Bald Eagle football starts off strong; defeats Troy on the road

By Kenny Varner Jr.
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Updated: August 25, 2019

Courtesy of Bald Eagle Athletics

On a beautiful late summer afternoon/evening in Troy, the Bald Eagle Area began the 2019 season. The game started out with a quick score by Troy on the opening kickoff as Nick Williams went 86 yards to send the message that the Trojans were a team to be reckoned with. But not to be outdone, Eagles lead by senior quarterback Jordan Jones answered the Troy touchdown in less than two minutes. Jones scored from 36 yards out. Peter Van Cise kicked the extra point to tie the score at 7. A little bit later in the first quarter BEA scored again as Jones hit senior Matt Reese in the corner of the end zone from 20 yards out. Van Cise again converted on the extra point kick and the Eagles took a 14 to 7 lead into the second quarter. Both defenses settle down for a little while until the 9:35 mark of the 2nd quarter when the Trojans scored on a 55 yard pass to tie the game at 14. BEA took their second lead of the game when Jones hit fellow senior Kaden Bittinger from 45 yards out and Van Cise’s 3rd PAT made the score 21-14. With 3 minutes and 10 seconds remaining in the half Troy’s quarterback, Dom Ayers burst up the middle for 70 yards to tie the game at 21. The score remained this way until 5:57 remained in the 3rd quarter when Ayers hit Morgan Madigan over the middle for 71 yards. The extra point kick was good and the Trojans had their second lead at 28 to 21. BEA came back in 2:09 as Jones scored on a 2 yard run. The extra point kick was no good so Troy still lead 28 to 27. Then and what was probably the turning point in the ball game, head coach Jesse Nagle decided to go for an on sidekick. The Eagle special teams

unit did their job perfectly, and the BEA offense was back in business. Behind the offensive line led by Asher Burkett, Dylan Roberts, Austin Bomboy, Caleb Burns, David Close and Gage Watson, the Eagle offense decided it was time to “pound the rock”. Senior Tommy Snyder took the bulk of the carries during the last two scoring drives and scored the final 2 BEA touchdowns. The first was with 2:46 remaining in the 3rd quarter as he barreled in from the 1 yard line. Jones hit senior Gage McClenahan for a 2 point conversion to give the Eagles a 35-28 lead. Then with 9:28 remaining in the 4th quarter, Snyder rumbled in from 22 yards. Van Cise added his final PAT and the Eagles led 42-28. The Trojans were not going to lay down and quit. They mixed the run with the pass and scored with 3:27 left in the 4th quarter when Ayers hit Morgan Madigan from 4 yards out. The extra point kicker was good to make the score 42-35 BEA. Everyone knew what was coming next, as Troy lined up for an onside kick. Again the Eagle special teams unit came up big as they recovered the kick. It looks like the easels were going to run out the clock as they face the third and one on the Troy side of the field. Jordan Jones tried a bootleg and was sacked setting up a 4th and 11 for the Eagles. Again Coach Nagle put his special teams unit on the spot as Jones lined up in punt formation. With possibly the game on the line, Jones took the snap from center and instead of punting the ball hit Gage McClanahan for 12 yards and a 1st down. On the next play Jones took a knee and the Eagles had their first victory of the 2019 season.

Next week the Eagles will host the Mounties of Philipsburg-Osceola. Kickoff is at 7 pm. If you are unable to attend you can watch the action on the Eagle Ambassadors YouTube page. Todd Warner and Steve Miller will be on the call. Please try to arrive by 6:30 so you can watch the Marching Eagles perform their circus themed show.

Final Score – Bald Eagle Area 42 Troy 35

Scoring Summary

Q1 11:46 Troy – Nick Williams 86 yard kickoff return. Extra point kick good

Q1 10:27 BEA – Jordan Jones 36 yard run. Peter Van Cise extra point good

Q1 4:34 BEA – Jones 20 yard pass to Matt Reese. Peter Van Cise extra point good

Q2 9:35 Troy – Dom Ayers 55 yard pass to Duane Ainey. Extra point kick good

Q2 7:58 BEA – Jones 45 yard pass to Kaden Bittinger. Peter Van Cise extra point good

Q2 3:10 Troy – Ayers 70 yard run.Extra point kick good

Q3 5:57 Troy – Ayers 71 yard pass to Morgan Madigan. Extra point kick good

Q3 3:48 BEA – Jones 2 yard run. Extra point kick no good

Q3 2:46 BEA – Tommy Snyder 1 yard run. 2 point extra point attempt successful

Q4 9:28 BEA – Snyder 22 yard run. Peter Van Cise extra point good