Little Lions Let Out Big Roar in Dominating Win

Tagged under: District 6, Gameday Hub, News

Todd Ross | September 16, 2023

State College came into the game having not played in 2 weeks but for the last three quarters it definitely didn’t appear that way with them winning in a dominant 49-7 fashion.

The first quarter was a bit different from the other three as State College kicked off and Altoona drove down the field. Thanks to some fourth down conversions and penalties, they were able to use up more than half the first quarter. They eventually gave the ball to State College who punted quickly back to them. Just after the second quarter began Altoona would score a 19 yard touchdown from Brennen Freiwald to Josiah Treece for the first score of the game and what turned out to be the Mountain Lion’s last. State College would respond quickly with a touchdown to equalize as Eddie Corkery would find Michael Gaul for the score from 7 away. Quickly after that touchdown, D’Antae Sheffey would take the direct snap into the endzone increasing the lead for State College. It only took 2 and 1/2 minutes before he would score again. Just before halftime, Sophomore receiver Daimear Coad had a very special moment as he scored his first ever varsity touchdown that went for 51 yards from an Eddie Corkery pass.

The second half began and the Little Lions didn’t take their feet off the gas as they would score on the second play thanks to a 77 yard touchdown reception by Ty Salazer. Another 70+ yard touchdown would be scored in the third, this one by Cooper Brushwood who hauled in an Eddie Corkery pass of his own. The final score of the game would come from Senior Travis Bechtel early in the fourth making it 49-7. A performance like this doesn’t just come from the play of skill position players. A huge contribution to the offense came from senior Linemen Colin Dardis who had 7 pancakes while blocking for Corkery and creating lanes for Sheffey. You also have to mention Michael Gaul who not only scored a touchdown but also made lots of tackles for the defense.

Head coach Matt Lintal was very proud of his team’s performance, “Our kids just stayed the course. Obviously it was their game plan, they had a good long drive in there, held onto the football, and ran down the quarter. They were up by seven. Our kids just adapted and moved forward. So we are really proud of our coaching staff and all the effort that went into making that”

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The State College team played a strong game on both sides of the ball which is just what they want as conference play picks up. 

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