{"id":2980,"date":"2008-09-04T13:20:01","date_gmt":"2008-09-04T17:20:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/v3\/?p=2980"},"modified":"2008-09-04T13:20:01","modified_gmt":"2008-09-04T17:20:01","slug":"golden-eagles-face-huntingdon-bearcats-tyrone%e2%80%99s-drake-in-pre-game-ceremony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/?p=2980","title":{"rendered":"Golden Eagles face Huntingdon Bearcats, Tyrone\u2019s Drake in pre-game ceremony"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n\"\"<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Matt Murray<\/td>\nEric Desch<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Here\u2019s the concern for John Franco as the Tyrone Golden Eagles head into their Week 2 game against Huntingdon: In the season-opener, Tyrone looked better than anyone could have expected, moving the ball at will against Bellwood-Antis and dominating the line of scrimmage in a 27-6 win.
\nThat\u2019s the good part. The bad part is, Huntingdon looked so-so against Mount Union, totaling just 183 yards in a 7-6 victory.
\nFranco is wondering whether his team is smart enough not to let the numbers inflate their egos.
\n\u201cWe can\u2019t bask in our own glory,\u201d said Franco, who is 10-4 against the Bearcats at Tyrone. \u201cThe Bellwood game is over and now it\u2019s Week 2. That\u2019s my biggest concern. I\u2019m not sure if these guys realize that they have to get themselves emotionally up for this game the same way they did Bellwood. They can give it lip service all they want, but I need to see that intensity on the field.\u201d
\nSpecifically, Franco said the Eagles have to understand that not only is the game a traditional rival that, in some years, surpasses the season-opener against Bellwood-Antis, but that the Bearcats have more than likely been readying for this game since training camp opened in August. On top of that, the game is at War Vets Field in Huntingdon \u2013 the \u2018Cats home-opener \u2013 a venue as challenging as any in the Nittany Division.
\n\u201cI honestly believe they\u2019ve probably prepared for us for a couple weeks now,\u201d said Franco. \u201cWe can\u2019t do that because the Bellwood game is so tough. And playing at home gives them an edge. Huntingdon always has intense crowds. It should be similar to what you get when we play Bellwood.\u201d
\nThe game also has conference significance for the first time since 2003, the year Huntingdon topped Tyrone 23-20 in overtime at Gray-Veterans Memorial Field, and the last season the teams played in the Big 8.
\nNow, Huntingdon has dropped down to the MAC Nittany Division from the big school Seven Mountains. They\u2019ve also moved into the AA classification in District 6.
\nNot that the \u2018Cats needed any further motivation. Huntingdon hasn\u2019t beaten Tyrone in five years, and that\u2019s not something that sits well 19 miles down Route 22.
\n\u201cOur rallying cry is basically enough is enough,\u201d said Bearcat coach Jim Zauzig. \u201cAt times I wonder how many of our kids might have been looking ahead a little bit (against Mount Union). But it\u2019s here now, and we\u2019re really looking forward to Friday night.\u201d
\nThe \u2018Cats were able to move the ball at times against the Trojans, but cashing in was a problem. Part of that, Zauzig said, is because Mount Union is not the Mount Union of recent memory. \u201cMount Union is the real deal,\u201d he said.
\nPart of it was also that Huntingdon never asserted itself in the trenches until the fourth quarter.
\n\u201cWe didn\u2019t take control of the line of scrimmage until late,\u201d said Zauzig. \u201cAnd the passing game is not where I want it to be.\u00a0 Offensively, we\u2019re behind the mark.\u201d
\nIt was a different story for Tyrone, whose offense looked as sharp as it did in Week 9 last season, when it plastered 47 points all over Central. The Eagles netted 375 total yards \u2013 239 on the ground, 148 through the air \u2013 and made big plays, despite relying heavily on the straight-ahead bruising style of senior Mark Mingle (23 carries, 160 yards).
