A Tradition of Excellence: State College’s Football Family

Tagged under: District 6, News

Noah Radio | January 15, 2026

There are few more consistently successful football programs in Pennsylvania than State College, but there are even fewer that are more familial.

Every member of the program, from senior captains to middle school managers, is a valued piece of the football family. That inclusive mindset stems from Varsity Head Coach Matt Lintal. Throughout his 11 years at the helm, Lintal has reached incredible on-field heights, and through it all, has set the same goal for every student entering his program.

“The purpose of our program is to create citizens of empathy and integrity who will go on to lead the world for good,” Lintal said. “That’s really what we base our success off of. Every kid has a different role on the team, you know, some guys are out carrying the football a bunch, and some are practice players, and everyone is important, and we want them all to feel important.”

That mindset is seen in Will Houser, a senior offensive lineman who never started a game for State High. Houser also played basketball as a sophomore, and is a leader in the Little Lion Fund, but State High Football stood out for him above every other high school experience.

After his final high school game, a loss to Pittsburgh Central Catholic, Houser said, “It’s meant so much to me, man. I came in, seventh grade, and I hadn’t played sports before. These coaches are amazing, the community is amazing. We all work so hard, even though we’re not as genetically gifted as some teams, like these dudes, we work, the coaches are super supportive, and it’s helped me grow, and I’ve seen everyone else grow, it’s amazing.”

The headlines and accolades rightfully flock to players like 2024 Mr. PA Football Ty Salazer, and 2025 Mid Penn Commonwealth Offensive MVP D’Antae Sheffey, but it’s players like Houser who shape a program.

Sheffey also has own unique story. After a prolific freshman year that earned him national recognition and a solid sophomore campaign, Sheffey played his junior year at Harrisburg High School. In doing so, he had to leave his hometown and his brother Anthony, who received all-conference honors this year as a junior on the State High offensive line. Sheffey spent the year learning from the top running back in Pennsylvania’s class of 2026, former Penn State commit Messiah Mickens.

When he returned to State High for 2025, Sheffey put those honed skills to good use. Sheffey ran for 1613 yards and 24 touchdowns while averaging nearly seven yards per carry.

“Definitely coming back was a great choice for me,” Sheffey said. “I love all these guys, all these guys made me feel at home even when I came back, most people don’t make you feel at home like that.”

Sheffey also discussed what he’s seen from the coaching staff in his three years in maroon and gray: “Definitely just keeping us on track, throughout the summer, throughout the winter, checking in on guys, making guys feel at home. They don’t really feel like just straight coaches, they feel like role models, family members, dads, parents, all that.”

Another player who, like Houser, never started a varsity game, but still had a tremendous impact on the program is senior Sam Asencio. Asencio became the first female player to score a point in State High history by going 3/3 on extra points against Carlisle. The celebration of Asencio’s first point after rivaled the joy seen after last year’s 58-55 win over Bishop McDevitt.

“That was awesome,” senior captain Luke Milito said. “I’ve been playing with Sam since flag football, so for forever I’ve just wanted to see that; I was ecstatic. That was the best moment of the night, all three of those.”

This year, Asencio earned the Matt Weakland Memorial Courage Award, and is perhaps the most deserving recipient in program history. Sam endured comments, looks, and inappropriate language that no other football player dealt with, and still showed up with class and character every day for four years of the sport she loves.

Again, it’s players like Asencio who shape a program.

Another key component of State High Football is blood families like the Militos. In Lintal’s words, “We’ve had a number of families similar to them throughout my experience here, but I don’t know if anybody has been as impactful as the Milito family.”

In the program right now are Luke Milito and the offensive coordinator of the ninth grade team, Luke’s father, Chris Milito. Logan Milito is a former captain on the offensive line currently playing football at Lebanon Valley College; Luke and Logan’s grandfather is often seen at State High practices, and no one is more significant than Luke and Logan’s mother, Sarah Milito.

“Luke and Logan have truly been tremendous players, but on top of that, they’ve been an extra coach on the field,” Lintal said. “Both of those kids know and understand our offense at maybe the highest level of any other kids that I’ve had. They understand the game of football, they love it and have a passion for it, and they do it the right way, and I think that’s a great tribute to their families.”

As a coach, Chris Milito has gotten to see his sons grow up through football, specifically State High Football under Matt Lintal.

“When Matt [Lintal] brought me in here to coach, I really, truly believed in the core teaching that he preaches,” Milito said. “It really helps the young men to have a leader who walks the walk like Matt does.”

Speaking on his sons, he said, “They are both tremendous leaders. The way they work, mostly, is people see them work, they lead by example, and I’m just so, so proud of them and how they’ve been able to grow through this program.

Similarly, Luke Milito has valued the opportunity to play football for a program that means so much to his family.

“It’s been a cornerstone of our family and something that means a lot to us. There’s a lot of ‘STATE’ written on things in our house, so it just means a lot,” Luke said. “You can’t say the word ‘state’ without it bringing back memories of playing football, my brother playing football, and my dad coaching, it’s just all around great memories.”

Lintal emphasized Chris Milito’s value as a program developer and continued to give the family high praise.

“I am certainly going to miss that family as they move on to the next phase of life, and [I’m] hoping I can keep Chris around long enough to get one of those Militos back on the staff. That’s truly one of my goals because we are different because of the Milito family. They’re a special group of people that care and love for everybody they’re around and bring out the best in everybody that they’re around.”

Like the Militos, another mainstay around the program is the kids of the coaches. A common sight on gamedays is quarterbacks coach Cory Raupers running around with his son before and after the game, or Brady Lintal carrying water bottles. Luke Milito looked back fondly on going to State High games throughout his childhood and compared those moments to what he feels now.

“I remember being in their shoes, you know, I thought it was cool at that age, and I think it’s cool right now that kids look up to us and still want to be in our position,” Milito said.

Nearly every coach on the staff has had a child involved in the program in one way or another, like Receivers Coach Joe Nastasi, whose son, Donte, began as a ball boy, then starred for the Little Lions, and now plays football at Penn State. Lintal explained the rationale behind his open door policy.

“I think it’s really key for the kids in our program to see us be husbands and to see us be fathers and to see that passion that we have for our own families that we have as well. We’re fortunate to live in a community where many of our kids come from great homes, but not all of them,” Lintal said. “So we want to demonstrate what that looks like and be genuine with it.”

At every turn, Lintal turns a spotlight on himself and his star players into a blanket of light over his entire roster, their families, his coaches, the band, the cheerleaders, his beat writer and media team members he asked to honor on senior night, Jerry the bus driver, and every person associated with State High Football. All of those individuals contribute in their own unique way to create an incalculably successful program.