For those of us who have been eagerly awaiting the beginning of the 2022 football season, relief is in sight.
That’s because all five of Centre County’s high school football teams will be opening their seasons this week, and all five will begin against challenging opponents.
The State College Little Lions, a deceiving 8-6 last season, will host Williamsport on Friday, Aug. 26, and the four Mountain League teams will all be in action at home on the same night: West Branch will play at Philipsburg-Osceola, Bald Eagle Area will host Troy, Bellefonte has Selinsgrove at home and Penns Valley plays Line Mountain.
Here’s a brief look at each matchup:
WILLIAMSPORT (0-0) AT STATE COLLEGE (0-0)
FRIDAY, AUG. 26
STATE COLLEGE
The State College Little Lions had just a 5-5 record heading into the playoffs last season, but the team was hardened by a tough Mid-Penn schedule and quickly proved it was ready for anything.
SC won three consecutive playoff games against Williamsport, Delaware Valley and Harrisburg on its way to the PIAA 6A semifinals.
Unfortunately, eventual state champion Mt. Lebanon prevailed in that semifinal game, 49-28, but the run to the doorstep of the state championship was quite an achievement nonetheless.
The Lions lost 23 seniors from that team, including major offensive contributors Branden Price, Jashuan Green, Brady Bendik, Kyle Kurzinger and TJ Yoder.
That hardly means that the cupboard is empty, however.
Three quarterbacks — Jack Morris, Finn Furmanek and Owen Yerka, who combined for a total of 137 completions for more than 2,000 yards and 16 touchdowns — will all return for the 2022 season.
Yerka and Furmanek combined for 794 yards rushing last season as well, and Morris also added 127 yards on the ground.
Price, Green, Kurzinger and Yoder were the team’s leading receivers last year, but Donte Nastasi and tight end Steve Scourtis caught 25 passes between them and will be back.
The Little Lion defense gave up more than 20 points just one time in the final eight games in 2021, and with many starters returning on that side of the ball, the defense looks like one of the team’s strong points.
Williamsport was 6-6 last year and saw its season end with a 17-14 loss to State College in a playoff game on Nov. 11.
The Millionaires lost starting quarterback Frankie Morrone (1,051 yards, 10 TDs), but dual-threat backup George Whaley (732 yds, 7 TDs) will return along with leading running back Nasir Hennigan (668 yds).
Top receiver Jamaire Harden (33 rec., 678 yds) will return along with Yazhir Slaughter (6 rec., 205 yds).
In all, Williamsport will be looking to avenge that playoff loss and jumpstart its season, but the Little Lions will not be an easy out.
SC has size, a physical defense and lots of experience returning on offense, especially at quarterback.
This will be a challenging first night for both teams.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
TROY (0-0) AT BALD EAGLE AREA (0-0)
FRIDAY, AUG. 26
WINGATE
Bald Eagle Area is coming off a very successful 8-3 season in 2021, and with many players returning on both sides of the ball for 2022, the Bald Eagles are surely looking for more of the same … or even better.
It will all start again with sophomore quarterback Carson Nagle, who threw 168 completions last year for 1,897 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Nagle’s go-to back, Garrett Burns (1,157 yds, 12 TDs) graduated, but backups Cameron Dubbs, Chase Thompson and Nick Wible will all return.
At receiver, top man Owen Irvin also graduated, but Kahale Burns (379 yds), Cam Watkins (495 yds), Gavin Eckley (224 yds) and Elliot Splain (229 yds) are all back in what will be a deep receiving corps.
Defensively, the Eagles had 30 sacks and 12 interceptions and recovered eight fumbles last year, and the leaders in all those categories are returning, including Watkins, who had 10.5 sacks himself.
Troy also had a successful year in 2021. After losing to BEA at home, 20-0, to begin the year, the Trojans won seven of their next eight games and finished 8-4. After a playoff win against Sayre, the Trojans ended their season with a 35-7 loss to Mt. Carmel.
Other wins for Troy included 12-0 over Athens, 35-0 over North Penn Mansfield, 21-0 over Wellsboro and 30-6 over Towanda.
Troy will field a very young team with just five seniors and many sophomores and freshmen on the roster.
BEA will be hoping for a good start here as in the next three weeks the team will see Clearfield, Bellefonte and Penns Valley.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
SELINSGROVE (0-0) AT BELLEFONTE (0-0)
FRIDAY, AUG. 26
BELLEFONTE
The Bellefonte Raiders had an uncharacteristic 2-8 record in 2021, with their only wins coming against Philipsburg-Osceola and Huntingdon.
The Raiders were a young team and they lost just two of their top offensive players in dual-threat quarterback Nichlas Way and running back Nolan Weaver.
Returning for the new season will be quarterback Trevor Johnson (28 completions, 397 yds), running backs Grayson Alterio (203 yds) and Sherman Lowry (131 yds), and leading receivers Dominic Capperella (15 catches, 229 yds) and Tyler Rice (8 for 149 yds).
