{"id":3243,"date":"2007-09-29T12:03:23","date_gmt":"2007-09-29T16:03:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/v3\/?p=3243"},"modified":"2008-09-05T12:05:01","modified_gmt":"2008-09-05T16:05:01","slug":"tyrone-defense-shuts-out-panthers-comes-up-with-two-scores","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/?p=3243","title":{"rendered":"Tyrone defense shuts out Panthers, comes up with two scores"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n
\"\"<\/a><\/td>\nFirst TD Levi Reihart, (6) sophomore Tyrone quarterback rounds the right side with Brock Anders (54) in convoy for his young QB, as Reihart scores the first touchdown of his varsity career in Friday night\u2019s 35-0 Tyrone victory over Lewistown at Gray-Vets Memorial Field. Matt Murray (52) looks for someone to block on the right. (The Daily Herald\/Steve Michaels)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Junior lineman Matt Murray\u2019s analysis of Tyrone\u2019s dominance on defense through five games this season is incredibly simple, and incredibly effective, especially when you consider the state of the Golden Eagles\u2019 evolving offense.
\n\u201cThe fewer points we allow, the less we have to score,\u201d Murray said last night after Tyrone\u2019s 35-0 demolition of the Lewistown Panthers at Gray-Veterans Memorial Field.
\nThe philosophy makes a lot of sense, particularly when you take into account that Tyrone is playing nine new offensive starters and is going week-to-week on the playing status of last year\u2019s leading rusher Johnny Franco. It\u2019s a situation that has forced the Eagles to learn on the fly when it comes to moving the football.
\nThe solution for the Eagles has been to keep teams out of the end zone and, truth be told, it\u2019s working pretty well. The Eagles\u2019 shutout last night was their third of the season, as the Panthers became the fourth team to walk away from a game against Tyrone without scoring a touchdown.
\n\u201cOur defense has been carrying us,\u201d Tyrone coach John Franco said.
\nIt looked especially good against Lewistown\u2019s spread offense, which came in averaging 261 yards per game. Tyrone forced four turnovers – three on interceptions – stopped eight plays for losses and sacked quarterback Connor Muir four times.
\nAnd for the second straight game, the Eagles turned their defense into offense as Brandon Gehret returned his second interception for a touchdown with a 55-yard return early in the second quarter.
\n\u201cI saw that all three receivers on my side were doing hitches,\u201d Gehret said. \u201cI was just coming in to make the tackle and the ball landed in my arms.\u201d
\nIt looked a little bit more difficult than that, but the play was exemplary of how easy the Eagles made a shutout look against the Panthers. Although Lewistown ran 51 offensive plays, they only seriously threatened to score once, driving as far as Tyrone\u2019s 9 after an Eagle turnover. But that march ended when Scott Brown missed a 24-yard field goal at the 4:01 mark of the first quarter.
\nHowever, for all of Tyrone\u2019s defensive fireworks, the Eagles\u2019 offense was just as dominant. Senior Shayne Tate again rushed for 100 yards (135 on 15 carries), and sophomore Levi Reihart continued to develop at quarterback, completing 4 of 7 passes for 99 yards without throwing an interception.
\n\u201cI saw some good signs this week,\u201d Franco said. \u201cOur offensive line blocked well. We made some mistakes early but were able to correct things. We\u2019re just a young, inexperienced team.\u201d
\nThe Golden Eagles remained perfect at 5-0 and improved to 4-0 in the Nittany Division, setting a season-high point total for the second straight week.. Lewistown dropped to 1-4 and 1-3 in the division.
\nJohnny Franco came in on Tyrone\u2019s second offensive possession and played two series. He broke off an 18-yard run and finished with 27 yards on four carries, but left in the first quarter and spent the rest of the game with ice on his left ankle. He returned from halftime on crutches.
\n\\”We just don\u2019t know at this point,\\” coach Franco said of his son\u2019s injury.
\nJohnny Franco was limping noticeably on his second series, and appeared unable to cut on his final two touches. Coach Franco said trainer Tracey Mickey made the call to keep him out the rest of the game, and he supported her decision.
\n\u201cIt\u2019s frustrating, but as frustrated as I am, he\u2019s probably double,\u201d Franco said.
\nStill, Tyrone\u2019s rushing game was as potent as ever. The Eagles gained 212 yards on the ground, with six runs of 10 yards or more.
\nThe Eagles\u2019 first score came on a seven-play drive that featured six running plays, but the biggest was a 34-yard screen pass from Reihart to Shane Emigh that moved the ball from the Tyrone 42 to Lewistown\u2019s 24. Five plays later, Reihart dropped back to pass, eluded a tackler in the pocket, and sprinted 11 yards for his first varsity score to make it 7-0.
