Wildcats Travel to Tyrone
BALD EAGLE TOWNSHIP — There was some small consolation for the rebuilding Central Mountain football program last Friday night.
Instead of finishing up the regular season against three undefeated opponents, one of them, Tyrone, actually lost its first game last week.
The Golden Eagles had their 6-0 mark blemished in a 26-14 home field loss to Clearfield (5-2). That means Central Mountain will finish at 6-1 Tyrone, at 7-0 Southern Columbia and home with 7-0 Jersey Shore.
While Tyrone was dusted by Clearfield last Friday there were glimmers of hope for the future for Central Mountain but too many mistakes proved to be the undoing for the Wildcat football team, losing its homecoming contest to visiting Mifflinburg 42-20.
The Wildcats put up a season-high 458 yards of offense but a 3-touchdown second period unraveling was too much to overcome.
Central Mountain struck first, a Justin Neff punt return setting up a 37-yard drive capped off by a Logan Bathurst 3-yard run and a 6-0 lead. Mifflinburg would answer with a 65-yard drive for a 7-6 lead which stood through the end of the first period.
Central Mountain looked poised to regain the lead with an extended drive which ended with a Mifflinburg interception in its own end zone in the second quarter. Then the visiting Wildcats went on a three touchdown blitz to open a 28-6 halftime lead:
There was a 52-yard touchdown pass, a 72-year punt return and an 85-yard fumble return and in the span of a handful of plays Mifflinburg had broken the game open.
The visitors added one more score in period three before Central Mountain answered with two ball control drives, one of 64 yards, one of 78 yards, both ending in scores from quarterback Bryce Bitner, the score 35-20 still in the third quarter.
Central Mountain had another drive well underway with a chance to get within a score midway through the final period but a Wildcat fumble ended that opportunity inside the Mifflinburg 10-yard line. Mifflinburg would add a late score and go home a 42-20 winner.
Hunter Weaver paced the ground attack with 138 yards on 29 carries before leaving with an injury; his replacement sophomore Bryce Mansfield helped out with 81 yards on six carries and the junior Bathurst finished with a career-high 60 yards on 13 carries.
The loss was the sixth in a row for the 1-6 Wildcats while Mifflinburg broke a 4-game losing streak and moved to 2-5.
Tyrone meanwhile was done in by its own mistakes in its loss to Clearfield, two special teams miscues leading to two touchdowns in the Bison’ 26-14 victory.
But the Golden Eagles are having another good year with a first-year head coach in Jason Wilson, outscoring opponents by an average score of 33 to 13.
Tyrone averages 187 yards a game rushing, led by senior Aleic Hunter (5-7, 150) and his 791 yards on 97 carries, better than eight yards a clip; he has 9 touchdowns and two 100 yard games. Garrett Hunter (6-3, 205) is the senior quarterback who has thrown 119 times, completing 64 for 991 yards with 10 touchdowns and 4 interceptions.
Last Friday was homecoming for the Wildcats, footballer Wyatt Sanders named king and soccer player Gabby Martin queen. There were also three new inductees in the Central Mountain Sports Hall of Fame: multi-sport star Lauren Dwyer, softball standout Taylor Lesser and basketball star Mallory Moore. All three were present to receive their recognition.
