The Golden Eagles will look to finish this week with a record of 6-0. However, this is easier said than done. Tyrone will play two of its toughest opponents, hosting Huntingdon on Wednesday and traveling to Clearfield on Friday. All three teams, combined with a one loss Penns Valley, are very likely to contend for the Mountain League Title this season.

“We have another huge week ahead of us. Hopefully we can keep this thing rolling, because right now we are having a lot of fun,” junior big man Tony Politza said.

Huntingdon is 3-1, their only loss coming to a stellar Clearfield team. Just like Tyrone, they topped Tussey Mountain in a nail-biting 1 point win. It is fair to say that this game is pretty evenly matched.

Senior guard Nate Gearhart does most of the scoring for the Bearcats. He is accurate from long range and can hit jumpers at a high level. State Champion Triple Jumper and 6”6 big man Kobren “Cobra” Frederick does a good job of pulling down big rebounds and often dominates the post game against smaller opponents. But Tyrone shouldn’t have much trouble taming him, as post players Tony Politza and Diddy Mitchell have the size and skill to contend with just about anyone in the area.

The funny thing about Tyrone basketball is that nobody on the team consistently outscores anyone else. In the first game against Bellwood, three Golden Eagles scored 14 points each. Against Central, Pooky Soellner had a game-high 12 points. And against Tussey Mountain, freshman Jake Meredith led the team with 12 points on 4 game-changing threes while only shooting 5. It will be hard for defenses to key on any one player, because it seems like just about anyone can step up and find the bottom of the net.

If there is one weakness for Tyrone so far this season, it is foul trouble. Senior guard Blake Brooks fouled out against Tussey Mountain in the fourth quarter. Geis and Soellner missed considerable playing time in the same game because each accumulated early fouls. And this is a common theme so far: in 3 of 4 games so far, Golden Eagle starters have had to sit out to avoid fouling out. The good news is, underclassmen have been able to step up in a big way. Freshmen Jake Meredith and Parker Mitchell have been playing very well off the bench. However, their inexperience is bound to reveal itself in close games in the future. This foul trouble may come back to bite Tyrone.

“I am sure we will get this figured out,” senior guard Blake Brooks said. “Foul trouble has always been a little bit of a problem for us, but we are already playing smarter than we did earlier in the season. I’m not worried about it.”

Clearfield presents a different set of challenges for Tyrone. With a completely new coaching staff and a whole new game plan, Clearfield has already found a lot of success. With big wins against Mountain League powers Central and Huntingdon, they will look to take control of the conference with a win against Tyrone.

In previous years, Clearfield has played a very slowly and carefully — sitting in a zone defense and walking the ball up the court. This year, they have tweaked a few wires and all of the sudden, they seem to be playing in turbo speed. Playing an aggressive man-to-man defense and pushing every possession all the way to the hoop, the Bison aren’t even reminiscent of last year’s team.

Tyrone will have to establish their own pace in Clearfield’s new gym if they want to control the game and the Mountain League. Hopefully shooters Blake Brooks and Pooky Soellner will be on, because the Golden Eagles will need them to win.

Tyrone has a tough road ahead of them. These games can secure Tyrone a spot in the top teams in D6 if they can come out of this week undefeated.