Here’s a look back at the 2020 fall high school sports season in Centre County

Now that the championship trophies have been hoisted and the postseason awards given out, let us take time to look back at the high school sports season that almost wasn’t in Centre County.

Played against the backdrop of a pandemic, Centre County athletes ran, golfed, spiked, scored touchdowns and netted goals. The season wasn’t guaranteed for everyone, as athletes used their voices to advocate for playing a safe season. Masks had to be worn on the sidelines and spectators were limited.

Nonetheless, Centre County athletes took the challenges in strides, including last-minute schedule changes and quarantines.

At the end, the county can boast two individual state champs, a team state champ and three runners up from the 2020 fall sports season.

Here’s a look back at the season:

With health and safety plans in place, teams from each school began training camps in July, even as the fate of the fall season still hung in the balance. Modifications included splitting kids up for workouts, masks in the weight room and sanitizing balls.

The first sport to return was Mountain League golf. While no fans were allowed, parents showed their support in other ways, such as putting up signs on the way into the course at Skytop Mountain Golf Club.

Mountain League teams such as Bald Eagle Area, Bellefonte, Philipsburg-Osceola and Penns Valley all kicked off their football seasons on Sept. 11.

With masks on and empty stands, it was clear from opening kickoff that this would be a season like no other before it.

But while some played, State College waited.

Most Little Lions’ sports were on hold due to Mid Penn Conference and school board delays. As the school board and administration talked with health experts about the risks of playing sports while COVID-19 cases spiked in the district’s ZIP codes with the return of Penn State students for the semester, athletes also lent their voices to the discussion.

Team leaders such as Carson Franks, Bayla Furmanek and Brady Bigger spoke to the board members, ensuring them that they’d continue to follow Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention and school-approved health and safety guidelines in order to have a season.

Some players and parents even held a rally outside the high school.

Eventually, a health and safety plan was passed, and all teams were given the OK to compete against other schools.

With that approval, State College football made its return to the newly renovated Memorial Field after a nearly two-year hiatus.

And runner Jordan Reed broke a six-year-old course record at Circleville Park.

There were plenty of exciting moments on the fields, courts and running trails this fall. Among them, Penns Valley volleyball player Jadyn Butler became the first in school history to hit 1,000 digs.

Penns Valley boys’ soccer put together a 10-game winning streak.

Bald Eagle Area volleyball set a new Mountain League record for most consecutive league wins at 82 before being knocked off by Philipsburg-Osceola.

Mountain League meet titles were won by both Penns Valley boys’ and girls’ cross country teams. Colton Sands won an individual title for the boys and Kelsey Hull won one for the girls, while Hull and Thaddaeus Smith were named league MVPs.

Bellefonte boys’ soccer won the Mountain League, as did Philipsburg-Osceola girls’ volleyball with a perfect regular season.

Other Mountain League MVPs were P-O volleyball’s Reese Hazelton and Bald Eagle Area soccer’s Falen McHenry. Penns Valley’s Connor Martz was an All-State selection.

State College boys’ and girls’ cross country teams both came away with first-place finishes at Mid Penn championships, while Brady Bigger placed first individually.

District 6 championships were won this year by: State College boys’ soccer, Philipsburg-Osceola volleyball, Bellefonte volleyball, State College volleyball, State College field hockey, State College girls’ tennis, State College girls’ and boys’ golf, Penns Valley boys’ and girls’ cross country and State College boys’ and girls’ cross country.

Penns Valley’s Colton Sands and State College’s Brady Bigger and Jordan Reed won individual District 6 titles in cross country, while State College’s Riley Kracaw and John Olsen won individual golf titles. The State College doubles team of Catelyn Janac and Quiana Guo also brought home district gold.

Centre County continued its recent trend of cleaning up at the PIAA cross country championships in Hershey. Penns Valley girls’ cross country, led by a top-10 finish by Kelsey Hull, won the program’s first-ever state title.

Penns Valley’s Colton Sands, despite battling an injury throughout the season, won his second straight Class 1A individual title. The Rams took home the silver medal as a team in longtime coach Terry Glunt’s final meet before retirement.

Brady Bigger became the first PIAA champ for State College since 1977. His time of 16:07 earned him the Pennsylvania Track and Field Coaches Association’s Athlete of the Year. The Little Lions placed fifth overall.

State College girls’ cross country, led by a top-10 performance from Jordan Reed, got on the podium for the second consecutive year with a second-place finish.

Philipsburg-Osceola volleyball’s historic season brought the Mounties all the way to the PIAA Class 2A championship, where they lost in four sets to Trinity. It was the first state championship berth in program history.

To get to that game, the Mounties knocked off defending Class 2A champs North Catholic in four sets in the semifinals, and 2018 champ Bald Eagle Area in the District 6 finals. P-O also beat the back-to-back defending Class 1A champs Northern Cambria in the District 6 semifinals, all after an undefeated regular season.

In addition to P-O, BEA and State College’s volleyball teams also finished the season ranked in the top 10 of their respective classifications by the Pennsylvania Volleyball Coaches Association.