Friday, September 30th. 7 PM. Landis Field, Harrisburg, PA. 5-0 Little Lions and 2-3 Panthers.

It hasn’t been the prettiest start for Central Dauphin East this year, but 2-3 is certainly a manageable hole to climb out of. For State College though, it’s all smiles and success as the undefeated Little Lions, who are already looking ahead to a postseason run, are putting up an average of 38.6 points per game compared to the Panthers’ 23 points.

Coming into this matchup, State College is ranked the 20th best high school team in Pennsylvania.

The Little Lions have an explosive offense led by senior quarterback Finn Furmanek who is backed by weapons like running back D’antae Sheffey and receiver Donte Nastasi. On the other side of the ball, there are stars like John Scott and Stephen Scourtis, who look to continue bringing the hammer.

On paper, State College seems to be the stronger team. The defense has held all of their opponents to fewer than 32 points and should easily be able to do the same against the Panthers. The Lions do have a kryptonite that will allow East High to be able to win if they successfully take advantage of it though, and that is to attack the pass game. The Panthers will have a good chance if they go down the Air Raid route, as the Little Lions only have three interceptions on the year and the pass defense seems to be the only weakness.

Panthers quarterback Aiden Campbell will have to get the ball out of his hands very quickly though, otherwise he’ll have John Scott and Sam Mayer come screaming off the edge and in his face before he even realizes it. Scott has 35 tackles on the year and looks like Lavar Arrington out there while doing it. As for Mayer, he is only a Sophomore and leads the team in sacks with 4 on the year. The State College defense is recording an average of two sacks per game and should be able to live up to that in this matchup.

For the Little Lions offense, expect a big game from Donte Nastasi who has 274 yards on the year and has been incredibly effective, making big plays when it counts the most. Plus, the run game looks spectacular thanks to Freshman D’antae Sheffey who currently has 644 yards and eight touchdowns. State College has its flaws just like any other team, but remains undefeated thanks to the leadership of Quarterback Finn Furmanek.

Central Dauphin East will be looking for a win over State College for the second year in a row after they beat up on the Little Lions last year, but to that, the words of the great Lee Corso, “Not so fast my friend.” The Panthers may not be able to hold their own against the forces of John Scott, Stephen Scourtis, and Co.

All this meaning that tonight’s matchup will likely result in the Little Lions’ sixth victory in a row, with a score of 41-24.