Bald Eagle Area quarterback suffers injury in season-opening loss to Bishop Guilfoyle
Saturday night was the last thing Bald Eagle Area wanted to see.
Not only did the Eagles fall 21-0 to Bishop Guilfoyle in the season opener. But, with just over two minutes left in the game, Bald Eagle Area quarterback Carson Nagle came off the field in pain and was eventually placed in an ambulance out of an abundance of caution.
The extent of his injury is not yet known.
With 1:40 left in the game, head coach Jesse Nagle — who is the all-state selection’s father — called a timeout and asked officials to have a medical professional look at his quarterback. Paramedics and Bishop Guilfoyle’s training staff tended to him on the sideline, stabilizing his neck in a brace before placing him on a stretcher.
Jesse Nagle was not available for comment after the game, and assistant coaches said they were not authorized to speak. However, some assistants acknowledged Carson said he couldn’t catch his breath.
Altoona’s Mansion Park fell hushed in the closing minutes. But, when it came to the actual game, Bishop Guilfoyle’s coach still had high praise for the Eagles.
“They are a great-coached team. They have one of the best quarterbacks in the state,” Marauders coach Justin Wheeler said. “They are big up front. They are going to win a lot of games. They might be the favorite to repeat in 2A.”
The Eagles were unable to find the scoreboard, but timely turnovers and failed fourth-down conversions proved to be the difference-makers.
On BEA’s second possession of the game, the Eagles drove down to the Marauders’ 17. But they couldn’t capitalize as Carson Nagle missed an open Grady Fischer streaking across the back of the end zone, which caused a turnover on downs.
The Marauders responded by driving the length of field, punctuated by Hamilton Gates running in from three yards out for his first of two scores on the night. That touchdown came with 9:46 left in the first half.
Three minutes later, Bishop Guilfoyle quarterback Chase Kissell hit a wide-open Braden Reilly on a 54-yard score. There wasn’t a single Eagles defender within 10 yards of Reilly to make it 14-0.
BEA got the ball midway through the second quarter and put together another drive, which saw it return to the red zone. The drive ended as Carson Nagle threw an interception at Bishop Guilfoyle’s 10-yard line.
The Eagles’ first possession of the second half saw them drive to the Marauders’ 33-yard line, but a fumble ended that drive. On BEA’s next possession, it drove to Bishop Guilfoyle’s 18-yard line and was stymied for zero total yards on the next four plays — for another turnover on downs.
In total, the Eagles lost four turnovers and committed two turnovers on downs.
“Our defense was one thing that over the last year or so we wanted to focus on. When we won our championships, it was about defense first,” Wheeler said. “We know we have skill offensively. These guys were just making plays. If teams have to drive a long way, we are eventually going to make a play.”
With 5:55 left in the game, and with BEA trailing 14-0, Bishop Guilfoyle extended the lead when Gates capped off a 10-play drive for the Marauders with a 24-yard score through the air to end the scoring on the night.
This game was circled on the calendar for Wheeler’s squad when the schedule was released.
Bishop Guilfoyle suffered a 17-7 loss to the Eagles to start last year, and the Marauders’ postseason came to a close with a 36-14 loss in the first round of the District 6 playoffs to BEA.
“They got us twice last year. We have a program with a lot of pride. We hope we fight everyone that beats us once in a season, but they beat us twice,” Wheeler said. “It was the message all offseason: Get back to this opening game, and it’s not going to happen again. Any win is good Week 1, but against a quality team you’re even happier.”
Friday’s Centre County Scores
Bellefonte 18, Central 7
Bellwood-Antis 51, Penns Valley 12
Philipsburg-Osceola 30, Huntingdon 17
State College 49, Gateway 14
This story was originally published August 24, 2024 at 11:43 PM.
