ALTOONA, Pa. - Penn Cambria scored 31 unanswered points in the second half Friday night at Mansion Park to erase a halftime deficit and set off a District 6 Class 3A championship celebration for the ages.
The Mountain Mentality, evident throughout a stifling defensive effort led to a 39-14 victory over Tyrone that clinched the first district title in the Penn Cambria football program's history. The Panthers also ended a string of three straight district title game setbacks.
PHOTO GALLERY | Tyrone vs. Penn Cambria | District 6 Class 3A Championship
"There are so many different emotions that I'm going through right now," said sixth-year Panthers coach Nick Felus, who briefly disappeared to the opposite end of the stadium to share a special postgame moment with his father.
"I'm just trying to soak it all in because it's something that's never happened here," Felus said after the Panthers improved to 12-0 and earned a spot opposite of District 5-8-9 subregional champion Somerset next week in the PIAA Tournament.
"To do it with the type of group we have and to do it the way we did it, to be able to come from behind, shows the type of team we have."
Count senior leader Gavin Harrold among those special players.
Harrold had four touchdowns and a two-point conversion.
He rushed 13 times for 52 yards, with touchdown runs of 1 and 6 yards.
Playing in his fourth straight title game, Harrold caught six passes for 119 yards, including a 36-yard shovel pass from Brady Jones resulting in a crucial third-quarter touchdown that gave the Panthers a 16-14 lead with 6:34 on the clock.
His 34-yard scoop-and-score fumble recovery with 41 seconds left in the third gave Penn Cambria a 10-point advantage - and confidence.
"I couldn't be anymore proud of my brothers, the work we've put in throughout the offeseason and even the past three years," Harrold said. "Our coaches made some adjustments at half, and kudos to them. That was all them in the second half."
Panthers senior left tackle/defensive end Preston Farabaugh especially savored the postgame medal ceremony.
A four-year starter, Farabaugh previously had watched from a different angle after Central defeated Penn Cambria in three consecutive District 6-3A title bouts from 2021 through 2023.
"Every year I stood right there," Farabaugh said, pointing to the end zone on the scoreboard side of Mansion Park. "Central lined up right here. I watched every single one of them get their medal - every single one of them - just to instill that in my brain and make me work a little extra harder to get to where we are right now."
Penn Cambria senior cornerback Marcus Eckenrode intercepted a pass in the end zone to thwart one of Tyrone's few second-half scoring opportunities.
"I was trailing behind him by a step or two," Eckenrode said of his fourth pick of the season, which set up Harrold's 6-yard TD to make it 32-14 with 5:53 left. "I noticed the ball was coming in short. I just undercut it, and it was right out of his hands and dropped into mine."
Panthers senior running back Thomas Plunkett (14 carries, 83 yards) broke a late 35-yard scoring run to set the final.
"Your seniors, especially a player like Gavin, a four-year starter, they're going to make significant, big plays when the game is on the line," Felus said. "Big-time players make big-time plays in big-time situations.
"Gavin took over for us in the second half, and you saw what it did to our team. It energized our team."
Third-seeded Tyrone (7-5) played much better than the final score might indicate.
On its opening possession, Tyrone used 11 plays, including six first downs, on its 87-yard scoring drive. Quarterback Ashton Walk (16 of 28, 213 yards, one TD, two interceptions) broke loose on a 25-yard touchdown run. Dante Novak's extra-point made it 7-0 with 3:31 remaining in the first quarter.
Penn Cambria answered with a 17-play, 80-yard scoring drive that extended over the first and second quarters.
Jones hit Corbin Vinglish on a 22-yard pass to successfully convert and fourth-and-10 from the Golden Eagles 43-yard line. Harrold capped the march with a 1-yard TD run followed by Jones' successful conversion run to give the Panthers an 8-7 advantage with 7:14 remaining in the opening half.
Tyrone again moved the ball on a 62-yard march highlighted by Walk's 37-yard pass to Gayge Miller, who was open at the Panthers' 10-yard line. Walk hit Trent Adams on a 15-yard touchdown pass to give Tyrone a 14-8 lead that stood at the half.
"They're so resilient. They're so tough," Felus said of his players. "There is no other group that we as a staff would want to go to battle with.
"We're excited for them. We're excited for our community, the support. It's just a great day to be a Panther."
Perhaps Eckenrode had the best perspective regarding the second-half surge.
"This is the fourth time being here," Eckenrode said. "We knew what we had to do to get this game over. We really came out the second half, guns blazing, ready to go.
"The first half wasn't the best," he said. "The second half really brought us together. We started to run the ball up their throat, we could open up the passing game. Our defense really just held their ground."