Looking back on this week’s high school football games ... from 10, 20, 30 years ago

Before becoming an All-American at Penn State and an NFL All-Pro, Larry Johnson put together a spectacular season for the State College football team.

Two decades ago this week, he had perhaps the best game of his high school career. It was among the many highlights on this date in Centre County high school football history, taking another look into the past:

10 years ago (Oct. 26-29, 2007)

Penns Valley once again found itself in overtime against Juniata Valley on a soggy night in Spring Mills, but found a way to overcome a mere 26 yards of total offense. Bill Fegley’s three-yard run, his only carry of the game, earned the Rams a 13-7 win to improve to 8-1.

The Hornets’ first-quarter touchdown, set up by a short Ram punt, held until a fourth-quarter fumble gave Penns Valley the ball on the Juniata Valley 1-yard line. Two plays later, a Ty Corl touchdown tied the game. The Hornets fumbled on the overtime’s opening possession before Fegley won it in Penns Valley’s third overtime in the last four games.

JD Mason, who also would go on to play at Penn State, scored a pair of touchdowns in Philipsburg-Osceola’s 31-6 win over Lewistown, hauling in a 29-yard scoring catch and returning an interception 56 yards to the end zone. Dmitri Sidorick rushed for 104 yards and also had two touchdowns, following his six-touchdown performance the previous week, becoming the third county player to score six touchdowns in one game.

After being held to two yards rushing in the first half, State College’s Larry Ryland broke open a 28-12 win over Hollidaysburg with his 178-yard effort, scoring a pair of touchdowns. His scores came on a 65-yard run and 49-yard burst on a fake punt. The Little Lions also picked up their eighth interception of the season.

Bellefonte improved to 6-3 as it built a 47-7 lead by halftime on its way to a 47-27 thumping of Punxsutawney, as Greg Benscoter rushed for 157 yards and three TDs and Ryan Poorman passed for 142 yards and two more scores. Bald Eagle Area fell to 0-9 with a 44-7 loss to Indian Valley in a game moved to Monday because of heavy rains.

20 years ago (Oct. 24, 1997)

Larry Johnson put on quite the Senior Night show at Memorial Field, running wild for a school-record 374 yards and five touchdowns in a 50-12 thumping of Punxsutawney. In his 31-carry effort, he had 226 yards by halftime, almost breaking the record then, including a 96-yard touchdown run. His brother Tony, a sophomore, returned the opening kickoff 85 yards for a score, his second straight game with a kick return for a touchdown.

There also was plenty on the line in the Curtin Bowl. Bellefonte had already clinched a District 6 playoff spot but Bald Eagle Area was desperate for a win and a postseason berth. The Eagles took care of business with a 19-0 win over their rivals.

“Before the game, there wasn’t a lot of need for talking,” BEA coach Ron Hoover told the CDT that night. “We didn’t have to get up on the benches and scream and yell at them. Their eyes were focused. We come off pregame and their eyes were bulging. They were ready to go. You could just see it right there. And when they’re like that, you stay away from them and let them play ball.”

Penns Valley also clinched a playoff spot, and improved to 8-1, with a 38-7 victory over Bald Eagle-Nittany, helped by Kevin Valentine’s 84-yard punt return for a score, Jason Creeger’s 128 yards and two TDs and a defense that held the Panthers to 125 yards while forcing two fumbles and three interceptions.

P-O dropped its season finale 32-15 to Central as Jon Condo rushed for a 34-yard touchdown and Ray Lego hauled in a 50-yard scoring strike from Brandon McCliment.

30 years ago (Oct. 30, 1987)

Penns Valley made a change at quarterback, moving Mark Hosterman from fullback to signal-caller, and it helped the Rams to a 28-13 win. Hosterman rushed for 46 yards. Sophomore Fred Ironside led the ground game with 99 yards and three scores.

BEA tallied 289 yards on the ground as a team in a 34-14 win against Lewistown, and Scott Hoover picked up 127 yards rushing, scoring twice, as P-O topped Central 27-14 to end a two-game losing streak.

This story was originally published October 25, 2017 at 10:03 PM with the headline "Looking back on this week’s high school football games ... from 10, 20, 30 years ago."