By Ed Farrell
Herald Sports Writer

And then there was one.

Mercer County's PIAA football playoffs hopes hinge on one team this weekend, but who better to represent the area aggregation than the Sharon High Tigers?

Sharon (10-2) journeys to Altoona's Mansion Park Stadium for a 7 p.m. Friday showdown with the Commonwealth's top-ranked Class AA contingent, Tyrone (12-0), in the western regional semifinals.

"I don't know if you'd want it any other way: No. 1 playing No. 5 in No. 1's backyard,'' Sharon coach Jim Wildman said.

During the decade of the '90s, Sharon has assembled the area's best composite record (103-20) led by Wildman (187-71-6), Mercer County's all-time winningest coach. Few could have forecasted Sharon's success this season, considering the Tigers are an underclassmen-laden contingent coming off a 12-win, Final Four season. But Sharon avenged a Mercer County Athletic Conference regular-season setback to Wilmington, edging the Greyhounds three weeks later in the District 10 title tilt, then staged a second-half surge resulting in a rout of District 9 champion Karns City in the state playoffs opening round.

Conversely, Tyrone has terrorized foes, averaging 352.2 yards and 40.7 points per game, while yielding respective totals of 161.2 and 6.9.

"We ended up being a little better than we expected,'' sixth-year coach John Franco admitted. "I thought we'd be pretty good, but I don't know if I thought we'd be as good offensively. We felt we'd be pretty good defensively. Our offense has done well, but I really think everything we do is set up by our (5-2) defense. If you take the amount of points scored against our defense, it's only been a couple TDs; most of the points were scored against our jayvees.''

The Golden Eagles have soared on the legs of Jesse Jones (1,906 rushing yards, 32 touchdowns) and Brandon Hoover's aerial assault (1,200 yards, 15 TDs) that includes a trio of receivers led by Steve Johnson (21 catches, 678 yards). Franco said his defense has been led by tackle Scott Gummo (5 quarterback sacks) and linebackers Doug Roseberry and sophomore Josh Taylor.

"But it's really not been one star, one kid,'' Franco said.

Formerly an assistant at Altoona for eight years, Franco said experience may be one of his club's strong suits.

"This is a group of kids who, as sophomores, played on a district championship team, going undefeated before losing to Wilmington by one TD," Franco said. "Then last year we were, pretty much, all underclassmen, but made it to the district semifinals. But it's a group that's really played a lot of football. We really are able to have experience in a lot of key areas, and not just one-year kids, but two years of starting experience.''

If Sharon -- which twice advanced to the AAA state championship game before bowing to Berwick on both occasions -- has overachieved, Wildman insisted, "Without question, I'm convinced they're convinced they're not done overachieving.

"I really sense a mind-set there that they feel there's enough athleticism and enough leadership and enough confidence that ... maybe they can do the so-called impossible," Wildman said. "Sometimes the years when you're supposed to make it, you don't. Maybe this is the year we're not supposed to make it and we do.''

Sharon's speed "really concerns us,'' Franco said. "They just have quickness at all positions, not just the skill kids. Even if you look at their linemen, they're super-quick, and that's a real, real big problem for us. And the same thing, they're so quick on defense. They get to ball so well and they're very aggressive.''

"We haven't played a team as good as Sharon,'' Franco said. "They're outstanding, they really are, and they're young, too, which is so surprising, that they've played that well with all those young kids. They're gonna be some type of team in the future.''

As for the present?

"We've gotta block them, they're so quick,'' Franco said. "We have to handle their quickness and we're real concerned with No. 1, (Carmone) Parchman. He's explosive and with the way he breaks runs, he's a major concern. We've have not faced a back as good as him. And we've not faced two receivers as quick as No. 3 (Marlin Jackson) and No. 5 (Terrance Phillips).''

The Golden Eagles' offense also presents some problems.

"Offensively, they're well balanced," Wildman said. "They're not exceptionally big -- we match up with them fairly well -- but they have some rangy kids. Defensively, they're basically a '50,' with a change at 4-3. They have seven kids going both ways, but they haven't had to play too many four-quarter games. I think last week was the first in a long time.''

