D6 Sports Network Twenty Greatest Teams of the 2000's. #2

2. 2004 Tyrone






The Scoop-The 2004 Tyrone Golden Eagles had a dominating presence about them, that made them one of the best teams from the District Six area. They were led by a lights-out defense led by the 2004 Defensive Player of the Year, Terry Tate. Tate anchored a defensive line that was massive for High School standards, and that line was a force all season long. Tyrone allowed 20 points in a game only one time all year during a 12-2 campaign. The offense was good, too. Leonard Wilson led the offense from his Quarterback position and played steady all year long.  The go to threat was Brice Mertiff.  The Senior Back rushed for 33 touchdowns in 2004 leading the way for a very good offense. The Golden Eagles posted a 9-1 regular season with a long hiccup to Philipsburg-Osceola by a score of 7-6. Tyrone later avenged that loss 34-0 in the second round in the playoffs.  Tyrone held off a good Bishop McCort team in the finals by a score of 15-6. They were rewarded with a Bill Stull led Seton LaSalle team at North Allegheny High School.  No problem for the Golden Eagles as they dispatched the former Pitt QB by a score of 28-7. The Western Final was where the run ended as Grove City took the game 21-17.


The Stars-Terry Tate was obviously the star of the show, as he was named to the all state team and player of the year. Brice Mertiff was another all state pick and was the driving force on the offensive side of the ball. Tyler Hoover was another key member of the defensive and offensive lines. Not sure if any of them moved on to play college ball, but this team was loaded. They had a balanced offense and size.


The Argument-2004 Tyrone may go down as the best Tyrone team of the decade narrowly beating out 2011 and 2000. This team had the most dominant defensive player from the area, as Tate finished 2004 with 21 tackles for loss. The Golden Eagles defense literally could suffocate teams for wins as they had a college sized defensive line. The offense was led by Brice Mertiff, who will go down as the second best Tyrone Running Back of recent memory.  This Tyrone team was certainly good enough to make it to the state final. In fact, they still claim they got cheated out of one. Ask anyone at their semi-final loss and they will tell you the same. Who knows what could have happened if Tyrone made it to the State Championship, maybe they would be ranked the number 1 team of the 2000's.  We are finally down to the last pick! Stay tuned.