State College Slogs Past Cumberland Valley
Tagged under: District 3, District 6, Gameday Hub, News
Noah Radio | September 13, 2025
After a high-flying double overtime loss to Harrisburg last week, State College came out flat against the now 1-3 Eagles of Cumberland Valley. The Little Lions led just 10-7 at the half, but powered through penalties and a lack of chunk plays en route to a 24-14 victory.
“All in all, the kids played hard,” State College Head Coach Matt Lintal said. “We had a lot of mistakes, a lot of penalties, some of that is controllable, some of it is just what happens some nights, so you gotta learn to adapt and move forward. But proud of the kids for the effort and for beating Cumberland Valley, it’s always a test of where you’re at.”
Cumberland Valley took the ball first and quickly punted it to State College. The Little Lions’ drive stalled in the red zone, but junior kicker Shane Markowski gave State High a 3-0 lead with a 37-yard field goal.
Another Eagles punt gave State College the ball back with 4:57 left in the first quarter. The Little Lions marched down the field, relying on junior running back Rowan Walker, who got the start with Syracuse commit Tae Sheffey injured and unavailable. Walker capped off the drive with a powerful 21-yard touchdown run right through the heart of the Cumberland Valley defense to take a 10-0 lead. Lintal was proud of his two-way player for stepping up on offense.
“That touchdown run he had was incredible. I think about eight guys bounced off each side of him, and he just kept powering through. Super proud, but not at all surprised,” Lintal said.
POWERFUL TD run by @Rowanwalker23 puts @statehighfball up 10-0 on @CVSDeagles with 1:43 left in the first quarter@PaFootballNews pic.twitter.com/BLfLJKgVOp
— Noah Radio (@noahradio_state) September 12, 2025
Walker finished with 169 yards on 27 carries, both career highs.
“I’ve been behind Tae [Sheffey] for the whole year, he goes down, I step up and make plays on the ground, just help my team win,” Walker said. “That’s what it’s about.”
Cumberland Valley finally got on the board early in the second quarter. Sophomore Colton Stamy, who split time at quarterback with Kameron Wolfe and a little bit of Brody Pines, hit junior receiver Zayden Smith down the sideline for an 80-yard touchdown to bring the score to 10-7.
The rest of the second quarter turned into a flag-fest on both sides, and no one really threatened to score until the middle of the third quarter.
State College was just out of Markowski’s field goal range (he barely missed a 50-yard attempt earlier in the contest) on fourth down with 8:20 left in the third quarter. Sophomore quarterback Connor Kulka rolled out and hit junior Kellen Williams over the top for a 39-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 17-7.
The Little Lions tacked on another touchdown, this one a two-yard connection from Kulka to senior tight end Jake Lukac, to slam the door with 4:58 to play. Wolfe tried to keep Cumberland Valley in it with a quarterback sneak touchdown to cut the lead to 24-14 with 1:58 on the clock, but it wasn’t enough. State College cruised to a 24-14 victory, highlighted by Walker’s 169 yards, Kulka’s two touchdowns, and the offensive line, led by senior Luke Milito, bouncing back from a shaky start to bring the boom in the second half.
“They’re a well-coached football team, credit to Coach Oswalt and his staff, their kids play hard,” Lintal said. “We took a little while getting going. I’m really proud of our offensive line and Rowan Walker for the way that they played, and then our defense, I thought, played an exceptional game as well.”
State College (3-1) is back at home next week when it takes on Chambersburg, while Cumberland Valley (1-3) looks to turn things around in a home matchup with Central Dauphin.
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