\n\u201cWe\u2019re facing another big, powerful runner in Mingle,\u201d Zauzig said.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re going to have to tackle.\u201d
\n\u201cThey return eight starters on defense,\u201d said Franco. \u201cThey\u2019re going to be much better in that area. They also have exceptional defensive backs that are playmakers. They\u2019re solid up front, and it\u2019s Tyrone-Huntingdon.\u00a0 This game always turns things up a notch.\u201d
\nWhat could separate the teams is Tyrone\u2019s ability to spread the ball and diversify its offense at such an early point in the season. Four different receivers caught passes for the Eagles against the Blue Devils, led by Larry Glace (2 catches for 76 yards) and Eric Desch (2 for 55). Six players made plays of 10 yards or more. Levi Reihart completed 5 of 6 passes for 141 yards.
\nBut as Franco is quick to note, those numbers don\u2019t carry over into the second week of the season.
\n\u201cWe can\u2019t afford to step on the field and think they\u2019re just going to bow down to us because we\u2019re Tyrone,\u201d he said. \u201cWe have to remember what we did to beat Bellwood, and that\u2019s playing aggressive, hard-hitting Tyrone football.\u201d
\nFamiliar Foes
\nSince Zauzig became Huntingdon\u2019s head coach in 1997, he and Franco have squared off 11 times, with Franco holding a 7-4 advantage.
\nConsidering the success each has had at their current schools, you can imagine their desire to stick with what works, which makes game-planning for this game a challenge for both coaches, but in different ways.
\nThe dilemma: do we stick with our bread and butter or break out something new to give a different look.
\n\u201cWe use the same basic core (of plays), but it\u2019s the subtleties you add that make the difference between winning and losing,\u201d Franco said. \u201cWe try to add wrinkles from year to year, as everyone does, and find ways to best utilize our personnel.\u00a0 That\u2019s the difference: trying to find your strengths and plan for them.\u201d
\nBut while Franco\u2019s challenge is finding new ways to do the old stuff that works, for Zauzig, it\u2019s sticking with more of the old stuff, instead of getting caught up in a chess game.
\n\u201cWhen I look at what John (Franco) does, I\u2019ve noticed he doesn\u2019t do a lot, but what he does is done with precision. It\u2019s not fancy. He\u2019s just coming at you. I try to take something away from that for myself as a coach. I find myself saying \u2018Don\u2019t over-coach Jim. Don\u2019t over-coach.\u2019 A lot of times, especially against Tyrone, I find myself thinking about what John is trying to do and then I get too cute.
\n\u201cI need to remember to keep it simple. I have a sign in our locker room right outside the coaches room so the coaches can see it every time they leave. It says, \u2018It doesn\u2019t matter what we know; it\u2019s what they know.\u2019 It\u2019s not always X\u2019s and O\u2019s. With John, it\u2019s not X\u2019s and O\u2019s. They just out-execute us. I need to remember to just run our stuff.\u201d
\nPre-Game Ceremony \u2013
\nFeaturing Slug Drake
\nBefore kickoff, Huntingdon will honor a football team celebrating its silver anniversary, and Tyrone grad Lynn \u201cSlug\u201d Drake will be on hand as part of the pre-game ceremonies.
\nThis weekend, the Huntingdon class of 1958 \u2013 whose football team finished 6-3-1 during the 1957 season \u2013 will be celebrating its 50th reunion. As part of the festivities, the football team will be recognized, first with a short parade, and then with its captains serving as honorary captains for the coin toss before the game.
\nZauzig said that as he was planning the event, one memory most of the players had was of beating Tyrone in 1956 \u2013 a Tyrone team that finished 9-1 and was led by Drake, a two-time All-State lineman and Sporting News All-American.
\nHuntingdon defeated Tyrone 12-7 in 1956, but lost 19-12 in 1957.
\nSo Zauzig called Drake and let him know that most of the players from the squad remembered the game, and specifically, Drake.
\nHe invited Drake to participate in the coin toss ceremony, and Drake accepted. Other members of the 1957 Orange and Black may be on hand for the ceremony as well.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Matt Murray Eric Desch Here\u2019s the concern for John Franco as the Tyrone Golden Eagles head into their Week 2 game against Huntingdon: In the season-opener, Tyrone looked better than anyone could have expected, moving the ball at will against Bellwood-Antis and dominating the line of scrimmage in a 27-6 win. That\u2019s the good part. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2980","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-sports-news-in-the-tyrone-pennsylvania-area","category-excerpts-from-the-tyrone-daily-herald"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2980","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2980"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2980\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2980"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2980"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2980"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}