‘Nothing’s given’: State College thankful to have a Senior Night in a season filled with uncertainty
As Trey Oyler lined up on the baseline of State College Area High School’s gym next to his parents and sister during Friday’s Senior Night festivities, he reflected.
Before the 5-foot-9 senior guard was recognized at mid-court with his family, he thought about his four years at State College — the lessons he’s learned and the memories he’s made. For once, he took a moment to take it all in.
“I’ve learned that nothing’s given, and you gotta keep working for everything,” said Oyler, who scored six points in a 52-34 loss to Carlisle High School. “Whenever I was a freshman, I played on the freshman team; As a sophomore, I was a JV player. So, I had to work hard to get where I’m at on the varsity team. And I really thank the coaches here for teaching me how to work and teaching me that nothing’s given.”
Oyler knows, amid the coronavirus pandemic, this season was also far from given. And despite the outcome on the court, he was grateful to even have had a Senior Night.
Instead of having the stands full to celebrate the seniors, only families were allowed to attend the game.
State College head coach Brian Scholly called the scene “bittersweet.”
“You wish the whole community could come out here and celebrate those awesome seven (seniors), and what they’ve meant to the program and the community, as a whole,” Scholly said.
The seniors’ value to the team has been especially apparent this season. Scholly said that they were the ones who “grabbed the wheel” with their leadership and made the season possible. They set the example for the rest of their teammates to follow when it came to following COVID-19 protocols.
Senior wing Zach Orndoff — who scored five points in the contest — said the circumstances this year have helped the team build character.
“Obviously just wearing masks and being leaders,” Orndoff said of the impact he and his fellow seniors have had this season. “Just showing them that, ‘Hey, we have to do this.’ Sometimes you’re put in a (difficult) situation. But it’s also making us tougher.”
Orndoff, Oyler and the rest of the seniors are hoping that toughness starts to translate on the court for the Little Lions, who are now 0-3 on the season. State College’s upcoming three games are against rival Altoona Area High School at home on Tuesday, Central Dauphin High School at home next Friday and Chambersburg Area High School on the road on Feb. 2.
“We’re ready to play the next game and give it all we’ve got and hopefully get a win,” Orndoff said. “We don’t think about the last losses.”
Given everything the group has been through just to get to this point, it wasn’t all about winning or losing on Friday night.
So, when Oyler walked off the court with his family long after the final buzzer had sounded, he took pride in the way he and his teammates battled — in the game that had just ended, but also through the adversity that they’ve had to overcome.
“I’ve played here for four years, so I kinda just wanted to give it everything I had,” Oyler said. “And obviously we came up short, but shout out to me and my teammates for playing hard until the end and not giving up.”
This story was originally published January 23, 2021 at 12:41 AM.
