How Bald Eagle and State College football can reach the state semifinals
Bald Eagle and State College both advanced to the state quarterfinals with victories that were never in doubt.
The Little Lions were able to utilize their explosive offense to light up the scoreboard against Delaware Valley. Their 35 points in the first half left little doubt as to who would win.
Bald Eagle put up 35 points total and shut out Bedford after the first quarter. They open this week’s matchups on Saturday at 1 p.m.
Bald Eagle (12-2) vs. Sharon (10-3)
Time: 1 p.m. Saturday
Location: Altoona
Coaches: BEA – Jesse Nagle; S – Jim Wildman
Players to watch: BEA – Nick Turner, Sr., WR; S – Jordan Wilson, Sr., RB
The skinny: Bald Eagle enters this week’s quarterfinal matchup after a dominant showing last week, as the Eagles defeated Bedford, 35-14. Sharon rode its defense in their first-round victory over Grove City. They won the matchup 23-6 and allowed those points in the fourth quarter.
Bald Eagle’s passing game should take center stage on Saturday, with senior WR Nick Turner as one of its focal points. Turner had a big game for the Eagles last week, catching seven passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns.
On the year, Turner has 46 receptions for 807 yards, with nine touchdowns, and has stepped up since the Eagles lost Matthew Reese and Gage McLenahan to season-ending injuries, going over 100 receiving yards in three of the five games since. Turner should be in for another big performance this weekend.
Senior running back Jordan Wilson is the heart and soul of Sharon’s offense and that’s unlikely to change. He already has 250 carries for 1,722 yards and 23 rushing touchdowns and he has been especially dominant in the last two weeks.
Two weeks ago, he ran the ball 43 times for 234 yards and two touchdowns. That kind of performance can wear a runner down, but he followed it up with 30 carries for 131 yards against Grove City. Expect Wilson to keep his foot on the gas and keep his strong season rolling.
State College (12-1) vs. Pine-Richland (10-2)
Time: 7 p.m. Saturday
Location: Altoona
Coaches: SC – Matt Lintal; PR – Eric Kasperowicz
Players to watch: SC – Dresyn Green, So., RB; PR – Luke Meckler, Jr., WR
The skinny: State College has won six games in a row heading into its quarterfinal matchup with the Rams. They defeated Delaware Valley last week, 56-19. Pine-Richland travels to Altoona with two wins in a row and a dominant victory last week when the Rams took down Seneca Valley, 34-7.
State College has found a dynamic offensive weapon in recent weeks in sophomore running back Dresyn Green, who has rushed for 793 yards since the Little Lions’ lone loss to Harrisburg. He’s also run for eight of his 11 touchdowns on the year in that span.
Last week he was more of a big-play threat, carrying the ball three times for 73 yards and a touchdown and he also returned a kickoff 81 yards for a score. Green is going to be relied on again by the Little Lion offense this weekend, but it remains to be seen if it’s as a big-play threat or as an every-down back.
Pine-Richland’s leading rusher has been Luke Meckler, who has 16 rushing touchdowns on the year, is averaging 8.5 yards per carry, and has tallied 1,269 total rushing yards. He has broken 100 rushing yards in every game in which he has at least 10 carries this season.
In the playoffs, Meckler has 20 carries for 255 yards and three touchdowns. That sort of dominance has been key to the Rams’ offense since Meckler has taken over as the lead back, and will be important in a close matchup this weekend.