As the weather gets colder, the State High football team finds itself in familiar territory: the state playoffs. After an 8-2 regular season and a strong opening postseason win on the road, the Little Lions are looking to keep their season going.
For Head Coach Matt Lintal, the team’s success this year starts with a simple fact: how much the players care about one another.
“I think the selflessness of the group…no one’s looking for the individual glory. They’re all looking for a team success and I think that’s been the key point to this part of the season,” Lintal said.
Lintal pointed back to August, when the team spent long preseason days together in the heat, as the foundation of this year’s chemistry. But he also noted that growth came through challenges, especially in tough moments like the double-overtime loss to Harrisburg.
“Sometimes I think we learn more from a loss than a win,” Lintal said. “Even though we didn’t get the win, we battled until the very end. I think that a lot of times in football and in life, you grow more from those challenges and those struggles even when you don’t come out on top.”
That resilience showed in their first state playoff game on Nov. 7, when State High took a three and a half hour trip to take on Erie McDowell, who they defeated 41-7. The Little Lions led the entire way, with touchdowns from seniors D’Antae Sheffey, Hank Lustig, Daimear Coad and a standout 41-yard run from junior Zach Spicer.
Assistant Coach Cory Raupers said the key to continuing their playoff run is carrying that momentum forward.
“Focus on what we did well, but also improve on what we need to improve on. Whether it’s mental mistakes, catching the ball, doing your assignments, things like that,” Raupers said.
Given their experience, the seniors set the tone to keep the team focused and motivated to deal with the pressure that playoff football brings. One effect of having a relatively small senior class is that leadership emerges from players at every grade level.
“We have leaders, but we have a lot of underclassmen that are also stepping up as well. Seniors knowing exactly what they need to do when teaching the underclassmen…is very important,” Raupers said.
One of those seniors is William Houser, an offensive/defensive lineman, who described the team’s energy heading into the next matchup.
“Everyone’s excited getting another week of practice together. Showing off what we’ve been building together for the past few years is super fun,” Houser said.
He also shares his perspective on the next opponent. “Going into this game against a team we’ve never played before is going to be a great opportunity for us to introduce a new group to what it means to play State High Football,” Houser said.
As the Little Lions prepare to face Wilkes-Barre on Saturday, Nov 15, at Milton High School, the coaching staff is focused on building internal motivation within the team.
“Our coaches want us to understand that every team in the playoffs has the ability to play good football,” Houser said. “The thing that’s going to decide the results of our games here on out is going to be our “Want To” or drive to keep playing and winning.”
For Lintal, no matter what the playoff result is, he hopes the players stay present and take in the experience.
“Football to me is the greatest classroom there is…Every game is kind of a microcosm of life and there’s peaks and valleys; you’ve got to stay even keeled. Forget the good and the bad that’s already happened, just be focused on the present,” Lintal said. “I try to make sure that they really take a deep breath, take a mental snapshot of the experiences as we go…They understand that they’re playing to keep their seniors in pads and keep them being high school football players.”
