develop.

However, their aggressiveness is sometimes to a fault. Tyrone will break a few big runs if Hunter or Sleeth can make just one or two defenders miss.

All things considered, Tyrone should come out on top in this one. Although Clearfield is better than its 4-2 record, the Golden Eagles simply out match them.

Prediction: Tyrone wins 28-10.