2 Centre County high school football teams headed to states. What to know

Bellefonte and State College both won Friday night and will advance to the first round of the PIAA Class 4A and 6A playoffs, respectively.

The State College defense forced five turnovers to match the offense’s five touchdowns in a blowout win over McDowell. Bellefonte generated two takeaways of its own and relied on Ashten and Alten Howell’s big day on the ground to beat Juniata.

Here are the highlights from local games covered by After the Whistle, the high school sports coverage team at Penn State’s Bellisario College of Communications.

Bellefonte 17, Juniata 6: Bellefonte and Juniata faced off in the District 6 Class 4A championship game for the second year in a row. The Howell brothers, Ashten and Alten, combined for 180 rushing yards and two touchdowns in Bellefonte’s 17-6 victory. The Red Raiders forced two turnovers and held the Indians to just one score, while Alten Howell’s eight-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter gave Bellefonte a two-score cushion and sealed the game. The Red Raiders will next take on undefeated District 4 champ Shamokin in the first round of the PIAA Class 4A championships.

State College 41, McDowell 7: Connor Kulka threw for more than 200 yards and three touchdowns, and D’Antae Sheffey added 100 yards and two scores on the ground as the Little Lions beat the Trojans in a District 6/10 Class 6A subregional game that determined who made the state playoffs. State College dominated on both sides of the ball as the defense picked off McDowell four times and recovered a fumble. Kulka averaged more than 20 yards per completion, highlighted by a 40-yard touchdown to Hank Lustig. The Little Lions will advance to the first round of the PIAA Class 6A championships, where they will take on Wilkes-Barre next week after the Wolfpack beat the Williamsport Millionaires 42-14 in the District 2/4 Class 6A subregional.

Helmet Stickers

Every week, After the Whistle highlights the players who made the biggest impacts on the field. Here are Week 12’s star performers:

State College Defense: The Little Lions’ defense held McDowell to seven points and forced five turnovers.

Alten Howell, QB, Bellefonte: Rushed for 120 yards and a game-sealing fourth quarter touchdown.

Connor Kulka, QB, State College: Passed for more than 200 yards and three touchdowns.

Clara Slowinski, Jenny Karamus and Owen Cameros contributed to this story. Photo by Mack Leach.

Check out this week’s highlights from Penn State’s Bellisario College’s After the Whistle on its YouTube channel.