Previewing Centre County high school football games for PIAA quarterfinals
Two Centre County teams remain alive in the PIAA high school football playoffs as we head into the quarterfinals. The Bald Eagle Area Eagles remain alive after a thrilling 21-20 overtime victory over Bedford last week. The State College Little Lions advanced after dominating Delaware Valley 38-7.
Let’s take a look at their quarterfinal matchups this weekend.
FRIDAY’S GAMES
Sharon (9-3) vs. Bald Eagle Area (9-3)
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: Clarion University’s Memorial Stadium
Coaches: Jason McElhaney (S), Jesse Nagle (BEA)
Last meeting: Sharon 28-7 in 2018
Players to watch: QB Lane Voytik (B), RB Gage McClenahan (BEA)
The Skinny: Bald Eagle will have a difficult matchup Friday night when it takes on the Sharon Tigers in Clarion. The Tigers are the No. 9 team in PennLive’s PIAA Class 3A high school football rankings, while Bald Eagle is ranked No. 8 in the rankings.
The Tigers feature senior quarterback Lane Voytik on offense. Voytik has played at a high level all season, including last week’s 33-21 win over Grove City. The senior threw for 286 yards and three touchdowns on 27-of-37 passing in the win, according to MaxPreps. He’s made plays all season for the Tigers in the passing game, lighting up opposing defenses for 2,711 yards and 28 touchdowns, while only throwing five interceptions.
Fellow senior Ty Eilam has been Voytik’s top target this season, and had a prolific performance last week against Grove City. Eilam caught 13 passes for 197 yards in the win — his best performance of the season. The Eagles will need to slow down Voytik and prevent him from getting the ball to Eilam if they want to advance to the PIAA Class 3A semifinals.
The passing game will be the Bald Eagle defense’s focus, but the Tigers’ defense will have to prepare for a balanced Eagles’ offense. Senior Gage McClenahan, who lines up in the backfield and at wide receiver, was dominant last week in the team’s win over Bedford. He finished with 23 carries for 101 yards and a touchdown on the ground and nine catches for 112 yards and a touchdown as a receiver, according to MaxPreps.
McClenahan is an effective weapon and should see a massive workload once again this week. He can make defenders miss in the open field and fight forward for extra yards in short-yardage situations. The senior is a threat to make something special happen every time he touches the ball. The Eagles should look to him as they try to advance to the next round.
Central Catholic (11-1) vs. State College (10-1)
Time: 7 p.m.
Place: North Allegheny High School
Coaches: Terry Totten (CC), Matt Lintal (SC)
Last meeting: Central Catholic in 2015
Players to watch: DL Elliot Donald (DV), RB Dresyn Green (SC)
The Skinny: State College is in for its toughest matchup of the season this week when it travels to North Allegheny to take on the Central Catholic Vikings. The Little Lions are the No. 7 team in PennLive’s PIAA Class 6A high school football rankings, while the Vikings are No. 2.
The Vikings feature one of the most talented players in the state — and the nephew of one of the best players in the NFL — junior defensive lineman Elliot Donald. Donald, the nephew of former Pittsburgh Panther and current St. Louis Ram Aaron Donald, is the No. 5 player in Pennsylvania in the 2021 class, according to the 247Sports Composite rankings. He finished last season with 14 tackles for loss and 8.5 sacks, according to his 247Sports recruiting profile. Donald is an elite talent that will have to be accounted for on every play. His ability to rush the passer and disrupt the run game will make life difficult for the State College offense Friday night.
Unfortunately for the Little Lions, Donald isn’t the only Division 1 talent on the Central Catholic roster. The Vikings also have senior defensive tackles Amaar and A’meer Allen, who are 3-star recruits, as well as senior defensive end A.J. Beatty, a 3-star recruit committed to North Carolina. Those three, combined with Donald, present the Little Lions with the toughest task they’ve faced all season.
The Little Lions will have to find ways to get the ball to junior running back Dresyn Green to mitigate the effect of the Central Catholic defense. Green has been productive all season on offense, compiling 1,134 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns on 175 carries this season, according to MaxPreps. The junior running back can break a big play at a moment’s notice and that’s what this offense will need in order to pull off the upset Friday night. The Little Lions should try to get him in the open field to allow Green to use his speed and quickness to make defenders miss.
With the talent on the Central Catholic defensive line, yards between the tackles will be difficult to come by for Green and State College. That means more quick passes, more toss plays, and more hand-offs designed to go off tackle. If Green can hit on a few big plays on offense, or make a play on defense where he has six interceptions this season, the Little Lions will have an opportunity to go into North Allegheny and pull off the upset Friday night. If not, they could be in for a long evening.
This story was originally published November 21, 2019 at 10:00 PM.
