State College football beats McDowell, heads to PIAA quarterfinals

When it was over — after more than three hours of football, after State College and Erie McDowell combined for 25 penalties and after the Little Lions survived the Trojans’ relentless passing attack — the game ball rested under Pete Haffner’s arm.

There were standout performances on both sides Saturday afternoon.

State College sophomore quarterback Drew Friberg completed 72.2 percent of his passes and tossed three touchdowns. Little Lions wide receiver Kellin Valentine hauled in three touchdown passes. McDowell quarterback Levi Becker finished with 401 yards passing and three touchdowns.

But it was Haffner who made the decisive plays to lift State College to a 48-40 win in the first round of the PIAA Class AAAA playoffs at Clarion University. Haffner rushed for a touchdown to break a 34-34 tie late in the fourth quarter and returned an interception for a touchdown less than two minutes later to give the Little Lions a 14-point lead.

He rushed for 137 yards and two touchdowns on 17 carries, becoming State College’s primary running back with Jordan Misher limited to three carries as he continues to work back from injury. And he made crucial tackles and broke up passes while playing linebacker, part of a complete performance that left Valentine searching for the right words to describe it.

“I don’t even know,” Valentine said after a short pause. “It seems like it’s not even real. We need big plays, and he makes them whenever we need them.”

State College (9-3) advanced to the quarterfinals to face District 7 champion Pittsburgh Central Catholic (12-1), which beat Penn-Trafford 24-17 on Saturday. That game will be played at 7 p.m. Friday at Fox Chapel High School.

The Little Lions had to outlast McDowell (7-6) to earn a return trip to the state quarterfinals.

Both teams struggled offensively early, finishing the first quarter tied 6-6.

Penalties were an issue from start to finish — State College finished with 15 penalties for 150 yards, and McDowell finished with 10 for 100 yards to contribute to the marathon game.

“It feels like one of the longest games of my career,” State College coach Matt Lintal said.

State College quarterback Tyler Snyder threw one touchdown and two interceptions before Friberg took over in the final minute of the first quarter.

Haffner picked up 27 yards on his first four carries in the second quarter to get the offense moving, and Friberg capped his first drive with a 45-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Tristen Lyons down the sideline.

Haffner punctuated the next drive with a 22-yard touchdown run and caught the two-point conversion pass to push his team ahead 20-6 with 3:38 left in the half.

But Becker ensured it would be a back-and-forth game.

The McDowell quarterback completed 4 of 5 passes for 67 yards to spark his team on its ensuing drive. Becker completed a 15-yard pass as Haffner drilled him to pick up a first down. He fired a strike to Matt Kelly with State College defensive back Nathan King glued to him in coverage, good for 29 yards to set up first-and-goal and a four-yard touchdown run by Brandon Harvey.

The Trojans then erased the seven-point halftime deficit on the opening drive of the second half.

McDowell needed just three plays, all completions by Becker, including a 23-yard touchdown pass to tie it 20-20.

“Their quarterback is tremendous,” Lintal said of Becker, who finished completed 26 of 45 passes and threw for three touchdowns and two interceptions.

Friberg was impressive, too.

After McDowell pulled even, it appeared the quarterback and Valentine would be the heroes for the Little Lions.

They connected for two touchdowns, first on a 20-yard pass and then on an 11-yard connection to give their team a 34-20 lead with 3:35 left in the third quarter.

“He was outstanding,” Valentine said of Friberg, who finished 13 for 18 for 197 yards. “He put it right on the mark, and he made big plays when we needed them.”

And when State College needed big plays with the game on the line, Haffner stepped up.

The Trojans erased a 14-point deficit for the second time when offensive lineman Joshua Wolf recovered a fumble in the end zone to tie it 34-34 with 9:25 left in the fourth quarter.

The scoreboard malfunctioned early in the period, leaving the teams guessing on the time remaining at times.

“It didn’t only get to 34-34, it got to 34-34 and the scoreboard went out,” Valentine said. “So we just basically had to go ‘Hey, the score’s tied. We don’t know how much time’s on the clock.’”

By the time there were six minutes left, Lintal said he was getting regular updates.

Both teams punted twice before Haffner scored the go-ahead touchdown. Friberg set it up, dancing around in the pocket to avoid a sack before dumping a pass off to Haffner for a 31-yard gain.

On the next play, Haffner burst down the sideline for a 32-yard touchdown to make it 40-34 with 4:29 left.

Four plays into McDowell’s ensuing drive, Haffner picked off a pass by Becker and returned it for a touchdown.

State College converted the two-point conversion.

And this time, the 14-point lead was safe.

Said Haffner: “I was just so happy we won.”

This story was originally published November 28, 2015 at 6:36 PM with the headline "State College football beats McDowell, heads to PIAA quarterfinals."