Under the cold and windy skies on Halloween night, the Tyrone Golden Eagles walked into a house of horrors at War Veterans Memorial Stadium in Huntingdon for the District 6 Class 3A semifinal game on Friday, October 31.
Making their first playoff appearance in six years, the entire town of Huntingdon seemed to show up for the Bearcats, creating a deafening home-field advantage that fueled Huntingdon’s 42-7 win.
The loss ended Tyrone’s season and sent the Bearcats on to face Penn Cambria in the district title game on Friday at Mansion Park in Altoona.
Despite being blown out on the scoreboard, Tyrone actually outgained Huntingdon 278-215 yards, but three interceptions, penalties, and the inability to stop the Huntingdon run game turned into a Halloween nightmare for the Golden Eagles.
The game opened with promising flashes for Tyrone. On one of the early plays, senior Ashton Emigh hauled in a 35-yard reception from senior quarterback Eli Woomer.
However, a few plays later, Huntingdon quickly seized momentum. Sophomore defensive back Cole Lane returned an interception 67 yards for a touchdown, giving the Bearcats an early lead they never relinquished.
Tyrone’s offensive struggles compounded, and just before halftime, senior receiver Brayden Parsons went down with a sprained ankle, with the Eagles already trailing 20-0.
Parsons entered the game with 412 receiving yards, but did not return, leaving a void Tyrone filled with Eli Woomer moving to receiver and sophomore Jon Stroup getting some reps at receiver as well.
The Bearcats dominated the line of scrimmage, a turnaround from their regular-season matchup where Tyrone controlled the trenches and amassed 257 rushing yards.
This time, Huntingdon rushed for 207 yards and four touchdowns, led by senior running back Landon Erdman’s explosive performance.
Erdman finished with 145 yards on 15 carries, capped by a 52-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter to seal the mercy-rule victory. He also surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the season, highlighting his impact as the centerpiece of Huntingdon’s offense.
Coach John Franco reflected on the tough night for the Golden Eagles to the Altoona Mirror.
“Eli gets hit in the back and they get a pick-6 out of it, and the first punt we had blocked all year sets up another touchdown. When things go wrong, they really go wrong. They beat us one-on-one at the line of scrimmage. We tried everything running-wise and couldn’t get anything established and were left with just throwing the ball. You can’t just do one thing.”
Despite the challenges, Tyrone showed moments of creativity and resilience. Junior Ben Walk later stepped in at quarterback and connected on a 14-yard touchdown pass to Mason Emigh late in the third quarter.
Tyrone was also able to generate 64 yards in four plays later in the contest in hopes of cutting the lead.
The drive was sparked by a creative hitch-and-pitch play; junior Ben Walk threw a hitch to Woomer, who immediately tossed it back to Caleb Whitby for a big 43-yard gain, energizing the Eagles and fans alike, giving some hope.
Sadly, the promising drive unraveled when a hitch route intended for Mason Emigh was tipped into the air and intercepted by Javaughn Dodson. The Bearcats nearly returned the interception for over 90 yards, but Mason Emigh’s remarkable hustle prevented the score, chasing down the defender and stopping him at the 5-yard line, keeping Tyrone’s hopes for a comeback alive a little longer.
However, it wasn’t long until another Erdman touchdown run put an end to the comeback effort.
Reflecting on the season, Tyrone contended with highs and lows, starting with a tough 21-20 loss to Bellefonte after leading late in the opening game. That loss underscored the importance of every play in the tight District 6 3A.
The Eagles fought back through the season with key victories, including a convincing regular-season win over Huntingdon and big wins over Philipsburg and Chestnut Ridge to make the playoffs and jump to the three seed.
Though the semifinal loss was disappointing, Tyrone’s grit and talent remained evident, and the foundation is set for future growth.
The Golden Eagles thank their supporters for growing with the team through every challenge and cheer on the continued perseverance and spirit that will see them soar again.
The Tyrone Golden Eagles look forward to next season with renewed determination and pride.
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Tyrone 0 0 7 0– 7
Huntingdon 7 13 15 7–42
First Quarter
H–Lane 67 interception return (Snare kick), 7:52.
Second Quarter
H–Erdman 3 run (kick failed), 9:58.
H–Erdman 1 run (Snare kick), 1:44.
Third Quarter
H–Edmiston 20 run (Snare kick), 7:20.
H–Dodson 9 pass from Guisler (Erdman run), 3:27.
T–M. Emigh 14 pass from Walk (Novak kick), 0:00.
Fourth Quarter
H–Erdman 52 run (Snare kick), 11:27.
TEAM STATISTICS
First downs
Tyrone: 13
Huntingdon: 9
Total yards
Tyrone: 278
Huntingdon: 215
Rushes-yards
Tyrone: 20-71
Huntingdon: 31-206
Yards passing
Tyrone: 201
Huntingdon: 9
Passing (comp.-att.-int.)
Tyrone: 12-33-3
Huntingdon: 1-2-0
Punts-avg.
Tyrone: 5-21.2
Huntingdon: 3-44.5
Fumbles-lost
Tyrone: 2-0
Huntingdon: 4-1
Penalties-yards
Tyrone: 9-79
Huntingdon: 4-38
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING
Tyrone: Whitby 9-39, A. Emigh 6-19, Starr 2-15, Woomer 3-(-2).
Huntingdon: Erdman 16-148, Edmiston 6-37, Guisler 3-15, E. Rivello 3-14, Mykut 1-7, Lane 1-(-8). TEAM 1-(-7).
PASSING
Tyrone: Walk 9-28-2-123, Woomer 3-5-1-78.
Huntingdon: Guisler 1-2-0-9.
RECEIVING
Tyrone: Woomer 5-67, M. Emigh 4-86, A. Emigh 1-33, Parsons 1-16, Whitby 1-(-1).
Huntingdon: Dodson 1-9
