The State College boys lacrosse team took on the Cumberland Valley Eagles on Tuesday, May 11, in a Mid-Penn battle. Both teams came into the game with only one loss each this season. State College picked up a huge 15-8 victory to secure the Mid-Penn Commonwealth regular-season championship.
The Little Lions came out hot, scoring four goals in the first quarter, three of them from junior Trey Combs. Combs led the team the rest of the way, scoring eight goals and raising his season total to 98. State College pulled away in the third quarter, scoring six goals and allowing none. They never looked back and picked up a big win over a strong Cumberland Valley team.
This win improved the team’s record to 17-1 and 16-0 in conference play. The season has been a major success for the program, and State College will look to continue its dominance in the playoffs.
“It’s momentum for sure knowing that we can beat a really good team like Cumberland Valley,” head coach Tyler Kaluza said.
Sophomore Isaac Barone agreed with Kaluza that the win will be good for confidence the rest of the season.
“We’re still on that high from our win, but knowing that it’s going to take a lot to keep going,” Barone said.
The student section for the game was electric as fans lined the sideline fence to support the boys. Kaluza credited the student section in part for the win.
“Those guys were a huge help, especially the students on the sideline there on the fence,” Kaluza said.
Barone agreed that the students motivated the team to help get the job done in this big game against a tough opponent.
“There were a lot of people there on Monday, and especially students; they were being loud, and so it motivated us as a team,” Barone said.
Before the game began, State College was motivated to try to get this win. “I think we were really excited to play this team [Cumberland Valley], we played them already before, and they are always a tough opponent, and we really wanted to win this game just to keep going on our season,” Barone said about the team starting off the game well.
When asked about the fast start, Kaluza said, “Just keeping the ball hot and doing our thing, not overcomplicating on offense.”
State High fell to Lower Dauphin in its last game, 9-6. That game was for the Mid-Penn championship, but the season isn’t over yet. The team will still have a chance to advance when it plays in districts. State College defeated Fairview 24-0 in the subregional game and will play Pine Richland at the North Turf on Tuesday, June 2.
