Young Bald Eagle Area football team struggles to stop QB Jeff Hoenstine and the Scarlet Dragons
Bald Eagle Area football took the field Friday night as a young team coming fresh off a state semifinal appearance, but without the group of seniors that led the team there. Their youth showed in the game early on and it led to a 33-9 loss for the Eagles to the Central Scarlet Dragons.
The team’s season opener was far from usual, with limited fans and eerie silence around the field. Play calls from both sidelines could be heard before each snap, along with the smack talk after each play between players. The unusual nature of the game led to an unusual outcome for a Bald Eagle Area program that’s seen plenty of success in recent years.
Most of the Eagles’ issues can be attributed to their youth, but even more can be attributed to the Central pass rush that consistently found its way home and star Central quarterback Jeff Hoenstine.
“I think the biggest thing is we’re very inexperienced in spots,” Bald Eagle head coach Jesse Nagle said. “Hoenstine is a special athlete. There’s no doubt. We had him several times, we thought he was gonna be sacked, and all of a sudden he throws a touchdown. He broke our back a couple times. I think we had to grow up a little bit tonight. We’re young.
“But I thought our kids fought at times. Offensively, we’ve just got to figure out a little bit more. We’ll get it. They brought a lot of pressure and we’ve just got to get better from it.”
The Scarlet Dragons got on the board early with a deep ball from Hoenstine to freshman fullback Hunter Smith less than two minutes into the game. An ensuing three-and-out from the Eagles allowed Central to keep the pressure on,
Hoenstine marched his offense down the field and capped the drive off with a handoff to running back Parker Gregg for a 1-yard touchdown run.
The Eagles had an opportunity in the first half when quarterback Garrett Burns found wide receiver Owen Irvin for a 36-yard gain that put the ball at the Central 2-yard line.They struggled to punch it in from there, giving the ball back to the Scarlet Dragons after getting stopped on four straight plays.
A Bald Eagle safety got the team on the board, and the Eagles stayed close until just before the half when Central wide receiver Demetrious Harbaugh returned a punt to the house to give his team a 21-2 halftime lead. It was over from there as the Scarlet Dragons tacked on two scores and the Eagles earned one of their own to get to the 33-9 final score.
Through all of his team’s struggles, Nagle saw a bright spot in Irvin at wide receiver.
“He’s a pretty special athlete,” Nagle said. “He definitely has the ability to (have a big role). He’s got to get more confident. He needs to get more experience under his belt. But he’s definitely going to be a guy we’re going to look to a lot.”
The Eagles will have a chance to bounce back next week when they take on the Huntingdon Bearcats at home on Friday night.
CENTRAL 33, BALD EAGLE AREA 9
(Friday at Wingate)
Central 14 7 12 0 — 33
Bald Eagle 2 0 0 7 — 9
First Quarter
C — Smith 54 pass from Hoenstine (Zack Kopco kick), 10:36
C — Gregg 1 run, 2:44
Second Quarter
BEA — Team Safety, 8:41
C — Harbaugh punt return, 0:21
Third Quarter
C — Hunter Klotz 8 pass from Hoenstine (PAT missed), 9:45
Ç — Eithan Eicher 6 pass from Hoenstine (2-pt. Attempt failed)
Fourth Quarter
BEA — Irvin 33 pass from Burns (Carter Stere kick), 7:31
Top Rusher: C: Gregg 9-57-1. BEA: Gavin Eckley 3-0.
Top Passer: C: Hoenstine 14-22-2-1 199. BEA: Burns 12-31-1-2 162.
Top Receiver: C: Smith 2-66-1. BEA: Irvin 4-98-1
Interceptions: C: Josh Biesinger, Smith. BEA: Irvin.
Next Game: Central vs. Bellefonte, Friday. Bald Eagle Area vs. Huntingdon, Friday.
This story was originally published September 12, 2020 at 1:09 AM.
