‘You win or you grow.’ State College suffers shutout loss to Harrisburg at Memorial Field

Looking to continue its four-game win streak, State College took on Harrisburg at Memorial Field on Friday. Instead, the Little Lions got their second big lesson of the season, as they were outmatched by the Cougars, losing 20-0.

With not even two minutes chewed off of the clock, Harrisburg struck early with a 48-yard completion to sophomore Elias Coke, before junior Shawn Lee ran it in for six.

The Little Lions aren’t strangers to slow starts — they have had to come back in a few of its contests this season — but this one seemed insurmountable.

Part of this is due to the star power on the other side, as the Cougars featured players including four-star Kevin Brown, who played on both sides of the ball and had his way with the Little Lions.

“Credit to Harrisburg,” coach Matt Lintal said, “very good team, very well-coached team.”

Early on, quality punts from senior John Zipf and a big return from sophomore D’Antae Sheffey hoped to give the squad some life, but the offense was unable to muster anything in the first half, leaving the team in a deep hole.

Lintal recognized the success of his special teams unit, but is ready to get back to the film and get better.

If the team’s start was better, there was a chance for a better game, as they have a defense that keeps them in it.

“We need to fire (off) at all cylinders,” senior Justin Castro-Dixon said.

As the first half continued, big plays from Lee and Coke proved detrimental for the Little Lions, as it quickly went down 20-0. As the game went on, State College’s defense started to assert itself into the game, as it shut Harrisburg out after the near-midway point of the second quarter.

And even though the squad lost, it had something it could potentially build on for the next contest.

“You win or you grow,” Lintal said. “That’s the motto we want to take with this.”

Castro-Dixon was able to appreciate his squad’s fight to the finish despite the lopsided scoreboard. He was proud that they never put their palms up and that they kept playing.

As the playoffs near, the Little Lions now have the chance to reset and get things together before the games that matter the most.

“We got to get better,” Lintal said, “We’ll get back to the drawing board.”

Friday night could’ve been a big day for junior Ty Salazer, as going into the contest, he was just 171 yards away from State College’s all-time receiving record. He’ll have to wait until next week for another chance at history, when State College takes on Cumberland Valley at 7 p.m. Oct. 20.

Other Centre County football scores

Bishop McCort 33, Bellefonte 14

Penns Valley 35, Somerset 21

Philipsburg-Osceola 25, Westmont Hilltop 14

Bald Eagle Area 59, Greater Johnstown 30

This story was originally published October 13, 2023 at 11:17 PM.