State College football is 11-0. How does the team win a state championship?
State College’s football program has had a few close calls with perfection or a state championship.
The last time the Little Lions had an undefeated regular season, they took on Central Dauphin in the 2016 PIAA Class 6A quarterfinals, where they lost 13-0. Last season, a banged up State College team rallied to go 8-6 and made it to the state semifinals, losing 49-28 to Mt. Lebanon.
With the taste of a championship eluding State College for years, the Little Lions are expecting more after beginning their season 11-0.
State College assistant coach Tyler Kaluza, a 2011 State College graduate and current boys lacrosse head coach, played on the 2009 football team that lost the state championship to La Salle in a blizzard. It’s a reminder of what he, the rest of the coaching staff and the players are fighting for this season. The last time State College won a state championship was in 1975, led by former Penn State and Chicago Bears fullback Matt Suhey.
“It’s something special. Not a lot of kids get to say that they played in a state championship game, and obviously the goal is to win it,” Kaluza said. “It’s kind of just drilling it through these guys’ heads to continue to buy in and knowing that we have to take each week 1-0. And getting that point, it’s a 5-0 season and it’s the playoffs. So, it’s just realizing the opportunity that they have and aware of it and continuing to buy in to what we’re saying as coaches because we played in it or we were part of it.”
State College has been a buzz saw this season. The Little Lions have held teams to 20 or fewer points in nine of their 11 games and have outscored teams 416-155 with a strong rushing attack and weapons on the outside. Senior quarterback Finn Furmanek has been one of the leaders on offense by completing 62.5% of his passes for 1,302 passing yards for 13 touchdowns and four interceptions, along with carrying the ball 64 times for 417 rushing yards and five touchdowns. He’s even contributed as a receiver, adding 13 grabs for 152 yards and a touchdown.
He still anguishes over what happened last season, when he suffered an injury against Central Dauphin East on Sept. 24, 2021 that sidelined him until the team’s playoff game against Delaware Valley on Nov. 19. Furmanek gets to return to the same stage — the first round of the PIAA Class 6A playoffs — with his health intact and a clear head to accomplish the goal of a state title.
“Our coaches have given us a great game plan throughout the week and we’re not really focused on the weeks before,” Furmanek said. “We want to go 5-0 (in the playoffs) and we’re focused on the next game. We’re 11-0 right now, but we don’t really care about that as much as the next game ahead and the following game. We’re just looking forward to this week, winning this game and going on to next week.”
Little Lions’ rich history is a family affair
There’s no one more in tune with the Little Lions’ history than defensive coordinator Mark Baney, who’s in his 33rd year with the program.
“We’ve rolled through, we’ve been there, we’ve been close a couple of times, we went to the state finals in 2009 and lost to La Salle. But the expectation has always been to win a state championship and play long into the playoffs,” Baney said.
State College won the district championship in 1991 and went to the state semifinals with longtime head coach Ron Pavlechko and former West Virginia (1993-94) and Penn State (1996) running back Jeff Nixon in 1992. Pavlechko led the team to a 116-103-4 record over his 20-year tenure from 1977-1996.
Following Pavlechko was Dave Lintal, the father of current coach Matt Lintal. Through six years with the team, Dave Lintal led State College to a 57-26-0 record. Dave Lintal was followed by Al Wolski, who led the team to a 87-41-0 from 2004-2013.
Matt Lintal has led the team ever since and is third all-time in wins at 70-28-0.
“You try to create a tradition and these kids grow up seeing it, witnessing it and being a part of it and then, they come out here and buy into it,” Matt Lintal said. “That’s really been the key. The guys from the past have set the tone and it was long before I took over. It was with coach Wolski and my father and Ron Pavlechko and many others. There’s a long tradition of State College football that we are trying to uphold.”
State College football is a family affair as well. Baney’s son, Matt, is on the staff and was a teammate of Kaluza’s. Wide receiver and cornerback Donte Nastasi’s father, Joe, a former Nittany Lion, is also on the coaching staff.
“We do it for (the coaches) because they do it for us,” Donte Nastasi said. “They take the time throughout the day without their kids and their families. They push us so we can get where our goal is.”
How to win the big one
State College has played football with a hard-nosed, physical mentality throughout Matt Lintal’s tenure.
No one sets the tone like the lineman. Starters include left tackle John Brighton, left guard Michael Dincher, center Logan Milito, right guard Thomas Dincher, along with right tackles Sam Mayer and Colin Dardis that split time at the position. Guard Aiden Lulis also gets ample playing time as a backup. The team has rushed 378 times for 2,635 rushing yards (seven yards per carry) and 38 touchdowns. State College averages 239.5 yards on the ground behind their offensive linemen.
The offensive line is a group of players that work in unison and hold the collective credit or blame when things go right or wrong, so having a deep connection is important. With the twin brothers (Michael and Thomas) linking up with Brighton, the chemistry is seemingly off the charts.
“The senior offensive linemen — myself, (Thomas) and (John) started last year,” Michael Dincher said. “We have great team chemistry and all of us just do our job so that (D’Antae) Sheffey or whoever is back there can just run right through.”
Senior edge rusher JW Scott, defensive end Stephen Scourtis and junior defensive tackle Justin Castro-Dixon lead the charge for State College’s defense. Scott has 91 total tackles (56 solo), 17 tackles for loss, four sacks, three quarterback hurries and an interception, while Scourtis is third on the team in tackles with 84 (37 solo) and holds a team-high 19.5 tackles for loss and 21 quarterback hurries, along with 7.5 sacks on the year. Castro-Dixon has 43 tackles (18 solo), four tackles for loss and two sacks.
Players like sophomore linebacker Michael Gaul, Mayer at defensive end and defensive back Ty Salazer have stepped up in a big way this season.
Gaul has 90 total tackles (62 solo), seven tackles for loss, one sack, three quarterback hurries, three pass deflections and one forced fumble. Mayer is the team leader in sacks with eight and has six quarterback hurries, along with 48 total tackles. Salazer has posted 44 total tackles (35 solo), one tackle for loss, a sack and a team-high five interceptions with two pass deflections.
With the younger players taking a large step forward for the team, Scott expects to see the defense continue to play at a high level.
“A young guy that has stepped up is Ty Salazer,” Scott said. “Last year, he played as a freshman and obviously, had to get his feet wet. He was good, but he wasn’t as good as he is now. I think he really stepped up. There’s other guys like Sam Mayer who stepped up and is leading us in sacks right now.”
Freshman running back D’Antae Sheffey has been at the forefront of much of the team’s excitement this season. He has 179 carries for 1,428 rushing yards and 19 rushing touchdowns to go with 13 receptions for 132 receiving yards and two touchdown grabs on the year.
He understood that his team could get to the state playoffs with an undefeated record. It’s because of the belief from his coaches and mentality of putting players in the position to win. Sheffey also wants to set the tone for the rest of his high school career.
“It’s just about more people stepping up next year and the year after that and just the coaches helping them,” Sheffey said. “We have to help them (the next group of freshman) move up and step in so they can feel comfortable in those positions.”
Next in the quest for a 5-0 playoff season, State College is set to play McDowell on Friday at 7 p.m. at Memorial Field. The Little Lions aren’t the only Centre County team in the action, with 10-2 Penns Valley set to take on 9-3 Bishop Guilfoyle at Mansion Park in the PIAA District 6 Class 2A championship.
Intern reporter Andrew Buckman contributed.
