Eagles look to bounce back vs. another 1-loss foe
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PHILIPSBURG - After an impressive 3-0 start, the Bald Eagle football team fell back down to earth a bit in Week 4. The offense that surpassed 30 points in each of its first three games stalled at Tyrone, as it went scoreless until the fourth and suffered its first loss of 2026 by a score of 15-6.
Coming off a setback of that nature, how quickly a team can bounce back can make or break its chances at finishing strong. The Eagles (3-1) hope to do just that on Friday as they round out a two-game road stint against inter-county rival Philipsburg-Osceola (3-1).
"I told them that these are the games that you group up from and learn from. That's what we're going to do as a coaching staff and as players," said Bald Eagle head coach Jesse Nagle on the loss. "We're going to come out next week and hopefully correct the mistakes in all areas and put in a good performance against P-O."
"The loss hurts, and we don't want to hurt. We don't want to feel this way again," he added.
Their opponent is fresh off a three-game win streak, so Bald Eagle certainly doesn't see the Week 5 affair as a breather that'll easily help it get back on track. The Mounties have a lot going for them, particularly on the offensive side of the ball.
In its last three outings, Philipsburg-Osceola’s average points per game has sat at just one point under 40 as it bounced back seamlessly from a Week One loss at Central. It roared out to 48 points against Clearfield in Week 3 and averaged over eight yards per carry in a tight win over Penns Valley the following week.
That staggering rushing attack is led by junior Damarcus Law, who enters Week 5 averaging nearly 125 rushing yards per game. He's two rushing yards short of 500 on the season with six touchdowns, and his average per attempt of 9.4 yards per rush would be worrying for just about anybody.
"The Law kid, he's a special athlete," said Nagle. "We're going to try to limit his opportunities and take him away as much as possible. I don't you're going to take him away. You've just got to slow him down, so that's something we've really got to focus on defensively."
As a team, the Mounties have surpassed 1,000 rushing yards through four games, with Aaron Davis and Mason Vaughn also being backs worth keeping an eye on. If the Eagles can slow down the run, they'll be in a good spot, as Philipsburg-Osceola heads into the matchup with 15 completions and four interceptions passing wise.
Offensively, the hope is that the offensive line can re-establish the control it had through the first three games. Tyrone controlled the game upfront in Week 4, and the result was Bald Eagle finishing under 200 yards while averaging under four yards per carry.
"They're going to bring some pressure as well, and we've got to pick it up and got to make some key blocks, stay on blocks and finish them. We do that, and I think we'll be fine," said Nagle.
Chase Cane enters his fifth start at quarterback having established himself through the air and on the ground, with him and running back Sam Clark compiling over 600 rushing yards and five scores. Luke Hosband nears 250 receiving yards on 14 receptions and defensively, Drew Nagle has a team-leading 35 tackles alongside an interception.
Friday's game begins at 7 p.m. at Philipsburg-Osceola.