Before Saturday, State College High football head coach Matt Lintal thought he had run out of ways to praise the play of the team’s defense.
After all, the unit had been a mark of consistency during what at times was a frustrating season for the Little Lions.
Still, even Lintal was blown away by the D’s performance against McDowell in the Class AAAA Playoffs. Against the Trojans, the Little Lions’ defense was beyond dominant, allowing just two first downs in the first three quarters in a convincing 27-6 victory.
“They’ve been phenomenal all year long but they really set the tone for how we play football,” Lintal said. “They don’t want to just tackle you. They want to knock guys down and for the offense to know where they’re at all the time.”
For the second straight week, State College defied the odds by completely dismantling a heavily favored opponent. After taking down DuBois 29-7 last week, the Lions looked just as good against the Trojans.
Forget the fact that they went just 4-6 in the regular season. Having now won three straight games, the Little Lions seem to be peaking at the right time.
“The mentality at practice has not changed one bit,” Lintal said. “These kids have been confident no matter who we we’re playing all year long. They know from the schedule that we play that they can compete with anybody.”
On a cold and icy day at Clarion University, State College was certainly not perfect in every aspect, turning the ball over three times in the first half. However, with the defense pitching a shutout until the game’s final three minutes, not much else really mattered.
On the first drive of the game, State College marched down the field only to see star running back Jordan Misher fumble away a sure touchdown at the 1-yard line. Unfazed, the Lions defense immediately forced a Trojans three-and-out.
That would become a theme throughout the first half, as McDowell failed to pick up a first down on its first five drives. The State College front seven, led by defensive tackle Barrett McMurtry and linebacker Stan Martin, played relentlessly and bottled up multi-dimensional quarterback Jake Tarasovitch and running back Jared Carlson the entire game.
“That’s a talented football team we just played, and we talked about it before the game, that the game was going to be won up front,” Lintal said. “Our kids are in the backfield, they’re making plays, and they’re taking on double teams and creating havoc.”
During that time, the Little Lions offense wasn’t spectacular but did enough to get the job done, overcoming two more lost fumbles to score 10 points. First, Kellin Valentine scored on a 5-yard sweep on their second drive and Noah Schwab added a 24-yard kick with five minutes left in the half.
A few minutes after Schwab’s kick, the Trojans seemed poised to finally get their offense going. On a third-and-15 with two minutes left, Carlson made a juggling 29-yard catch on a pass from backup quarterback Levi Becker to give them the ball at the 8-yard line.
Even that wouldn’t matter, as the State High defense held once again, stuffing Carlson on fourth-and-goal from the 1-yard line to give the Lions a 10-0 halftime lead.
“It was a swarm of maroon, just 11 guys flying to the football, playing together, and doing their job,” Lintal said. “That was a hug stop. We left some points on the field, but our kids, it never fazed them. On those critical plays in the game we were there.”
Not much would change in the second half, as State College linebacker Thomas King intercepted a pass on McDowell’s first drive. The Little Lions would control the tempo the rest of the way, adding another field goal from Schwab and two 1-yard touchdowns from Misher to make the score 27-0 in the fourth quarter.
State College would finally surrender a score late in the game after putting in its second string defense. Tarasovitch, who rotated with Becker throughout the game, hit Carlson with a 27-yard touchdown pass with 3:11 remaining.
Now 6-6, the Little Lions season continues with another playoff game next week, this time against Pine-Richland in the quarterfinals. Details for the game have yet to be released.
“Obviously, we have a huge challenge next week,” Lintal said. “We’re really excited. These kids are in a good place right now. We’re looking to make it a winning season.”
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