MECHANICSBURG, PA — Carson Nagle will always hear the voice echoing in his head. It’s a voice that will never go away, and has been there since birth, through his first steps, and was the guiding light the first time he threw a football.
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Bald Eagle senior quarterback has only known the voice of his father, Bald Eagle head coach, Jesse Nagle, throughout his football life, and on Sunday, that connection ended on the field—though with some satisfaction.
Nagle completed 17 of 25 passes for 254 yards and two touchdowns in leading the West All-Stars past the East, 14-0, in the fifth Pennsylvania Football Coaches Association (PFCA) East-West Small School All-Star game at Cumberland Valley’s Chapman Field.
The West now holds a 3-2 series lead, rebounding from 17-10 loss last year.
But for the Nagles, this meant something deeper.
The Eagles finished a disappointing 5-5 overall this season. Bald Eagle did not make the district playoffs with two seniors returning that had significant playing time the previous year, and a team that had four or five players on crutches on the sidelines, depending on what week it was.
“This was not easy on my dad, everywhere he went, I went,” said Carson, who will be leaving to play for Lock Haven in June. “This sucks that it was the last game with my dad, but I’m ready to branch out on my own at Lock Haven. I’m excited about that. At the same time, I will miss him not seeing him on the sideline. It’s kind of funny, he never spoke to me on game days, because he is on the defensive side of the ball, unless I mess up, or keep your elbow up, or stop trying to look cool (laughs).
“But I wouldn’t want it any other way. Him being hard on me made me who I am today. After every practice (at Lock Haven), he will definitely call me. He’ll probably log into my Hudl and watch film from practice and ask me what the hall am I doing (laughs)? Him being there has taught me so much, taught me how to work hard, and made me who I today, so I have to thank him for that.”
Jesse, drenched in Gatorade, was able to deal with the shifting emotions.
The 15-14 win over Somerset in the Eagles’ regular-season finale on October 25 was the last time father and son were together on a Bald Eagle sideline. Sunday may have signified the last time they may be together on a sideline—period.
What Jesse saw what has seen the last four years—creating something from nothing, working magic on off-script plays.
“This has not been easy,” Jesse admitted. “It’s been such a joy to watch him play. He’ll be nearby at Lock Haven, and I’ll continue to watch him there. Being 5-11 scared away the Power Four guys, but Carson has always been able to play and this will be hard the next years without him. See, this gets me a little emotional, thinking how proud I am of him, and how proud I am of the career he had.”
Carson concluded his senior season completing 168 of 268 passes for remarkable 2,332 yards with 22 touchdowns against six interceptions, averaging 16.8 yards a completion and 233.2 yards passing a game.
South Park’s massive defensive tackle Troy Cunningham was named West MVP after making several stops behind the line of scrimmage and causing problems for the East offense all afternoon.
Cunningham, a 6-3, 270-pound senior, will be heading to Temple. He played in his last game.
“This was a good way to end my high school career, and I was ready for college, I have to report June 15 to Temple,” Cunningham said. “A game like this is simple for the defensive line. You just line up and play, and it was kind of natural.”
West scored on its opening possession, going 80 yards over 12 plays, ending with Bald Eagle Area’s Carson Nagle hitting Bishop Guilfoyle’s Hamilton Gates with a 1-yard pass and a 7-0 lead with 2:59 left in the opening quarter.
West added to that in the third quarter, taking its opening drive 73 plays over six plays, with Nagle connecting with Tyrone’s Trent Adams for a 44-yard touchdown pass.
The East had its chances.
A fumbled punt in the third quarter led to East reaching the West 16, when Cambria Heights’ Trey Trybus intercepted East quarterback Kal-El Durham (West Catholic) in the end zine ending the threat.
With 9:28 left in the fourth quarter, a fumble recovery by Lackawanna Trail’s Max Kimmel at the East 34 led to another scoring chance. It was West’s second turnover of the game. For the second-straight time (and third time overall), East drove the ball inside the 10, and for the second time, the East team blew the opportunity.
“This was a lot of fun,” Carson admitted. “I was hesitant to play in this, because of the injury aspect of it, since I had a buddy tear an ACL in an all-star game last year. That plays in the back of your mind, but at the same time, you can’t think about that stuff when you’re playing. I came out here and ran around and had fun. I had to give my dad a hug before it was over, even though he was wet from the Gatorade they dumped on him. I told him to get off me because he was wet (laughs).”
Scoring Summary
West 7 0 7 0-14
East 0 0 0 0-0
1st Quarter
West – Hamilton Gates 1 pass from Carson Nagle (Noah Ritko kick), 2:59.
3rd Quarter
West –Trent Adams 44 pass from Nagle (Noah Ritko kick), 9:40.
Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter who has been covering high school football since 1992 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on Twitter @JSantoliquito. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.
