State College football to take on a familiar foe in PIAA semifinals. Here’s what to know
State College is deep into its playoff run and has a familiar foe on deck.
The Little Lions are coming off of a 28-7 victory over North Allegheny on Nov. 26 in the PIAA Class 6A quarterfinals. Now, for the second season in a row, State College is headed to the state semifinals. Harrisburg is State College’s opponent and a Mid Penn Conference rival. The Little Lions got the better of Harrisburg earlier in the season with a 20-6 win on Oct. 15. Now, the two teams will meet for their final battle of the 2022 season at Altoona’s Mansion Park.
Here’s what to know about State College and their opponent, the Harrisburg Cougars.
State College (13-0) vs. Harrisburg (10-2)
Time: 1 p.m. Saturday
Location: Mansion Park (Altoona)
Coaches: Matt Lintal (State College), Calvin Everett (Harrisburg)
Players to Watch: RB Mahkai Hopkins (Harrisburg), WR Kyle Williams (Harrisburg), QB Zakii Lewis (Harrisburg), QB Finn Furmanek (State College), RB D’Antae Sheffey (State College), WR/CB Ty Salazer (State College),
Last Meeting: Oct. 15 (20-6, State College)
The Skinny: Every battle these two teams have had in the past two seasons has been a slugfest and they embrace a physical style of play. This is the fourth matchup that the Cougars and Little Lions will have in two years and the second playoff game. Before going into this year’s event, one should peer into the history of the two clubs’ rivalry.
A banged up State College team traveled to Harrisburg on Oct. 23, 2021 and lost 15-13. There were no excuses made, as the Little Lions seemed to find their identity that day in Harrisburg. Senior running back Brady Bendik had 18 carries for 81 yards, wearing down the Cougar defense. Junior quarterback Jack Morris had three carries for three yards and a 1-yard rushing touchdown. Senior wide receiver Jashaun Green had three catches for 81 yards.
On the flip side, Harrisburg’s defense was stellar. Six different players racked up tackles for loss and the team had two interceptions. The Cougars scored the first seven points of the game in the first quarter and State College came back with seven in the second quarter. Both teams were scoreless and Harrisburg finished the game off by nudging out State College 8-6 in the fourth quarter.
Cougars freshman strong safety Kymir Williams had eight tackles and an interception, sophomore Micah Chambers had nine tackles and one tackle for loss and junior Mahkai Hopkins had eight tackles of his own, along with seven carries for 43 yards on offense.
State College found itself locked back in with Harrisburg in the PIAA Class 6A quarterfinals on the road on Nov. 27, 2021.
The Little Lions needed a combination of tough running with sophomore quarterback Owen Yerka providing 13 carries and 70 rushing yards and Bendik had 35 carries for 132 yards and a rushing touchdown, along with stout defense by junior linebacker JW Scott. Scott added 12 total tackles (nine solo), one tackle for loss and a sack. State College totaled four sacks with Owen Barr, Justin Castro and Stephen Scourtis each bringing Harrisburg freshman Shawn Lee to the ground.
The Little Lions ultimately needed a last-second field goal by Katejan Kaszubowski — a 37-yard field goal to win the game 16-13. State College fell in the next game by a score of 49-28 to Mt. Lebanon in the state semifinals.
Then the 2022 season rolled around. This season meant the return of starting quarterback Finn Furmanek, a larger, more powerful and seasoned offensive line, the addition of freshman running back D’Antae Sheffey, the return of Scott and Scourtis on the edge and sophomore linebacker Michael Gaul returning at linebacker with Donte Nastasi at corner, Yerka and Ian Brandt at safety and Ty Salazer at the other corner.
State College went on to defeat Harrisburg 20-6 on Oct. 15. Will Stone picked up an interception for the Little Lions, Furmanek went 8-for-14 (57.1%) on passes for 108 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception and 10 carries and 41 rushing yards. Sheffey had 23 rushes for 91 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown.
The Little Lions have outscored opponents 501-212 on the season and they’re averaging 241.8 yards on the ground this season with 47 total rushing touchdowns. State College has 31.5 sacks on the season and 49 quarterback hurries. If the Little Lions bring their hard hats and lunch pails to the game as they’ve done in the past, it’ll get pretty interesting.
The winner of Saturday’s matchup between the two Mid Penn rivals will take on the winner of St. Joe’s Prep and Garnet Valley on Saturday, Dec. 10 at 6 p.m. at Cumberland Valley in the PIAA Class 6A championship game.
