After overcoming the odds to upset two highly ranked opponents in back-to-back weeks, the State College High football team finally ran out of magic on Saturday.
Taking on Pine-Richland in the Class AAAA quarterfinals, the Lions weren’t able to overcome an incredible offensive performance by the Rams, falling 49-29 to finish their season with a 6-7 record.
Still, head coach Matt Lintal’s crew affirmed what he has said about them all year. They really don’t give up no matter the circumstances.
Down 21-10 at halftime, the Lions came out strong to start the third quarter. Less than two minutes into the half, halfback Jordan Misher caught a pass from quarterback Johnny Weakland and took it 59 yards for a touchdown that cut the lead to 21-17.
While the game’s momentum seemed like it was about to shift, Pine-Richland started to erase any doubts of a State College comeback, finishing off a long drive with a 4-yard scoring run by quarterback Ben DiNucci to make it 28-17.
In the fourth quarter, the Rams extended their lead to 35-17 on a 28-yard toss from DiNucci to Luke Everett. Down by three scores, State College attempted to claw back and cut the Rams’ lead to 12 points after tight end Brett Graham recovered a Weakland fumble in the end zone to make it 35-23.
At that point, Pine-Richland took over the game, scoring two straight touchdowns to officially end the Lions’ hopes. First, defensive back Mike Merchant scooped up a surprise onside kick and returned it for a touchdown before running back Connor Soma took a handoff 30 yards for a score with less than three minutes remaining to make it 49-23.
A late touchdown pass from Weakland to Graham would do little except make the final score look slightly better at 49-29.
Early on, it seemed like State College was primed to give Pine-Richland a close game. Though a first quarter drive by the Rams produced a short touchdown plunge by Soma, the Lions fought back and tied the game with a 5-yard score from Kellin Valentine that made it 7-7 entering the second quarter.
It was then that Pine-Richland began to show its advantage, as DiNucci threw a 2-yard score to D’Ondre Gasiton and followed it up with a 50-yard screen pass to Anthony Battaglia to make it 21-7. A field goal by Noah Schwab right before halftime temporarily stopped the bleeding for State College but didn’t prevent the Rams from dominating the second half.
Despite the disappointing loss, State College still managed to overcome a 3-6 start to its season to win a pair of playoff games in convincing fashion. Not only that, the Lions showed plenty of fight in their first season under Lintal, despite finishing with a losing record.
