D6 Sports Network Twenty Greatest Teams of the 2000's. #10

10. 2011 Tyrone


The Scoop-There may not be a better program in all of District Six than the Tyrone Golden Eagles. They have had some great talent and some great teams. The Franco reign at Tyrone may not be matched by a coach in District Six for some time. The 2011 edition of Tyrone played out like plenty of other seasons.  They had a dominating season, a D6 crown, and success against the WPIAL.  Tyrone opened with arch rival Bellwood-Antis and they held on for a 17-6. The following week was a surprising loss to AAAA Mifflin County. After the head scratching loss, the team reeled off 13 straight wins and made a State Championship appearance.  Along the way the Tyrone offense rolled under the direction of Steve Franco. The Senior Quarterback lit up the Friday Night sky for 2600 yards and 30 Touchdowns.  This included a 200 yard 3 score game against Richland in the District Six Championship, a 46-21 win. Franco had a great supporting cast on the powerful offense. His main target was Nick Patton. He caught 15 touchdowns and went for 1,200 yards.  The unsung hero of the offense may have been Christian Getz.  The senior back steadied the offense, and made huge contributions. Tyrone went on to states and defeated Hickory in the first round, survived a classic against WPIAL power Aliquippa to set up a State Championship showdown with Lancaster Catholic.  The game was 10-7 late, but Lancaster Catholic tacked on a touchdown late to set the score 17-7 final.  It capped a memorable run by the Golden Eagles.

The Stars-Steve Franco went on to be named as an All State Quarterback, and on top of that the AA State Player of the year. Steve's magical season has him going to play Division One Quarterback for Akron.  His Old Man won Coach of the Year, a rarity for the state runner up to sweep both awards.   Nick Patton will be pursuing a Track career at either Penn State or Pitt.  Chritian Getz will be going on to play football, I personally can not track down where.  Charles Adams was a junior this past season  and will be a key role for the 2012 campaign.  


The Argument-The 2011 Tyrone squad and the 2009 McCort teams have been the two best recent teams and it was hard picking one over the other.  I gave the nod to Tyrone for having a tougher road to States. The Golden Eagles have always fared well against the WPIAL and took down heavily favored Aliquippa in a classic Western Final.  The team's offense was awesome and Steve Franco put on a fantastic campaign.  The way they ran through the Districts and the way they went through states made it seem like they were destined to win it all. Lancaster Catholic was a very good football team, and Tyrone stood right up to them. The Golden Eagles have a tradition unlike any other school in this district. They will be moving on without their Coach, but the pride of Tyrone Football will remain.