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‘Senior Night Dubb’: Dubbs scores two goals, leads Eagles past Penns Valley in Senior Night thriller

By HENRY HUBER 5 min read

WINGATE - Heading into the last ten minutes of regulation, many that gathered at Alumni Stadium for Bald Eagle boys soccer's regular-season finale were likely anticipating a tie. Apart from a three-minute span early in the second half, the Eagles and Penns Valley had been locked in a draw all game, and there was no clear victor based on the eye test either.

But although the game had been hard-fought and the team depleted by injuries, Bald Eagle didn't share that anticipation. Led by the efforts of senior Parker Dubbs, they were going to keep pushing to create scoring opportunities until the clock hit zero. The game held weight, both in terms of playoff seeding and emotions, and their efforts showed that.

And eventually, one of those scoring opportunities connected.

After evening the score at 1-1 earlier in the half, Dubbs got a similar opportunity with seven minutes to spare and made the most of it. His second score of the night would prove to be the game winner, as Bald Eagle edged out its Centre County rival, 2-1, in a defensive thriller on Senior Night.

It wasn't the prettiest of wins, but that only added to the pride Bald Eagle head coach Jason Bair took away from it. That gritty victory earned the Eagles their tenth win of the season, a win total Bair hadn't dreamt up given what the team lost after last season.

"These guys were just gritty, gritty, gritty. They never gave up and kept fighting to the end," said Bair. "We started the night with 12 players, and not even into the end of the first half, one of our players gets injured and can't go back in. We had a sub that was only supposed be out there a short amount of time, and he played the entire game for us."

"I love these brothers," expressed Dubbs when discussing the night. "All my family and friends coming out to the game meant a lot to me. Last game here, and I wanted to show out."

Coming out of a scoreless first half, Dubbs approached Bair and said he needed the ball. Bair agreed and relayed that message to the rest of the team, and that adjustment would go on to pay dividends once play resumed.

An own goal granted Penns Valley a 1-0 lead five minutes into the second, but the Eagles didn't blink in response. They remained aggressive on the offensive end, getting five shots on goal in the first ten minutes of the half. And one of those would grant them the game-tying score they were looking for.

After Easton Grimes hit a shot off the hands of Penns Valley goalkeeper Collin Wolfe, Dubbs made a beeline for the ball and got to it before Wolfe or a Penns Valley defender could. He then fired a shot from the right side of the goal to the left corner of the net, connecting to tie it at 1-1 three minutes after Penns Valley had taken a lead.

"It's just hustle," said Grimes when discussing his goals. "Coach always has us getting that second ball, and it finally paid off."

From there, the stalemate resumed as nearly 24 minutes came and went without a score. The Eagles kept firing shots, but Wolfe resumed his controlled play in goal. One of his eight saves through the half came on another promising shot from Dubbs, who came inches short of belting a deep one in past the ten-minute mark.

However, less than two minutes removed from that shot, Dubbs got another opportunity. His initial shot was batted down again by Wolfe. But this time, Dubbs was in the perfect position to turn that defensive play into a goal, rebounding his own shot and firing another shot into the bottom-left corner of the goal.

Each goal that Dubbs scored was paired with an emotional reaction, emotion which his teammates joined him in. Those celebrations included goalkeeper Tanner Pearce, who ran all the way from his position in goal to celebrate with the senior.

"It was funny because my goalkeeper got talked to by the referee because he celebrated with our guys. I said, 'I don't care if you get talked to every time, you go celebrate with your guys.' That was fantastic," said Bair on that moment.

And after seven more minutes of assured play from Bald Eagle's defense, the Eagles were able to seal the win. Dubbs addressed the crowd when the clock hit triple-zeros, as his family and friends cheered him on for what's likely the last time in Alumni Stadium.

"Parker has been fantastic in this program," said Bair on Dubbs. "Started as a ninth grader, came up into a little bit more of a leadership role. And this year, he had to be the leader. His soccer knowledge is off the charts. A leader is only good if they can bring the people up around them, and Parker has definitely been doing that."

Moving forward, the Eagles will now turn their sights toward the postseason. Depending on other action from Thursday night, they'll either draw Juniata or Cambria Heights for the first round of the District 6 Class AA playoffs.

Both would be tough, but they feel like they're up for the challenge.

"We're going to have a tough so, so we'll prepare the best we can and give the best that we have," said Bair.

"We're hungry," said Dubbs. "We're not done yet."

Bald Eagle 2, Penns Valley 1

PV - BEA own goal, 44:45. BEA - Parker Dubbs (unassisted), 48:12. BEA - Parker Dubbs (unassisted), 72:11.

Shots: PV 13, BEA 18. Shots on goal: PV 6, BEA 14. Corners: PV 5, BEA 9. Saves: PV 12 (Collin Wolfe); BEA 5 (Tanner Pearce).

Records: Penns Valley 4-12-1. Bald Eagle 10-5-3.

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