Let’s start with these numbers from Tyrone’s 15-6 win over Bishop McCort in last night’s District 5-6 AA championship game: 65-63.
That’s the relationship between the yards Leonard Wilson racked up in three interception returns compared to the numbers the Crushers gained in total though four quarters. But Wilson’s two-yard edge over McCort’s offense doesn’t begin to tell the story of the Eagles’ seventh District championship under coach John Franco. That may be best captured in a different set of numbers.
It’s not Tyrone’s 16 first downs to McCort’s three, although that is impressive. It’s not the Eagles 213-yard edge in rushing yards.
The true measure of this game is summed up in this line: 3-for-3. That was what senior Ben Gummo did on field goal attempts, despite playing on an injured knee that as recently as Wednesday had his coaches thinking he would be sidelined for at least this week. It was an effort that put him in the record books and ensured that someday, somewhere in the borough, his name would be summoned up when conversations turn to the most courageous performances by a Golden Eagle in a big time game.
“We got the word yesterday that he might be able to play,” said Franco. “He said he felt OK. He wasn’t quite himself, but he’s such a tough kid that we said, you go until you feel you can’t do it anymore. He just gutted it out.”
In the process, Gummo equaled two Tyrone records: career field goals (10) held by his brother Scott and John Supina, and single game field goals, initially set by Supina in 1987 against Bellwood-Antis.
“I was just lucky to take the field,” said Gummo. “I was amazed and shocked that I could play, and and kick three field goals in a row to put us up more than a touchdown.”
Gummo also played much of the game at his defensive end position and handled the kicking duties, and his entry in the game alone set the tone for the Golden Eagles from the start.
“We knew this could be our last game,” Gummo said. “Playing for Tyrone is such an honor. Putting this jersey back on, I was pumped, and I told everybody that before the game.”
The rest followed his lead, and it showed nowhere more than on defense, where Tyrone completely dominated a McCort team that was averaging 342 yards and 32 points per game. Of the Crushers 11 series on offense, only one lasted longer than three plays, and that was a six-play possession late in the second quarter that ended in a Wilson pick.
Bishop McCort’s longest drive went for 14 yards, all of which came on its final play of the game, a hook-and-lateral from Mike Sherridan to Josh Kubinsky to Shawn Lewis.
In all, 17 of McCort’s 31 plays went for 1 yard or less, while Terry Tate alone finished with five tackles that resulted in zero or negative yardage. The Crushers never converted a first down until the 2:52 mark of the second quarter, and completed their first pass 1:12 later.
“This game was about Tyrone’s physical offensive and defensive lines,” said McCort coach Ken Salem. “They controlled the game, end of story. Terry Tate had a field day. He’s the MVP tonight.”
Tyrone’s physical dominance extended continued when Tyrone had the ball, as the Eagles opened up holes all night against the out-manned Crushers despite playing without suspended senior Ralph VanAllman. Tyrone rushed for 259 yards, with both Brice Mertiff (114) and Brit Mingle (135) going over the 100-yard mark.
“Coach Franco said that if everybody just went one step further, we would be fine,” said Tate. “That’s what we did. It feels great to have this win, knowing we were down (players).”
But the Eagles struggled putting the ball in the endzone for the first time in seven weeks as four drives of 40 yards or more stalled short of the goal line. However, Franco was content to hand the game over to his defense, and the unit responded with perhaps its best performance of the season.
“We were struggling offensively,” Franco said “I knew our defense was playing really well, and so I said if we’re going to win this, we’re going to win it on defense. It was ugly offensively, but really pretty defensively.”
The Eagles’ trouble punching it in was surprising, considering the effectiveness of their first drive. It went 82 yards in five minutes, mixing seven runs with three passes. Wilson connected once with Tad Chamberlain for a 12-yard gain, and later with Mingle for 18 yards on a screen to move the ball to the BM-5.
But the key play of the drive came on second-and-eight from the T-36 when Wilson hit Trey Brockett for a 28-yard gain down to the McCort 37. Brockett dodged one tackler near midfield, and nearly broke it to the endzone before being dragged down by Lewis.
