STATE COLLEGE — State College High quarterback Tyler Snyder has just begun to understand the play that propelled his team to a thrilling 20-16 victory over Cumberland Valley on Oct. 7 at Memorial Field.
Stuck on his own 7-yard line, down late by three points, Snyder found wide receiver Noah Woods open across the middle for a 36-yard gain and a crucial first down.
Five plays later, after another catch by Woods and two by Brandon Clark, Pete Haffner crashed in from 15 yards out for the go-ahead touchdown, and SC held on for its sixth win of the season without a loss.
There was just over three minutes left to play when Haffner scored.
“I’ll be honest,” Snyder said. “That play, I haven’t really learned that well until this year. I’ve been in the system for three years, and I’ve finally understood the concept this year.
“Noah (Woods) was wide in space and he got us those yards for the first down, and that really gave us the momentum for us to go down and take the lead in the game.”
The Snyder-to-Woods connection was actually a do-over. The two got together on the same play, for almost the same result, on the snap before. A holding call, however, negated the gain and brought the ball back to the SC seven.
No problem. Snyder and Woods just did it again.
“We got it twice,” State College coach Matt Lintal said. “We converted twice. There aren’t too many plays in the playbook, but there are playmakers on this field. We just have to figure out ways to get them the football and let them make plays.
“Tyler (Snyder) put it on Noah (Woods) twice in a row, and Noah made some big plays.”
Cumberland Valley more than challenged the Little Lions, especially in the first half. Led by all-purpose wide receiver Charlie Katsir and quarterback Jared Plessinger, the Eagles scored a touchdown and a field goal after two long drives to take a 9-7 second quarter lead.
Then, with just seconds left in the half, Alex Hetzel intercepted a Snyder pass along the left sideline and took it 80 yards for a pick-6. The play, Cumberland Valley’s second defensive score in two games, sent CV into the locker room with a 16-7 lead.
It would also represent the last points the Eagles would score in the game.
“The walk up to our locker room was silent,” Snyder said. “No one was saying anything. We got into the locker room, and we just said, ‘Guys, this is not over yet. It’s time for us to step up. This is our stadium and we are a better team.’”
The talk proved to be effective. The State College defense gave up a total of 45 yards in the second half and forced four consecutive Cumberland Valley punts.
The Little Lions crept to within 16-10 on a field goal by Jack Sheehan in the third quarter, and then to 16-13 on another one by Sheehan on the first play of the fourth quarter.
Still, after an exchange of punts, SC remained down by three with time running out.
Fortunately for SC, Snyder and the Lion passing game were starting to click at just the right time.
“Once you get in a rhythm it’s easy to keep going,” Snyder said. “I didn’t start out hot; I missed a couple passes I should have made. And once I started hitting those passes, it kept me going forward.”
State College took over on its own 20-yard line facing a dwindling clock following CV’s third punt of the second half.
The Little Lions lost 3 yards on two plays, and then Snyder hit Woods for 25 yards and a big first down to keep the drive going. But it all came back and SC had to do it all over again.
Which the Lions did.
A subsequent run by Haffner, two completions to Clark, another to Woods, and State College had a first down on the Cumberland Valley 15. Haffner took the handoff and wasn’t touched until he bowled over a CV defender at the goal line.
Cumberland Valley had a last chance, but the Little Lion defense stepped up one final time. The Eagles gained just one yard in three plays and had to punt the ball away. From there, after a first-down run by Haffner, the Little Lions ran out the clock.
“I’m just so proud of these kids,” Lintal said. “They never quit. They never stop believing, and they trust each other. I’m overjoyed with their performance here tonight.”
State College is now 6-0 for the season and 2-0 in the Mid-Penn Colonial. The Little Lions will next travel to Central Dauphin East on Friday, Oct. 14, to take on the Panthers.
