TIM WEIGHT/For the Express The Bald Eagle Area defense takes the field before a possession against Penns Valley earlier this season. The Eagles head Philipsburg-Osceola to 140 yards in a 21-14 win on Friday.

Heading into the week, Bald Eagle Area football had a couple key question marks it needed to tackle. Even as its defense continued to prosper, offensive growing pains and turnovers were holding it back, landing at the forefront of a tough loss to Tyrone in Week 4.

But with its players buying in, learning a new offensive scheme and ensuring it could work well, the hard work would pay off on Friday.

Against a strong Philipsburg-Osceola team, the Eagles finished with just one turnover, winning the turnover battle for the first time this season. Grady Fisher had a strong debut start at the helm, Bald Eagle’s defense helm firm against the Mountaineers’ versatile attack and the Eagles got back in the win column as a result, defeating Philipsburg Osceola, 21-14.

“For them to learn a new offense and on top of that, be ready defensively for all your keys and reads, that’s huge for the kids,” said Nagle on the win. “It was a huge step in the right direction.”

The win not only marked its first over a team with a winning record this season but also came in controlled fashion, with the team carrying a 21-7 lead into the fourth quarter.

Defensively, the Eagles held Philipsburg Osceola (3-2) to just 140 yards of total offense, a team that was averaging over 30 points per game heading into Friday. Six separate Eagles logged seven or more tackles in the game and combined for two sacks, five pass breakups and a plethora of TFLs. And Luke Hosband and Nino Danneker posted an INT each.

“I really don’t want to say any individuals because defensively, it was a great team effort,” said Nagle when asked about defensive standouts. “There were a lot of times where our kids gave up their bodies for the better of the team, to make sure that we made plays.”

Offensively, the performance wasn’t flashy, as Bald Eagle narrowly surpassed 200 yards. But on a run-heavy approach that featured 40 carries, it was efficient, averaging 4.4 yards per carry and once again controlling time of possession.

After rushing for over 100 yards last week, Fisher carried that success into his first official start under center, falling two yards short of a second straight 100-yard game and turning 20 carries into 98 yards and two touchdowns. Nick McCully added 78 on 18 rushes, as both rushers average over four yards per rush.

“We felt that if we could just run the football effectively and let our defense play, we would have our best shot at winning,” said Nagle on the offensive approach. “If we needed to pass, we would, but we just didn’t feel we needed to.”

It was a strong move in the right direction for a team that had seen its fair share of ups and downs and dropped three of its first four. Now, Bald Eagle Area (2-3) will look to carry that momentum forward into a rivalry bout on the road against Bellefonte (2-3), who’s also coming off a bounce-back win.

“We’ve just got to continue to get better, continue to learn and continue to play team football,” said Nagle. “Every week, I see improvement on different things. It’s just a matter of continuing to improve. That’s the goal.”

Bald Eagle Area 21, Philipsburg-Osceola 14

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING – Bald Eagle Area, Grady Fisher 20-98, 2 TD; Nick McCully 18-78, TD; Kollin Cunningham 2-1. TOTAL 40-177, 3 TDs.

PASSING – Bald Eagle Area, Grady Fisher 3-6-0 23 yards; Luke Hosband 0-1-0 0 yards; Kollin Cunningham 0-1-0 0 yards. TOTAL 3-8-0 23 yards.

RECEIVING – Bald Eagle Area, Kollin Cunningham 1-18; Jackson Millward 1-4; Luke Hosband 1-1.