Little Lions aim to snap losing skid

By Todd Ceisner

Al Wolski still loves his State College football team, still likes its prospects to have a great season, still believes in each and every player. Sure, two straight losses are hard to swallow but the sky is hardly falling around Memorial Field.

But there are some clouds on the horizon, namely Bishop McDevitt, which pays a visit to the old ballfield beneath Nittany and Fraser for a 7 p.m. kickoff tonight.

“We have our work cut out,” Wolski said. “Look at the people we played. (Last week), Altoona has the fastest kid in the state (A.J. Alexander) and he’s very explosive. Other than the kickoff return, we held him to 53 yards on 15 carries. We moved the football and we haven’t gotten any breaks.”

Much of the Little Lions’ practice this week was centered around taking better care of the ball. State College (2-2 overall, 2-2 Mid-Penn Commonwealth) lost four fumbles in a tightly-played 24-17 loss at Altoona last Friday. Wolski insists two of the fumbles could have gone either way but a similar show of charity against the Crusaders (3-1, 2-1) will likely result in a similar outcome.

“We’ve played two good football teams,” Wolski said in referencing Central Dauphin and Altoona. “For one, you can’t turn the ball over four times and if you do, you’re going to lose probably nine times out of 10.”

As a result, the Little Lions spent part of the week running through a drill called the gauntlet, which requires the ball carrier to protect the ball while a line of teammates hit him with blocking pads and others try to strip the ball away

It will be the fifth meeting between the teams in nearly 25 months, the most recent coming in last year’s District 3/6 Class AAAA semifinals, won by State College 34-20.

“We’re playing another great football team this week,” Wolski said. “It’s probably the best team of the (last) three. It’s not like we’re playing bad football or we’re getting blown out.”

The Crusaders are again a formidable team that is loaded with experience and depth at the skill positions.

Kyle Koncar is a maturing quarterback at the helm of the Crusaders’ offense, which is averaging nearly 377 yards per game. The junior has completed 41 of 81 passes for 632 yards and six touchdowns. He’s also a threat to run in the red zone with four touchdowns. And Koncar has a wide variety of targets led by rangy Julian Harrell, who has 15 grabs for 163 yards. Salath Williams’ six catches, three of which have been touchdowns, have covered a team-leading 184 yards.

A couple seasons ago, Mike Jones was being hailed as the heir apparent to LeSean McCoy. But injuries kept Jones from truly breaking out. Through four games this season, Jones has rushed for 444 yards and four touchdowns and is coming off a 205-yard, one-touchdown showing in a dominant 30-13 win over previously-unbeaten Cumberland Valley last Saturday.

“All you have to do is look at film,” Wolski said. “They’re big, they’re strong and (Jones) can run and (Koncar) can throw. And their receivers,” Wolski said. “I don’t even know how we match up against them. They have great skill guys and big linemen. I told our guys we’re going to have to play a flawless game to be in it.”