Big Plays by Edwards and Green send Harrisburg back to the Drawing Board @SCoachLintal @HBGCougar_FBall (Gallery)

Tagged under: Centre County Report, District 3, District 6, Game Photos, Gameday Hub, News

Billy Splain | October 5, 2019

Photos Caleb Robert

Isaiah Edwards had two huge 15 yard plays in the second half and a long kick return

October 4th Friday night lights returned to State College as State High played a physical Harrisburg team. Despite all this physicality State High still managed to find a win 21-6. “We don’t beat those guys a lot and it’s really big for us to win. We’re really improving as a team and we just gotta win the Mid Penn now” said Isaiah Edwards after their win over a Cougar team they haven’t bested in three years.

Harrisburg got the ball to start the game, they instantly got to work driving to the State High 17 before Dresyn Green would intercept a Jacari Williams pass that was thrown perfectly to him. It was his first of two interceptions on the night. Much of the rest of the first quarter was both teams exchanging punts after unsuccessful drives. It wasn’t till 1:43 in the first quarter that State High drew first blood. When Brady Dorner took a run in from the Harrisburg 4 yard line giving State High a 7-0 lead.

Dorner in from the 4. 7-0 @scasdathletics 1:43 first. pic.twitter.com/YyZdWE2DUF

— Pa Football News (@PaFootballNews) October 4, 2019

The second quarter began 7-0, with Harrisburg punting. A drive would pass for both teams, but on State Highs punt the ball hit a Harrisburg player in the toe bouncing straight into the hands of Sam Knipe the Safety who returned to the field this week. State could not manages to capitalize on this error before having to send it but to Harrisburg.

Big mistake for the cougars as the pump it’s a defender and stay college recovers at the 43 pic.twitter.com/2Jc2zMedh4

— Pa Football News (@PaFootballNews) October 4, 2019

Harrisburg would have a small drive going kid way through the second. Before being skunked by State Highs pass rush feeling pressure from Kevin Kurzinger, Nate Lusk, Sam Storll, and Bryn Schoonover. All four of these guys would prove just how good they are at getting to the quarterback many times through out the night.

After failed drives from both teams late in the second State High made a gutsy 4th down call lining up to punt, snapping and to Sam Knipe before he took off for a long and powerful 39 yard run. putting State High on Harrisburgs 39 with 3 minutes remaining. State High was still not able to punch one in before half and much like last week for Harrisburg they were still in the game despite not being able to get their offense going. “Mike Snyder our defensive coordinator does a fantastic job” said State High head coach Matt Lintal of keeping the Cougar offense out of the endzone. “Our kids knew what was coming, best week of practice we ever had.”

Dre Green accounted for two scores and 105 yards of offense for State.

To begin the second half State High received, Isaiah Edwards had a kick return to the 43 before getting met with a gaggle of Harrisburg players. State would punt on the first drive of the half, something the team was trying to avoid. It would not matter much because just as Harrisburg was trying to get out of there own 10 after a big loss on due to intentional grounding penalty, Dre Green would get his second INT of the night. This time it was a pick 6 as he marched in relatively untouched from the Harrisburg 17. After a good kick from Aiden Spitler the score was 14-0 State High leads early in the 3rd quarter. “It was cool” said Green. “I just hid behind the linebacker and played that ball perfectly”. Both teams had no success to finish out the third quarter. “He’s a warrior. That pick was huge and was a huge swing in the game” said Lintal of the speedy Green. “Isaiah, it’s not just what we ask of him with the ball, we ask a lot of him on perimeter blocking and embraced it. He had some phenomenal blocks tonight. He’s really come into his own as a leader for our team.”

But just before the end of the quarter State High put them self in Harrisburg’s red zone. So to begin the fourth Dre Green to an running back end around in for a 5 yard touchdown run. Edwards came up big for the Little Lions on this drive first hauling in a 15 yard pass on third down then on the next play ran for 15 more to the Cougar 32. After another perfect kick from Spitler the game was 21-0 with 11 minutes remaining in the game. On Spitlers kick off Harrisburg was ready. Trevion Carey would take it for a 95 yard return. The point after failed making the score 21-6 State in the fourth. State High would slowly try to run clock and finish the game with no more big mistakes. State High did well on holding Harrisburg to nothing late in the game. Ending the game 21-6. “We might not be as good as we thought we are” Cougars head coach Cal Everett told his team in the post game huddle. “We just gotta go back to the drawing board, look at all the mistakes we’re making and we gotta clean that up”.

This game was huge for State High as they beat Harrisburg a team that they hadn’t beat in 3 years, these players where beyond excited by this. Next week 7-0 State High has their homecoming game against another physical opponent, a 5-2 Central Dauphin team who just beat Altoona 62-0. Harrisburg faces 5-2 Chambersburg on Saturday.