Bald Eagle Area football makes strong debut in season opener with Bishop Guilfoyle
Friday marked the season opener for high school football teams across the state.
It was also the debut for former Mountain League schools such as Bald Eagle Area in the Laurel Highlands Conference. The Eagles opened their season against three-time PIAA Class A champion Bishop Guilfoyle.
The Eagles were able to show that the Mountain League schools can compete with the Laurel Highlands schools by beating the Marauders, 17-7.
“I think we made some mistakes. We got to reflect as a coaching staff. I know we are going to get better,” BEA coach Jesse Nagle said. “That was a heck of a football team (Bishop Guilfoyle). We are going to see them in the postseason, there is no question.”
Senior running back Cameron Dubbs added: “It really boosts our confidence because we’ve been working really hard in the offseason. We were trying to shape it up because we have some younger kids. It’s really hard for them to adjust to this, so it’s big for a confidence boost.”
Dubbs and fellow senior Nicholas Wible were key in the Eagles offensive game plan. The defensive came up huge in the victory.
However, things didn’t start off well for BEA.
The Eagles took the opening kickoff and drove to the Marauders’ 30. But a bad snap went over quarterback Carson Nagle’s head, which was recovered by Bishop Guilfoyle at midfield.
The Marauders used four plays to cover the 50 yards in 1 minute, 30 seconds of play to take a 7-0 lead midway through the first quarter. Running back Kaden Wyandt tallied the score on a 3 yard run.
“We are not going to quit. We are blue collar kids. We work for everything we got,” Jesse Nagle said of his team’s mentality after that start. “We demand a lot of them. There are a lot of times they probably wanted to quit on us in the offseason. It showed tonight why we do what we do in the offseason. They kept fighting, battling and believing in one another.”
Nagle’s squad, which had heard all week long how the Marauders were ranked top-10 in the state, responded after the teams traded possessions that ended in punts.
With 52 seconds remaining in the first quarter, the Eagles went on a four-play drive that started at Bishop Guilfoyle’s 33, and used two big pass plays to find the end zone. Carson Nagle connected with Gavin Burns for a 16-yard completion after seeing their team lose 13 yards to start the drive on a sack and penalty.
Nagle then connected with Wible on a 30-yard score to tie the game, 7-7, with 11:17 left in the first half. Wible came across the middle wide open on a 10-yard in route.
Once he had the ball, he did the rest with some help from fellow wide receiver in Cam Watkins.
“I don’t even remember. I was just running, then Cam Watkins blocked for me,” said Wible when asked what was going through his mind. “He blocked great tonight. He had some key blocks.”
The following possession saw BEA’s defense force a three-and-out. The offense went on a 3.5 minute drive that saw Kaden Burns boot a 36-yard field goal with 5:30 left in the half to earn a 10-7 lead.
Bishop Guilfoyle tried to tie it up before the half but missed a 24-yard field as time expired.
The Marauders started with the ball first in the second half. They drove down to the Eagles’ 22 holding the ball for over half of the third quarter. They were forced to try a 42-yard field goal.
The attempt was blocked by Watkins, who came sprinting off the right edge.
“I’m very proud. We talked about physicality. They are big and strong,” Jesse Nagle said of his defense’s performance. “Coach (Justin) Wheeler has said over and over again in the paper that this is probably the best line he has had strength wise. We challenged those kids (BEA) to understand that they had to be physical. I was really proud they did.”
BEA looked to score again, but was forced to punt the ball away with two minutes remaining in the third quarter.
Bishop Guilfoyle went on a nine-play drive that stalled out at the Eagles’ 15. The Marauders attempted their third field goal of the game, and again missed it.
The teams traded punts, and it was still 10-7 with just under four minutes left in the game.
BEA got a possession started at Bishop Guilfoyle’s 41 after a strong defensive performance kept the Marauders stuck deep in their end of the field. Wible picked up a big 27-yard run to keep the clock running for his squad and get the ball at the 14.
Three plays later saw Dubbs rumble in from 9 yards out to ice the win with 1:23 left in the game.
“They (other teams) are going to double Cam or Kahale (Burns), so Wible and Cam Dubbs have to make plays. They made plays tonight. They have that capability,” Jesse Nagle said. “I think what’s going to happen as weeks go through, they won’t be able to double Cam or Kahale, so the ball will be spread more to everybody. Right now, if they are going to double guys, we are going to let other guys make plays.”
Other scores around Centre County
Penns Valley 33, Bellwood-Antis 12
Central 49, Bellefonte 0
Philipsburg-Osceola 35, Huntingdon 7
State College 49, Williamsport 20
Bald Eagle Area 17, Bishop Guilfoyle 7
Friday at Wingate
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Bishop Guilfoyle 7 0 0 0 -- 7
Bald Eagle Area 0 10 0 7 -- 17
First Quarter
BG--Kaden Wyandt 3 run (Michael Cacciotti kick), 6:31
Second Quarter
BEA--Nicholas Wible 30 pass from Carson Nagle (Kaden Burns kick), 11:17
BEA--Burns 36 FG, 5:30
Fourth Quarter
BEA--Cameron Dubbs 9 run (Burns kick), 1:23
TEAM STATISTICS BG BEA
First downs 11 13
Total yards 196 274
Rushes-yards 32-108 27-100
Yards passing 88 174
Passing (comp.-att.-int.) 7-13-0 10-17-0
Punts-avg. 2-38.5 3-42.7
Fumbles-lost 0-0 1-1
Penalties-yards 3-26 3-15
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING--Bishop Guilfoyle, Ryan Hagg 14-51, Wyandt 9-46, Chase Kissell 8-10, Hamilton Gates 1-1. Bald Eagle Area, Dubbs 14-77, Wible 3-28, Cameron Watkins 1-14, Kahale Burns 2-0, Nagle 6-(-1), Team 1-(-18).
PASSING--Bishop Guilfoyle, Kissell 7-13-88. Bald Eagle Area, Nagle 10-17-174-1 TD.
RECEIVING--Bishop Guilfoyle, Braden Reilly 4-85, Hagg 1-4, Wyandt 1-1, Trent Adams 1-(-2). Bald Eagle Area, Kah. Burns 3-85, G. Burns 3-33, Wible 1-30, Wyatt Spackman 1-10, Cameron Watkins 1-8, Beau Taylor 1-8.
Records: Bishop Guilfoyle 0-1, Bald Eagle Area 1-0
Next game: Bald Eagle Area at Central Cambria, Friday, 7 p.m.
