Girls volleyball goes undefeated in Mid-Penn
By Kate Reinhard
This fall, State High Girls Volleyball didn’t just win; it dominated. The Little Lions went undefeated in the Mid-Penn Conference, establishing themselves as one of the most driven teams in the league.
“It was really fun and exciting to win,” sophomore Stella Cawley said. “But we are always trying to set a higher standard than winning out the Mid-Penn, we are trying to win a state championship.”
That mindset, combined with strong team chemistry, set State College apart. Many players compete together outside of the school season, building those connections that transfer right onto the court.
“We are very connected off the court. We love to have fun but can get serious when it comes to that point,” Cawley said.
One defining moment came in a high-pressure matchup against Mechanicsburg on Oct. 6. In a packed, loud gym on the road, the Little Lions battled through five sets to secure the win 3-2, and with it, a perfect conference record.
Beyond the victories, the season also shaped younger players like Cawley. Competing alongside experienced upperclassmen offered valuable lessons both on and off the court.
“I have learned so much from the older girls, last year and this year,” Cawley said.
With a strong team culture and rising talent, State High Girls Volleyball isn’t just celebrating a season; it’s building towards something much bigger.
Boys soccer downs state champs in overtime
By Michael Powell
On Sept. 9, the State High Boys Soccer Team welcomed defending state champion Cumberland Valley to town. The Little Lions’ season was off to a hot start, with only one loss in their first six games.
Regulation was a back-and-forth battle and ended in a 1-1 tie, with the lone goal for State High coming from senior Bryce Dwyer. The score remained the same after one overtime period.
With about nine minutes left in the second overtime, senior defender Jack Snyder sent a pass down the field to senior striker James Sheehan, who then passed it to senior Daniel Sahakian. Sahakian beat two defenders and found the back of the net to knock off the Eagles in dramatic fashion. His teammates rushed onto the field and mobbed him in what was a defining moment for his soccer career.
“It was pretty unparalleled. It’s hard for me to think in my life of other moments where I felt like that,” Sahakian said. “The main source of my joy in that moment was just knowing the impact that I had on my team with my effort.”
The moment was a capstone to Sahakian’s final season in the State High soccer program. “I’ve had many seasons where I was either not playing up to the level I wanted or wasn’t playing as much as I felt I should be,” Sahakian said. ”Over time, just me trying brought me to my goals, and my senior season really could not have been any better from a personal standpoint.”
Boys golf dominates the fall
By David Krebs
The 2025 boys golf season will be remembered as one of the best in State High history. The boys lost to just two teams all season and fell one shot short of the state championship.
The regular season was highlighted by the final two matches of the year when the team set a school scoring record at Central Dauphin, then three days later, broke that record by shooting seven under par at Cumberland Valley.
The Little Lions throttled all Mid-Penn competition outside of Hershey, as every league match turned into a duel with the Trojans.
“Deep down, I wanted to beat Hershey in every match,” junior Luke Ladrido said. “That led into the Mid-Penn Championship because we knew they would be our biggest competition.”
For the Mid-Penn, State High smoked Hershey and had four of the top five finishers. That championship, along with a fourth straight Wheeling Invitational victory, was the first step on the road to the state championship.
Next came blowout victories in the District VI Sectional and Championship, where juniors Luke McGraw and Charlie Ladrido punched their tickets to the individual state championships.
At individual states, McGraw bounced back after a tough day one to shoot 67 on day two and finish tied for ninth, while Charlie Ladrido tied for 41st.
In the team championships, the Little Lions battled Unionville and Radnor all day, but fell just one shot short and took second in the state.
The Little Lions’ incredible season didn’t quite have enough for a state title, but with all but two golfers returning for 2026, the team is poised for another shot at the crown.
Micah James posterizes state champs
By Dennis Thawng
With the crowd already buzzing, sophomore Micah James delivered a moment that took the energy inside the gym to another level. During a fastbreak opportunity on Jan. 9, against Central Dauphin, the 2026 state champions, James attacked the basket with confidence and exploded upward for a powerful dunk, finishing over a defender and hanging on the rim as the crowd erupted.
The play wasn’t just flashy; it was a turning point. Teammates on the bench jumped to their feet, fans roared and the momentum clearly shifted in State High’s favor. In a game against one of the top teams in the state, James’ dunk gave his team an emotional boost while putting pressure on Central Dauphin to respond.
“In the moment I was just trying to make a play—it was a wide open dunk and we needed points to keep us in the game, so I was just thinking I better make this,” James said. “The dunk definitely turned the team up and the energy was different after that.”
Recognizing the fastbreak chance, James sprinted the floor, positioned himself perfectly and committed to the play without hesitation. For a sophomore, it showed not only athletic ability but also awareness and confidence in a high-energy situation.
The matchup eventually went into overtime, showing just how competitive State High was against one of the best teams in the state.
Although State College ultimately came up short, 55-51, Central Dauphin went on to win the state championship later that season, making moments like James’ dunk even more significant as a sign of State High’s ability to compete at a high level.
Sheree Wilson’s runner at the buzzer
By Jude Rhymer
On Dec. 16, 2025, the State High Girls Basketball Team traveled to Central Dauphin East to take on the Panthers. After a shaky start to the season, the Little Lions defeated the Panthers 52-41.
A little more than a month later, on Jan. 21, 2026, the Panthers traveled to North Gym seeking revenge. CD East came out hot, keeping the game neck and neck throughout. For State College, the situation looked discouraging.
With five seconds left, CD East tied the game. With overtime looming, State College called a timeout and looked to senior McKenna Whitehurst and juniors Sheree and Sienna Wilson.
Whitehurst and Sheree Wilson’s speed made them perfect for the situation. Whitehurst started with the ball, but she was quickly swarmed by defenders. Luckily for the Little Lions, it left Wilson open with room to run.
“McKenna passes the ball to me, and I just know in my head that I don’t even have to look at the clock. I know I have at least four seconds to get down the court,” Sheree Wilson said. “So I get down there, I spin, and I floated it up.”
The ball reached the rim and bounced around multiple times before eventually falling through the net as the buzzer sounded, giving State College the 43-41 victory.
“Honestly, from my angle it looked like it was going left. I didn’t think it was going in, but I looked around and McKenna and my sister started jumping and I looked at it and it went down,” Sheree Wilson said.
After that game, the team’s confidence skyrocketed, propelling it to the District VI championship game.
Cross country teams take second, third at states
By Marshall Laskowski
On Oct. 25, the boys and girls cross country teams crushed all District VI competition to clinch their spots at the state championships.
At the state meet, the boys team took second overall, losing by just eight points to North Penn. The boys team dominated all year with standout runners junior Theo Oppermann, junior Luke Bradbury and sophomore Dexter Walker. Oppermann finished third in Pennsylvania, and Bradbury took fifth.
The girls team added to the dominance by taking third at the meet. The top performance from the girls team came from sophomore Evie Younkin, who finished 17th.
This year’s performance comes after the boys took first in 2024 and the girls took fourth that same year. State College is establishing itself as one of the most dominant teams in the state year in and year out. It does not seem like they will be going away anytime soon, either, with sophomores and juniors leading the way.
“It was awesome,” Walker said about states. “It might have been one of the greatest experiences of my life.”
Walker got to spend time with his teammates in the hotel while also competing at a high level at the meet. Walker placed 39th overall with a time of 16:53.
Out of the boys team’s top five finishers at states, only Owen Vigilone is a senior, so the Little Lions will be well-positioned to return to the mountain top in 2026.