Mertiff later capped the drive with a five-yard touchdown run, but Gummo’s extra-point went wide and Tyrone had a 6-0 lead at 5:33.
The teams exchanged five punts into the second quarter until Gummo kicked his first field goal with 4:05 left in the first half. Tyrone had moved the ball from its own 35 to the McCort 10, thanks in part to a 36-yard run by Mingle, but a Mertiff run on third-and-six yielded only one yard, and Gummo came on for a 27-yard attempt.
It made it, but barely, falling just inches beyond the crossbar to give the Eagles a 9-0 lead at halftime.
Tyrone had a similar series on its first possession after the break. The Eagles went from their own 32 to the McCort 15, using up nearly seven minutes. Mertiff and Mingle split carries on the drive, with Mertiff alone gaining 34.
When the drive fizzled out, Gummo came on for a 32-yarder and nailed it with 5:21 to play in the third to help Tyrone extend its lead to 12-0.
“You’ve got to get points when you’re in the Red Zone,” Franco said. “We didn’t want to come away without any points, and I thought we did what we had to do.”
The Crushers answered quickly to get back into the game when Pat Lebda returned the ensuing kickoff 74 yards to the T-11. On fourth-and-1 from the two, Sherridan hit Josh Varga in the endzone to make it 12-6, but the Crushers try for two ended with Brandon Maceno planting Lewis at the 2-yard line.
Tyrone put the game away in the fourth quarter with a 12-play drive that drained more than seven minutes off the clock, leaving McCort with just 3:30 to work with when it finally got the ball back. Mertiff and Mingle again carried the load, but when Mertiff was thrown for a four-yard loss on third-and-five from the 11, the Eagles called on Gummo one more time, and he didn’t disappoint, splitting the uprights from 31 yards out.
Bishop McCort got the ball back three more times, and twice Wilson ended the series after one play with an interception.
“We’re a team and we’re not individuals,” Wilson said. “That’s how we won.”
The win brought Tyrone its eighth District championship overall, and propelled the Eagles into the PIAA Inter-District playoffs for the seventh time. They will play the winner of today’s WPIAL AA championship between Aliquippa and Seton LaSalle next Friday. The site will likely by East Allegheny.
Grid Tidbits: Tyrone has gone six weeks without turning the ball over … Wilson and Mingle went over the 100-yard mark together for the second time this season … Gummo is now two kicks away from the single-season field goal record of seven set by Scott Gummo in 1999 … Tyrone is now 3-0 all-time vs. McCort and 7-0 in District championship games under Franco … Franco is 21-3 in the District playoffs at Tyrone.
Tyrone 15, Bishop McCort 6
Tyrone 6 3 3 3- 15
Bishop McCort 0 0 6 0 – 6
First Quarter
T – Mertiff 5 run. (kick failed) 5:33.
Second Quarter
T – Gummo 27 field goal. 4:05.
Third Quarter
T – Gummo 32 field goal. 5:17.
BM – Varga 2 pass from Sheridan. (run failed) 2:41.
Fourth Quarter
T – Gummo 31 field goal. 3:30.
Team
T BM
First Downs 16 3
Yards Rushing 56-259 20-46
Pass Att.-Comp. 3-7 3-11
Pass Yards 58 17
Total Yards 317 63
Fumbles/Lost 1-0 0-0
Interceptions Thrown 0 3
Penalties/Yards 3-15 2-10
Punts/Avg. 5-33.8 5-39.6
Rushing
Tyrone – Mertiff 28-114 (1 TD); Mingle 19-135; Wilson 8-18; team 1-(-8).
Bishop McCort – Varga 5-23, Livella 6-17, Lewis 3-6, Sheridan 6-0.
Passing
Tyrone – Wilson 3-7-58, 0 Int. 0 TD.
Bishop McCort – Sheridan 3-10-17, 3 Int., 1 TD; Lewis 0-1-0, 1 Int., 0 TD.
Receiving
Tyrone – Brockett 1-28; Chamberlain 1-12; Mingle 1-18.
Bishop McCort – Varga 1-2 (1 TD); Cruz 1-5, Kubinsky 1-10.
