State College boys’ soccer looking to turn ‘special’ start into memorable season
In February, coach Danny Orton and the rising seniors on the State College boys’ soccer team looked ahead to the 2017 season.
The Little Lions players met with their coach at teammate Thomas Sowers’ house, where they ate pizza and played the FIFA video game in a “low-key environment.” Orton told them what to expect about seven months before the final season of their high school careers. The coach said they’d deal with frustration, they’d feel ownership of the team, and they’d experience an emotional ride.
“They’re 17 and 18 years of age, and you use the word ‘emotional’ or ‘ownership,’ sometimes those phrases are like, ‘Well, I don’t think so, Coach,’” Orton said. “But, truthfully, I think they do feel that ownership. All the senior classes have, but with this group, they’ve understood. There’s a trust there with them, too.”
The seniors took ownership and built trust with their teammates during the offseason as they laid the foundation for an impressive start. The Little Lions own an 8-1-1 record after Tuesday’s win against Carlisle, thanks to three wins in overtime and a confidence-building performance in their season opener against the defending state champions. State College enjoyed success Orton’s first five years at the helm — finishing with winning records and capturing the District 6 championship every year — but the Little Lions are aiming to set a new standard in the coach’s sixth season.
They want to win the Mid Penn Conference title and to make a run in the PIAA tournament after five straight first-round exits.
“We got to give it all we got,” senior defender Patrick McNutt said. “This is our last year to prove ourselves. We want to do something the program hasn’t done in a while.”
State College strengthened its chemistry during summer pickup games organized by the seniors. Every Tuesday and Thursday, the Little Lions gathered to play, helping build a connection between the upperclassmen and underclassmen. They didn’t get together for pickup games two years ago, and only 10 or 12 players showed up last year. This past summer, 20-25 players regularly played, so they often had enough for 11 vs. 11.
“I think the seniors did a really good job of reaching out to the underclassmen, especially the freshmen and texting them and making sure they texted all their buddies to come out,” McNutt said. “That was pretty beneficial in the summer, and it’s showing.”
That summer connection played out on one of the team’s memorable goals this season when sophomore Marc Rodgers chipped a 45-50-yard pass over the Central Dauphin defense to senior Zach Price for a score to send the game to overtime.
Orton said the seniors recognize support from the underclassmen like Rodgers — and they understand they don’t need to feel the pressure that weighed on them early in the season. During scrimmages and the first few games, the coach saw his seniors make uncharacteristic slide tackles, challenge their opponents in situations they couldn’t win and engage in short conversations with the referees. Orton said it happens every year with his seniors, but this group soon realized they could trust their younger teammates.
“Kudos to them to recognize, ‘Well hang on, this isn’t just about us and our senior year. We’ve got players here,’” Orton said.
The Little Lions also received an immediate lift by playing defending PIAA Class 3A champion Lower Dauphin to a scoreless tie in their season opener. Lower Dauphin went into that game ranked No. 6 in the country, and State College set the expectations for its season with its strong effort. Orton said it showed the Little Lions “could be as good as anybody in the state.”
His players benefited from the early season showdown.
“I thought Lower Dauphin was huge,” senior midfielder Jake Hall said. “Huge morale booster, especially for a bunch of guys who maybe weren’t so positive about this year, maybe didn’t think we would do as well, but we started off really strong — 0-0 to a great, playoff-level team.”
Added senior defender Jacob Whipple: “It meant leaps and bounds for where this program is going and where it’s going for the rest of the season.”
The Little Lions felt as if they belonged against a top opponent and remained confident throughout the first half of the season. They’ve come out on top in pressure-packed games — Orton said the three overtime victories are the first-ever extra-period wins of his tenure — with their defense keeping their opponents in check and their offensive chemistry producing crucial goals.
It’s all contributed to the team’s impressive run.
“The start has been a little bit different, a little bit special,” Orton said. “We’ve had to grind a few things out.
“For whatever reason it’s clicked for us. In previous years, it’s maybe not gone our way.”
This story was originally published September 26, 2017 at 8:19 PM with the headline "State College boys’ soccer looking to turn ‘special’ start into memorable season."