State College football wins big in first — and last — game at Memorial Field this season
Stadium lights shone bright all around Memorial Field on Friday night, bringing the action between them into full view. The State High marching band played underneath trees overlooking the south end zone of the newly renovated stadium.
Between the lights and below the band, a football game was played for the first time since Nov. 2, 2018.
The State College Little Lions defeated the Cumberland Valley Eagles, 31-0, in their first — and last — game of the season at Memorial Field.
“This facility is unbelievable,” State High head coach Matt Lintal said after the game. “I’ve been to hundreds of high school football stadiums around the country and I don’t think there’s a place that has more heart and character and, just, impact on the game than this place. ... I couldn’t be more thrilled to be here with these guys.”
The stadium went through renovations that cost just over $14 million and initially began in 2013. They included renovated home bleachers with locker rooms built underneath, improved restrooms and entrances, a concession plaza, a concourse linking the home and away sides, and better emergency access to the field.
The experience was a long time coming for the Little Lions. The senior class spent their junior years playing at the South Track field behind the high school. Then — after nearly two years of waiting — there was a chance the team wouldn’t get to play a single game this season. Still, the Little Lions continued practicing during the fall, waiting for the school district to return to in-person learning — a mandatory threshold in the district’s fall athletics plan set during the pandemic that the district had to meet in order to play football against other schools.
Their patience paid off Friday night when the Little Lions were able to play at their stadium for their only home game of the year.
The efforts by those in the State College Area School District — and the hurdles they had to clear — were not lost on Lintal.
“The logistics of everything we do right now is a headache,” Lintal said with a laugh, “I’m not gonna lie. ... Credit to (assistant athletic director) Loren Crispell and (athletic director) Chris Weakland for helping to manage (everything), and our booster club just to get things done. But there’s a lot that goes into that.
“As a coach, you picture that senior day so many times. It’s a real emotional experience because you’ve gone through a full season. Tonight, to be here for one game, it was ‘Wow I’m experiencing opening night emotions and experiencing senior night emotions.’ It was kinda all over the place. I couldn’t be more proud of this senior class and these guys.”
Two of those seniors put on a show to help the team earn the blowout victory in their final scheduled home game of their high school careers.
Senior quarterback Conrad Moore, who waited patiently for his time to take the reins of the offense, rushed for two of the team’s four touchdowns. He broke off a 66-yard touchdown run on the game’s first play from scrimmage to get the ball rolling and tacked on a second rushing touchdown with a 44-yarder to open the scoring in the second half.
Moore took what the defense gave him and it paid off in a big way.
“I think they were keying on the running backs,” he said. “Opening up early with the QB run, they didn’t really expect it. We caught them off guard I think. It was great and it turned out awesome.”
Fellow senior Sammy Knipe, who’s committed to Navy to play football, had a pretty big game himself. The safety is used to making defensive plays, but showed what he can do on offense as well. He caught Moore’s only passing touchdown of the night for a 61-yard score in the second quarter.
But that play wasn’t the biggest one Knipe made in the game. That came when he laid the wood on a Cumberland Valley offensive player. J.D. Hunter caught a swing pass for the Eagles, and felt the impact of the senior before he could even get upfield. The crack of Knipe connecting with Hunter could be heard from end zone to end zone.
“It was just one of those hits where you just know you’ve got him dead in the water,” Knipe said. “That’s one I’m looking forward to going back to look at that on film.”
Knipe, Moore and the rest of the senior class spent plenty of time waiting for the chance to play at Memorial Field. For Moore, it was well worth the wait.
“It was awesome,” Moore said. “The crowd turnout was good, especially with a pandemic going on. Just going out here and playing for the community, it’s awesome.”
This story was originally published October 10, 2020 at 12:40 AM.
