It may be true that State College lost 10 major contributors from the 2020 football team, but like always, the Little Lions have more than a few returning players who have bided their time and are ready to step up and make their mark.
Gone from last year’s 4-3 team are the likes of quarterback Conrad Moore, runners Dresyn Green and Nehemiah Howell and receivers Sammy Knipe and Carson Franks.
Still, head coach Matt Lintal has been very happy with what he’s seen so far of the players in this new group and their potential.
“There is a lot of excitement (about the new season),” he said, “and it has turned into hard work throughout the offseason and summer. We are excited to see some new faces rise to become key players for us this season. We are particularly excited about our offensive and defensive lines.”
Moore, however, will be difficult to replace. Last year he threw for 682 yards and nine touchdowns, and he ran 89 times for 717 yards and another six touchdowns. Moore, Green and Howell combined to produce 1,440 yards and 15 touchdowns running the ball in 2020.
But Lintal believes that his returning people will be able to help the new players build an offense equally as explosive as last year’s.
“While we have multiple kids competing for the starting quarterback position,” he said, “we believe we have multiple kids who can win games for us at that spot.
“Additionally, we have a number of other guys who are ready to make huge impacts. Jashaun Green, TJ Yoder and Michael Dincher (an All State selection in 2020 as a sophomore) will take their experience and help pave the way for our offense this year. Just like any year, dominating the line of scrimmage will always be the key.”
And while there may be some questions early about SC’s offense, the same doesn’t hold true of the defense, which Lintal thinks will be the strong point of his team.
“With returning starters on every level of the defense, we expect a big play defense,” he said. “The book ends of Stephen Scourtis and Kyle Kurzinger upfront, followed by a much bigger and more physical JW Scott and Jack Roeshot should limit teams on the ground.
“On the back half, Jashaun Green, Brandon Price, and Calvin Roan have the physicality, speed and athleticism to limit teams in the air.”
In all, the Little Lions will be anything but an easy out, but nothing gets done in the Mid-Penn Conference on paper.
As usual, the schedule will be daunting. The Lions open Mid-Penn play on Friday at Mifflin County and then will take on District 1 power Downingtown East at home on Sept. 3. After that will be a trip to Hollidaysburg on Sept. 10 before Chambersburg comes to town on Sept. 17.
Before last year’s four-win mark, the Little Lions had a stretch in which they had double-digit victory totals for four consecutive years. There’s nothing Lintal and his 2021 team would like more than to return to that kind of success.
This story appears in the Aug. 26-Sept. 1 edition of The Centre County Gazette.
