Bellefonte improves to 5-0, finishes strong against Tyrone

By rscaife
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Updated: September 22, 2018

By Kenny Varner

WINGATE – Like two fighters in a championship bout, the Tyrone football team, bringing in an undefeated 4-0, went toe-to-toe with Bellefonte who also had the same record.

The match up did not disappoint as the two teams battled through three and half quarters of strong defensive efforts and back and forth scoring before the Red Raiders took control of the fourth quarter and outscored the Golden Eagles, in a classic, 17-0 to pick up the 31-14 victory.

“I thought we played really well the first half. We were forcing to drive the field and we were making plays,” said Tyrone coach Jason Wilson. “Offensively, we were moving the ball. In the second half, they opened with that long touchdown run on the very first play. I just don’t think we had the aggression or intensity that we had in the first half. They were really able to sustain long drives on us and move the ball on us efficiently.

Tyrone won the coin toss and on its second possession of the contest mounted a strong drive down the field.

With 5:41 left in the first, quarterback Denver Light hit Tim Hicks for the first score of the game. It was a 9-yard pass with the PAT coming from Keegan Raabe.

Holding on to the early 7-0 advantage, the Eagles were able to hold the Red Raiders scoreless until the second quarter.

But Bellefonte is a team that isn’t used to be being behind long and tied the contest just seconds into the quarter. Quarterback Kyle Myers found receiver Trae Bauman all alone for the 35-yard hook up, tying things at seven.

But it would be the Eagles that would take the lead going into the intermission as running back Zac Albright, who finished with 106 yards rushing on the night, scored on a hard fought 37-yard run to give the visitors a 14-7 advantage as the buzzer sounded on the second quarter.

It took just one play in the third quarter to change the fortunes of both teams.

Starting with the ball on their own 39, Bellefonte gave to their ground it out runner CJ Funk. Funk was able to stay up past his first contact with the interior linemen as break loose, never looking back and finishing in the end zone with a 61-yard TD run. With the Chris Persiko PAT, the two were tied again.

However, the Red Raiders started to wear down the physical Eagles and from there Bellefonte’s offense really started clicking in the final stanza.

Going into the fourth tied, Bellefonte was able to work the ball down in big chunks giving the ball to Funk and Myers using his running prowess to get into the red zone.

With 10:08 left, Myers went back to pass and found Noah Badger on a 12-yard TD pass reception, making it 21-14 Bellefonte.

Bellefonte’s defense stiffened and got it back to its offense minutes later and once again the Red Raiders finished a successful scoring drive.

With goal to go, Myers called his own number and scored from three-yards out to up the Red Raider advantage to 28-14.

After holding the Eagles at bay for a second time in the stanza, kicker Persiko put the game on ice as he blasted a 19-yard field goal, finishing the game scoring at 31-14.

Bellefonte got a strong game on the ground from Funk who finished with a game high 173 yards rushing and Myers followed with 66.

Tyrone was led by Albright with his 106-yard running performance. As group, Tyrone finished with 228 yards of total offense while Bellefonte tallied 326.

The Eagles will regroup and be back in action Friday against BEA.