On the night of Nov. 8, the Little Lions of State College hosted the Trojans of Erie McDowell in a PIAA Subregional game. State High got out to an early lead and held on to win 35-7.
This resulted in coach Matt Lintal’s 100th victory as head coach of the Little Lions through 11 seasons. Lintal commented on his 100th victory.
“I won’t be able to do this without my loving wife, and my kids at home, parents that come to every game, just to be able to bounce things off of them and just always win, lose or draw, go home to a place that loves me and cheers me up,” Lintal said.
Lintal also wanted to thank his coaching staff.
“I also just want to thank our staff,” Lintal said. “It’s my face up there, but I wouldn’t be here without them. Mark Baney has been with me from day one and coached me as a player on the field and he is just so impactful. But the list goes on, and our coaching staff is really what has allowed that to happen.”
State College won the coin toss and deferred, so McDowell started the game with the ball. The Little Lion defense held strong and forced a three-and-out. The Little Lions’ first drive also resulted in a three-and-out. Later on in the first quarter, State College got its first score of the night from a Lamar Wilson 23-yard rushing touchdown.
This sparked the Little Lion offense to continue to score points offensively, and defensively to keep McDowell from scoring. With 3:39 left in the first quarter, senior receiver Cooper Brushwood was left wide open for a 40-yard touchdown.
The second quarter began with a 78-yard touchdown pass from senior Eddie Corkery to fellow senior Ty Salazer to put State College up 21-0.
Corkery commented on the special connection between him and Salazer. “At this point, it’s expected for two and three to put some points on that board. That’s been the normal here for two years,” Corkery said.
Later on in the quarter, Salazer had a 72-yard touchdown for his second receiving score of the night. After Wilson scored a three-yard touchdown with 2:12 remaining, State College took a 35-0 lead into halftime.
Both defenses held strong in the third quarter and the score stayed at 35-0.
In the fourth quarter, State College brought some reserves in and gave its starters a rest. The Trojans got on the board with a late rushing touchdown to bring the score to 35-7.
During the game, Corkery became State High’s all-time single-season passing yardage leader with 2,553 and counting. Additionally, Salazer’s 274 yards gave him State High’s single-game receiving yardage record.
Salazer discussed his last game as a Little Lion on Memorial Field.
“As little kids, watching the games from the hill, it’s always been a dream to play down here. To perform the way we have, and for it to be our last game, you know, it’s definitely sentimental for us, so we’re trying to soak it all in,” Salazer said.
This was a great night for State High Football fans, an emotional night for State High seniors, Coach Lintal’s 100th career win and a great all-around performance by the team. The Little Lions will travel to take on Williamsport on Nov. 15 in the first round of the PIAA State Playoffs.