\nThe Golden Eagles fumbled after three plays on their next series and went three-plays-and-out twice after that, but they lit the scoreboard again on Gehret\u2019s interception to go ahead 14-0 with 10:08 to go until halftime.
\n\u201cThat was a big momentum shift,\u201d Lewistown coach Allen Muir said. \u201cYou can\u2019t make mistakes like that against good teams. We\u2019ve been snake-bitten. It seems like we take two steps forward and two steps back.\u201d
\nThe Panthers took two big steps back on their next possession when, after advancing to Tyrone\u2019s 31, Johnny Shaffer dropped Charles Lyter for a 2-yard loss on third down before sacking Connor Muir for a 4-yard loss on fourth down.
\nThe Eagles made it 21-0 before halftime with a 9-play, 67-yard drive ignited by a 39-yard pass-run combination from Reihart to Jesse Walk. On fourth-and-goal from the one, Mark Mingle plowed into the end zone at the 1:48 mark.
\nOn Tyrone\u2019s first play of the second half, Tate burst through a hole in the middle of the Panther\u2019s defensive line and raced untouched for a 67-yard touchdown to make it 28-0.
\n\u201cOur linemen blocked really well all night,\u201d said Tate, who has now run for 704 yards. \u201cMatt Murray and Josh Bradley did a great job on the traps. Everybody did a great job.\u201d
\nTyrone\u2019s final score was set up by an interception by Walk. Emigh blasted Muir on a corner blitz forcing an errant pass that Walk returned 25 yards to the Panthers\u2019 30. After a 28-yard screen pass to Mingle set Tyrone up at the 12, Tate went in from 2 yards out three plays later.
\n\u201cAnytime you come up short on an opportunity, it\u2019s tough,\u201d coach Muir said. \u201cIt\u2019s frustrating for the defense. But we\u2019ve got to try to stay together as a team.\u201d
\nIt\u2019s a simple approach that Muir hopes will guide his team through the rest of what\u2019s becoming a long season. If it can work as well as Murray\u2019s plain approach, all may not be lost for the Panthers yet.
\n\u201cWe just want it more than our opponent,\u201d said Murray. \u201cWe\u2019re getting better every week.\u201d
\nGRID TIDBITS: Walk and Ross Black each recorded sacks, while Murray and Jordan Good teamed up on another … Larry Glace had Tyrone\u2019s third interception, and Cody Smith came away with a fourth quarter fumble recovery … the Eagles have forced 16 turnovers … Connor Muir finished 11-for-18 for 129 yards.
\nTyrone 35 Lewistown 0
\nTYRONE 7 14 14 0 – 35
\nLEWISTOWN 0 0 0 0 – 0
\nTeam Statistics
\nT\t\t L
\n1st Downs 11 \t\t11
\nYards Rushing 212 68
\nPass Att.-Comp. 4-7 12-19
\nYards Passing 99 136
\nTotal Offense 311 200
\nInt. By 3 0
\nFum. Rec. 1-1 1-1
\nPunts-Avg. 3-32.6 2-40
\nIndividual Statistics
\nRUSHING
\nTYRONE – Tate 15-135; Franco 4-27; Barlett 5-45; Reihart 2-11; Mingle 4-7; Gault 4-7; Walker 1-0; Stansbury 2-(-2); Team 1-(-12).
\nLEWISTOWN – Muir 11-29; Lyter 14-29; Jerzerick 4-8; Moist 1-4; Madden 2-(-2).
\nPASSING
\nTYRONE- Reihart 4-7-99, 0 TD, 0 Int.
\nLEWISTOWN – Muir 11-18-129, 0 TD, 3 Int.; Madden 1-1-3, 0 TD, 0 Int.
\nRECEIVING
\nTYRONE – Walk 1-39; Emigh 1-34; Mingle 1-28; Franco 1-(-2).
\nLEWISTOWN – Haines 4-70; Shank 4-34; R. Klinger 2-16; Marzoni 2-12.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

First TD Levi Reihart, (6) sophomore Tyrone quarterback rounds the right side with Brock Anders (54) in convoy for his young QB, as Reihart scores the first touchdown of his varsity career in Friday night\u2019s 35-0 Tyrone victory over Lewistown at Gray-Vets Memorial Field. Matt Murray (52) looks for someone to block on the right. […]<\/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-3243","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\/3243","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=3243"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3243\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=3243"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=3243"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/tyronepa.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=3243"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}