Ironically, both coaches drew a unique comparison.

"They're comparable to Wilmington,'' Wildman, regarding Tyrone, said. "Offensively, it's like playing Wilmington, but with them lining up in a 'I' instead of a wing-T. And defensively they're comparable (to Wilmington). The thing that's made them so strong defensively is that they're so good offensively teams are forced to do some things differently from an offensive standopoint. Then their defense is able to get teams in a hole and capitalize.''

"They do remind me a little (of Wilmington) with their defensive quickness,'' Franco, referring to Sharon, said. "That's the same thing that always stood out when we were playing Wilmington: How quick and aggressive their defense was, and I see the same thing with Sharon. They're quick and get to the ball and use their speed really well. And they change fronts. They really get the most out of their kids, and I'm impressed by not just their players, but how their coaches have schemed their defense.''

Wildman concurred.

"I think, in all my years as head coach at Sharon, this has been, collectively, the most outstanding job done by a group of assistants and probably the most outstanding job of responding to coaching in the past 14 weeks by a group of young kids,'' he said in praise of his camp. "It says a lot, and it's a credit to both of those groups.''

Regarding his own squad, Franco asked to reserve judgement.

"Our '96 team went to the state championship game (losing to Mount Carmel). We were awfully good," he said. "We had a team in '95 that made it to the western finals (losing to Burrell), and in '97 we had a team that lost to Wilmington (in the western semifinals), but I think we scored more points in that one game (28) than they had given up the rest of the season combined, but we just weren't very good defensively that year. At the end of the year, maybe I can tell you which (Tyrone team) is better. We're pretty good, but I can't really say this is the best team we've had since I've been here.''

As for where Tyrone ranks among Sharon's opponents this season?

"Woodland Hills is (No.) 1,'' Wildman said of the Quad-A power. "Then Tyrone and Wilmington would be in the next class, just a step lower, maybe.''

Regarding Friday's contest, the coaches offered slightly different scenarios.

"We've gotta put together some drives,'' Franco said. "We've been a team all year that's been able to put together 12-play or 14-play, 70-yard drive, or we've been able to score on 70-yard breakaway plays -- it doesn't matter. But when you get into the playoffs, it's important to control the ball as much as possible to keep the other team's offense off the field."

"I don't see it being a 28-21 game, but I could be dead wrong,'' Wildman countered. "I think defense wins championships, offense can win games, and kicking/special teams can be the difference. So you have to be able to play all three phases, not stub your toe in any one, and if do stub your toe, don't break it; be able to respond to the negative and build on the positive.''

"I think so,'' Wildman replied when asked if his club is peaking on cue. "We have a chance to make a statement.

"Two weeks ago, I reminded them of the storybook I used to read to my kids when they were little: The Little Engine That Could. They have to believe 'I think I can, I think I can,' then when they get to the top, they have to be able to say, 'I know I can, I know I can. We beat Wilmington, so we knew we could, we knew we could. Now we're going back up another hill and have to just keep believing that.''

Notes: Wildman termed the Tigers "healthy.'' ... Sharon practices today from 5:15-6 and 6:30-7:30 p.m., then will depart from Tiger Stadium at 1:15 p.m. on Friday. Regarding Monday's practice, Wildman said, "In my 23 years as head coach, that was the most spirited, enthusiastic Monday practice we've ever had, without question. It was totally unbelievable!'' although he noted, "A lot of that had to do with the fact they're playing a 12-0 team ranked No. 1 in the state. The kids realize a lot is at stake. They want to do well (and) I don't think it was anything I said. I asked my coaches,'' he quipped, "and they said (Wildman's pep talk) didn't rank in my top five, so I don't think I had a whole lot to do with it.'' ... In its three meetings with Wilmington, Tyrone topped the Greyhounds in the '95 state quarterfinals (14-7) and '96 state semis (14-10), before Wilmington prevailed 35-28 in the '97 PIAA quarters (35-28).