Henry Huber on football: BEA’s Week 2 win, composure parallel historic starts of years past
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Watching Bald Eagle's final offensive drive on Friday night, I was briefly transported back to my Baton Rouge apartment in September of 2019. At that point, LSU's eventual 'all-time-great’ campaign was a blip on the radar but showing its initial signs of foreshadowing, as Joe Burrow pulled off his first Heisman moment to lead the Tigers past No. 9 Texas.
When the Eagles were stuffed on second-and-long to force 3rd and 19, the situation featured the same make-or-break doom that LSU's game-clinching drive featured seven years ago. BEA’s most promising drive of a scoreless second half was on the brink of halting, with the team trailing by four midways through the fourth. And after a second-down sack, one stop would force the Tigers to punt with a 37-31 lead deep into an offensive slugfest.
That LSU moment, later coined '3rd and 17', saw Burrow calmly look off the pressure, step up in the pocket and deliver a strike to a deep-crossing Justin Jefferson, who took the pass well passed the marker for a 61-yard score. And when it's all said and done, Bald Eagle's '3rd and 19' has a chance to feature similar lore.
Senior quarterback Chase Cane displayed the same level of composure as Burrow on the game-defining play, making a Penn Cambria defender miss, keeping his eyes downfield and finding Justin Johnson on a deep out. Johnson, who hadn't caught a pass all night, reeled in the crucial reception before taking it down the right sideline for a first-down-obtaining, 26-yard gain.
Just like that, Bald Eagle was in the Panthers' red zone - a large weight now off its shoulders. It would take more composed play for the team to finish job, as the Eagles faced a fourth down on Penn Cambria's goal line. And a score would give the Panthers the ball back with half a quarter to go.
But that composure displayed by Cane was all-encompassing.
From the PC three-yard line, Luke Hosband took his third Wildcat hike of the game and barreled behind the stout Eagle line for a lead-gaining touchdown. Then, after Penn Cambria converted a fourth-down to near the BEA 30-yard line, a defense that gave up three long touchdowns in quick succession in the third came through when it mattered most, as a stuffed run, incompletion and James Cowan sack on fourth-and-nine sealed the deal.
Despite the pregame odds, a rollercoaster of in-game ups and downs and the numerous late-game hurdles, the Eagles had overcome it all to stun state-ranked Penn Cambria, 35-32. It was a performance that indicated considerable growth in both talent and mentality, one which came with an all-hands-on-deck effort unattainable without commitment, trust and maturity.
"There's no one kid, and that's what's so great about this team. Every kid steps up in different moments," said Bald Eagle head coach Jesse Nagle. "We had guys throw touchdowns who usually don't throw touchdowns. We had Chase break off big runs at quarterback. We had defensive plays when we needed defensive plays."
"Being defensive coordinator, I don't want to see 32 points on the board. But they're (Penn Cambria) tenth in the state for a reason. They're a good football team, so just so proud of these kids. Every one of them," he added.
Like LSU seven years ago, that growth was foreshadowed the previous season before being fully brought to light thanks to hard work and changes made throughout the offseason.
The Eagles had little time to shift their mindsets after learning they could clinch a playoff spot one day before 2025's regular-season finale. However, they managed to seamlessly adjust in route to a decisive, 21-0 win.
Those that remained having experienced that win took a lot from it, applying it to their summer workouts. And key returns - coupled with the aforementioned changes - did the rest.
"The kids learned from last year that we just can't do what we did before and expect the same results," said Nagle prior to the season. "We've got to change what we do, accept what the coaches are challenging us to learn and flip the script completely."
That flip has been night and day so far this season. Much like the Tigers' move up from 10-3 in 2018 to 15-0 in 2019, the Eagles have shown immediate improvement from 2025 to 2026.
That's especially the case on the offensive side of the ball, which played an obvious role in Bald Eagle's momentous Week 2 win on Friday. After averaging 17.3 points per game and failing to surpass 30 points in a game last season, the Eagles have scored 35 against two of their toughest opponents to start their 2026 campaign.
An experienced offensive line, playbook changes from offensive coordinator Brett Umbenhouer and considerable growth from Cane have paved the way for that success, turning a unit that was a weakness in 2025 into one of the team's biggest strengths. Without those changes, there's a good chance Bald Eagle would be 0-2 instead of 2-0.
The craziest part about Cane's success is the fact that Friday's win was just his second varsity start. After a modest debut, the senior broke out in a big way against arguably the team's toughest opponent. That third-down throw was far from the only big play Cane made against Penn Cambria, as he surpassed 100 yards with both his arm and legs.
He led the team in rushing, breaking off big runs on the team's first, third and final touchdown drives, and connected with his tight ends on multiple play-action passes, including a 16-yard touchdown pass to Jack Kleisath. And after two three-and-outs to open the second half, he shook off those shortcomings to lead the Eagles on a 15-play, 87-yard drive that gave his team back the lead and burned just under eight minutes off the clock.
"He's really bought in these last two years," said Nagle on Cane following his Week 2 performance. "He's a kid that wanted it so badly because in the past, he's been put behind. He lost a bunch of weight, decided to go all in and now, he's led us to a 2-0 start against Huntingdon and Penn Cambria, two very good football teams."
While comparing Bald Eagle to 2019 LSU may be a tad exaggerated, given the dominance of that team, how early it is in the season and what potentially lies ahead, Nagle and his coaching staff would likely tell you otherwise. From the offseason onward, they've considered this squad special. And through two games, they've matched that projection.
"We were down at Lock Haven doing 7-on-7s and fell behind a team early. All of a sudden, we've beaten them by 23 points," said Nagle. "My offensive coordinator looks at me and says, 'We might have something here.'"
"We kept battling, kept fighting. And at that point, we knew the kids weren't going to give up; they weren't going to quit. They have that culture and that want to win. When they get punched in the face, they punch back," he continued.
They've taken two of their tougher losses from last season and avenged them, including their most lopsided 2025 loss against the Panthers. While there's a long season ahead, if this team can remain healthy and continue to grow, the sky's the limit.