State College football heading into its rematch with Harrisburg with a changed mentality
Many teams that are on a championship run see one particular moment in the season as their turning point.
State College football head coach Matt Lintal sees his team’s turning point as its earlier matchup against Harrisburg. While the Oct. 23 game ended in a 15-13 loss and the team dropping to 4-5 on the year, the Little Lions have reeled off three consecutive wins since — one to earn the highest seed in the Division 6 Class 6A Playoff against Altoona (21-7), another to win the Division Class 6A championship versus Williamsport (17-14) and another victory at a neutral site to defeat Delaware Valley in the subregional (28-19).
“I think that was the turning point in our season,” Lintal said. “As crazy as that sounds — it’s Week 9 I think — that’s when we decided to play a different style of football and just the mentality was bought in by our kids to play a physical brand of football. It’s something that we had been working for and it kind of clicked that day. Obviously, we would’ve loved to come out on top that time, but that game truly gave our team confidence that they could play with anybody. Harrisburg was an 8-1 team at that time and we were struggling a little bit.”
The Little Lions will get their chance for revenge this week at 1 p.m. Saturday in the PIAA Class 6A regional in Harrisburg, but it’s not going to be easy.
Harrisburg has been nearly unstoppable this season. The Cougars are 12-1 on the year with their lone loss coming against Governor Mifflin on Sept. 17 (49-13). Head coach Calvin Everett has watched his team go 7-0 in league play and outscore their opponents 368-189. Running backs Mahkai Hopkins and Kyle Williams Jr. have terrorized teams with over 700 rushing yards each. Hopkins has 159 carries on the year for 888 yards and nine touchdowns. Williams Jr. has added 112 carries for 737 yards and six touchdowns himself.
Yet, Everett understands from their last battle that he can never sleep on the hearts of the Little Lions.
“It was an extremely tough game,” Everett said. “For whatever reason, when Harrisburg and State College get together, you can throw the records out of the door. When we go at it, it’s always a hard-fought game no matter what’s going on during the course of the season. It was no different last time we played them in October 2019.”
Prior to its loss to Harrisburg, State College had a litany of injuries on its plate. The team had Finn Furmanek as the starting quarterback, who went 50-for-90 on passes for 831 yards, seven touchdowns and no interceptions, along with 48 carries for 223 yards and six touchdowns in six games, but he suffered a season-ending leg injury.
Jack Morris and Owen Yerka have both filled in for him since he was injured against Central Dauphin East. The duo have two different play styles — Morris being more of a traditional dropback passer and Yerka as the speedy rushing quarterback who keeps opposing run defenses on notice. At times, both have been in the backfield, causing for confusion and disruption for other teams. Yerka has 111 carries for 447 yards and four touchdowns and Morris has gone 43-for-103 on passes for 664 yards with five touchdowns and four interceptions.
“I think that work has certainly paid off,” Lintal said of the quarterbacking duo. “Owen kind of started out as a running back for us and we progressed him into that quarterback spot, which is where he naturally fits a bit more. He has adapted and I think that time as a running back helped him as a runner and as a quarterback to be able to see the holes and be able to do some of the things he’s been able to do. In terms of leading the team out there, I think Jack Morris is one of the best team players that we have.
“Whether we need him at quarterback or we need him somewhere else, kick return and we have him on punts this week — he has the knowledge and understanding of the game of football. He’s that guy that you just grab and throw in there when you need a guy because you can trust him.”
The team also lost wide receiver/defensive back Jashaun Green and tight end/defensive end Kyle Kurzinger for two weeks each. There were also injuries along the offensive line with Michael Dincher, who missed a few games as well. It took time for the Little Lions to rebuild their health back to a reasonable level that would allow them to take on the added physicality to their game.
Getting the majority of their key players back and adding them to the likes JW Scott (117 tackles), Jack Roeshot (116 tackles), Calvin Roan (113 tackles) and Stephen Scourtis (89 tackles), State College has turned up the strength on defense, too. The team has allowed just 13.33 points per game in its last three games. The Little Lions needed to carve out a way to win through punishing opponents and they’ve done just that.
Everett is just as excited for the matchup. Getting another shot at a Mid-Penn Conference opponent this late into the season is a rarity. The feeling is mutual for Lintal.
“First of all, to play an opponent that you’ve played twice and the fact that we’ve won the first game, I think it’s a lot more difficult to beat a team twice,” Everett said. “I think with us being at home, that’s definitely a good thing. I think that helps us out with a home game against State College. But I know State College is going to be well-prepared and they’re going to make adjustments and we’re going to make adjustments. So, it’s going to be an interesting battle.”