Defensively, Rice was the leading tackler on the team, and he will be joined by Johnson, Addison Shawley and Nathan Way on what will be a much more experienced defense.
Rice also led the team in interceptions with three, and the Raiders in general will be aiming to improve their sack (just 13 last season) and takeaway numbers.
Selinsgrove was 8-4 last year and rallied for seven wins in eight games after dropping its first two games of the season.
There were impressive wins over Berwick, 42-14, Muhlenberg, 20-3, Shikellamy, 40-0, Central Mountain, 33-23, and Central Columbia, 44-0. The Seals’ season ended on Nov. 12 with a 41-0 playoff loss to Jersey Shore.
Junior quarterback Mark Pastore had a solid season in 2021 with 73 completions for 1,207 yards and 11 touchdowns, and he will be joined in the backfield with last year’s second-leading runner in Tucker Teats, who carried the ball 110 times for 628 yards and nine touchdowns.
Receiver Gavin Bastian (423 yds, 4 TD) will also return, but the Seals’ two leading receivers from 2021 graduated.
Selinsgrove’s defense was extremely aggressive in 2021, racking up 101 tackles for loss, 33 sacks, 10 interceptions and 14 fumble recoveries.
Many of the leaders of that defense will be returning, including middle linebacker, No. 2 sack man and leading tackler Corey Rumberger.
The Raiders will be hoping to get off to a good start here, but they will have to avoid any errors against the ball-hawking defense of the Seals.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
LINE MOUNTAIN (0-0) AT PENNS VALLEY (0-0)
FRIDAY, AUG. 26
SPRING MILLS
The Penns Valley Rams were 6-5 in 2021, and they struggled with a losing record until they came together and won three of their final four games.
That streak began with a 55-0 win over Everett and then kept going with a 40-14 decision over P-O and a 45-14 victory over Glendale.
The Rams’ season ended on Nov. 5 with a 49-28 playoff loss at Bellwood-Antis.
Sophomore quarterback Jackson Romig led the Rams with 85 completions for 1,261 yards and 20 touchdowns, while returning running back Ty Watson was the leading rusher with 584 yards and nine touchdowns on 92 carries.
Miles Brooks (703 yds), the leading receiver, will return along with John Meyer (200 yds) and Watson (148 yds).
Defensively, PV gave up some high numbers in its early losses, but only Bellwood scored more than 14 points in their final four games.
This year’s opening night opponent will be Line Mountain from Herndon.
The Eagles were 2-8 last year, with their only wins coming against Newport (13-10) and James Buchanan (41-13) in the final weeks of the season. They did enter the playoffs but lost big, 62-14, to Southern Columbia in the first round.
The Eagles will return almost their entire offense from 2021 including quarterback Blake Readinger, running back Nolan Baumert and receivers Connor Finlan and Brayden Boyer.
Defensively, Line Mountain showed improvement as the season progressed, but the Eagles were still susceptible to the big play all season.
Penns Valley, with its many returning players on offense, may be able to score often in this game, but they will have to be able to slow down the Eagles as well.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
WEST BRANCH (0-0) AT PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA (0-0)
FRIDAY, AUG. 26
PHILIPSBURG
Philipsburg-Osceola and West Branch certainly need no introduction to each other, and they will renew their long rivalry again on Friday night in Philipsburg.
Last year, West Branch staged a second-half comeback in Allport and edged the Mounties, 28-21, in overtime after a monster game by dual-threat quarterback Tyler Biggans.
Biggans scored two touchdowns in the game on the ground, including the game winner, and threw for two more. He completed seven passes for 157 yards and ran 15 times for 57 more yards.
And the West Branch defense shutout P-O in the second half, allowing the Warriors to tie the game in the third quarter and then go on to win it in overtime.
Biggans is back for his junior season, and he will again be a major factor in every game for the Warriors.
Beside his passing, Biggans was the leading runner on the team with 555 yards on 122 carries, but he will also be joined in the backfield by junior Wyatt Schwiderske, who ran 109 times for 526 yards.
Tight end Kyle Kolesar (18 catches, 228 yds) and wide receiver Azadio Vargas will also return for the new season.
In Philipsburg, Ben Gustkey will return at quarterback after a 2-8 mark in 2021. Gustkey threw for 615 yards and eight touchdowns last year, and he will anchor an offense that will have to replace its three leading runners — Luke Hughes, Matt Martin and Andrew Faust — as well as Martin’s yards at wide receiver (235). But leading receiver Nick Johnson is back, as well as junior Denny Prestash.
Defensively, the Mounties were hobbled by injuries as the season went on, and the team fell in its final five games in a row.
Word out of camp in Philipsburg is that the numbers are up and this year the Mounties will field a bigger and physically stronger team.
But they still have to slow down Biggans, and that will be the big key on Friday night.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
