STATE COLLEGE
Following a big-time win over Williamsport, State College football had its home opener Friday against Downingtown East.
But despite a late comeback at Memorial Field, the team fell to Downingtown East, 28-26.
Downingtown East came into the contest riding high as well, after defeating Pennridge 43-0 last week.
Starting the game, the Cougars emphasized tempo as it quickly worked its way down the field, pounding the Little Lions with their run game before converting on a 12-yard touchdown to running back Ayden Harris to go up 7-0 early.
As Coach Matt Lintal’s offense took the field, coming off of a five-touchdown performance, all eyes were on sophomore D’Antae Sheffey.
When it became State High’s turn to get a swing, it immediately went to the reliable back, but he was quickly stuffed by Downingtown East’s stifling defense.
In what became a theme of the night, junior Ty Salazer stepped up, with quarterback Eddie Corkery looking to him often in the first quarter.
Having a hot receiver is big-time when down in the game, as deep shots are an easy way to get back in the game without burning the clock.
The opportunity for this shot came at the beginning of the second quarter as Corkery uncorked a 70-yard deep ball to Salazer for a touchdown. Even with very little momentum, the shot tied the game at 7-7.
After another big drive for the Cougars, Harris punched it in at the one-yard line for a touchdown — his second of the contest.
Later on, a pass to Owen Lammy connected, and he ran right past the Little Lion defense for a 36-yard score.
Going into the second half, State High looked to get some momentum as it was down 21-7.
The Little Lions got deep into enemy territory, but Corkery and company failed to convert on fourth.
Even after another failure to put the ball into the end zone, the Little Lion’s defense didn’t give up. After forcing a third down, Downingtown East went to Harris short, and the host team made a big tackle to stop him short of the sticks.
As the third quarter wound down, Salazer made multiple catches to get his team in Cougar territory.
State High then got down to the 13-yard mark, and as anyone would expect, it quickly hit Salazer for a touchdown, bringing the contest closer at 28-14.
“Ty is an unbelievable football player, unbelievable person,” Lintal said after the game. “He’s just relentless, and just makes big play after big play.”
The momentum swing instilled life into State High. Harris began to be unable to get yards, often being stuffed in the backfield by junior Michael Gaul.
“We got punched in the mouth,” Gaul said. “We took that as disrespect and shoved it right back in their face.”
On the offensive side, Sheffey wasn’t seen on the field for the third quarter but made his way back for the fourth.
As State High battled down to the red zone, they gave him another shot as he almost made a big catch in the end zone before falling to the ground and losing the ball.
Gaul had his back though, as he then mossed his defender for a touchdown.
“I talked to (Corkery), it was fourth and seven ... I said ‘Put some trust in me,’” Gaul said. “I line up, look back, give him a little nod and that’s all I needed to do.”
The extra point was blocked, but with less than eight minutes to go, the Little Lions were back in the game, only down 20-28.
In their own territory, the Cougars put the ball in the hands of Harris, but he coughed it up, losing the ball and granting the Little Lions the ball in good position.
With less than six minutes left on the clock, Salazer continued his big night, making another huge catch for a touchdown that gave the Little Lions a chance to tie the game.
The missed extra point came back to bite them, as Corkery couldn’t find his target, keeping the squad down 26-28.
Needing a stop, State High got to fourth-and-one on the Cougar’s 39-yard line, and it was Harris with the ball again.
He was stopped short, giving State High the ball in near-field goal territory.
The Little Lions then played for the win, running the ball with Sheffey, who couldn’t go anywhere. With the squad at the 33-yard line and with four seconds left, the Little Lions brought out their kicker, senior John Zipf.
He missed by a hair, ending State High’s comeback hopes. Despite the team’s resilience, it was downed by Downingtown East, 28-26 — moving to 1-1 on the campaign.
“We’re not happy with the result but happy with the effort,” Lintal said. “We got better tonight.”
State College will face Hollidaysburg next week on the road.
Other scores from Centre County
Penns Valley 27, Bedford 13
Penn Cambria 34, Philipsburg-Osceola 3
Bald Eagle Area 35, Central Cambria 0
Chestnut Ridge 34, Bellefonte 6
This story was originally published September 02, 2023 12:22 AM.