Little Lions Struggle Without Misher in Loss to Cumberland Valley

It was never going to be easy.

Taking on 6-2 Cumberland Valley on the road without star running back Jordan Misher, the State College High football team was facing an uphill battle from the start Friday night. 

Still, the Little Lions didn’t do themselves any favors against the Eagles, failing to take advantage of early opportunities in an eventual 13-0 loss that dropped them to 3-6 on the season.

“We left a lot of plays on the field,” State College head coach Matt Lintal said. “We were able to move the ball, just turnovers and penalties and we shot ourselves in the foot again.”

As has been common throughout the season, the Little Lions’ defense started off strong and gave the team a chance to control the momentum early on. 

On Cumberland Valley’s second drive, the State College front seven stood tall on fourth and one, stuffing running back Tim Spinelli near midfield and giving the offense a prime opportunity to score.

However, the Little Lions’ other habit of struggling to finish off drives became a problem once again. The following drive stalled at the Eagles 10-yard line and Kevin Cramer missed a 27-yard field goal.

“You can’t go against a 6-2 football team and leave opportunities out there,” Lintal said. “You get yourself down into the red zone, which is difficult enough, you gotta take advantage of it.”

It was the second straight week that the kicking game dogged State College, as Cramer also missed a crucial extra point in last week’s 14-12 loss to Central Dauphin East. 

“Kevin had a great week of practice,” Lintal said. “There’s still a lot of faith that our coaching staff has in Kevin. [The kick] was awfully close.”

Given a chance to redeem themselves, the Eagles’ offense embarked on a 90-yard touchdown drive capped by Spinelli’s 5-yard plunge for a 7-0 lead. The drive was highlighted by two big plays from H-back Connor Long, a 30-yard run and a 15-yard reception.

Things would continue to go south for State College on its next drive, as quarterback John Weakland forced a pass under pressure deep in his own end and was intercepted by defensive back Nick Rhodes.

A few plays later, Cumberland Valley quarterback Jake Hunt would hit a leaping Long with a 16-yard strike in the end zone between two Lion defenders to put the Eagles ahead 13-0.

State College’s next drive would also end abruptly when receiver Chris McDonough lost a fumble after a huge hit. The game went into halftime with the Lions down two scores.

“We had some plays to make [in the first half] and we needed some guys to step up and make them,” Lintal said. “Our defense played well enough to win the ballgame.”

The second half would provide very little action, as Cumberland Valley played conservatively and penalties and miscues prevented State College from stringing together a consistent drive. 

While their defense played tough as always, it was clear that the Little Lions’ offense was helpless without Misher, who missed the game with an ankle injury. 

“It’s tough but I’ll tell you, I couldn’t be prouder of [backup running back] Stan Martin and his efforts tonight,” Lintal said.  “There was a lot of positives in that football game and a lot of great efforts upfront. We have to build off those positives.” 

The Little Lions return home next week for their regular season finale, taking on Mifflin County on Friday at 7 p.m.