State College Shuts Out Altoona in Home Opener

Tagged under: District 6, Gameday Hub, News

Noah Radio | August 31, 2024

Friday night lights are back and better than ever at Memorial Field. The State College Little Lions opened their home slate with a 57-0 victory over the Altoona Mountain Lions.

In front of a roaring crowd, State College came out hot, forcing a fumble on Altoona’s second offensive play of the game. Senior quarterback Eddie Corkery and the offense wasted no time getting on the board, scoring on the first play of the possession. Corkery fired a strike down the left hash to senior receiver/linebacker Michael Gaul for a 27-yard touchdown.

Altoona again could not get anything going on its second possession of the game and faced fourth down from inside its own 20-yard line. The Mountain Lions’ special teams then made its first major miscue of the night, snapping the ball out of the back of the end zone for a safety. Seven plays into the game, the Altoona sideline was reeling and the State High student section was bringing the house down.

Amidst a 7-4 season in 2023, the State College student section continually put forth lackluster efforts and took away much of the Little Lions’ home-field advantage. The school spirit has completely turned around in 2024, leading to a standing-room-only crowd at Memorial Field.

The State College captains were very excited to see the support of the home crowd. Corkery said, “Those are my guys up there and it’s awesome to see them getting fired up. It’s great to celebrate with them, and they give us the best field in Pennsylvania, it’s awesome.”

Gaul said, “I love our crowd, I think we have the best crowd in the whole world. They get into it and they help the momentum swing.”

The loudest moment for the home crowd would be Corkery’s next touchdown, a pass to senior receiver Ty Salazer. From the Altoona 30-yard line, Corkery stepped up in the pocket and hit his best friend with a spot-on pass for a touchdown.

The Corkery to Salazer connection was nowhere near finished. Before the end of the first half, Corkery and Salazer would link up a total of four times for touchdowns of 30, 47, 18, and 33 yards. Corkery also hit senior receiver Cooper Brushwood with a 28-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter.

Corkery and Salazer have a very real connection on and off the field. Salazer said, “I’ve known him (Corkery) almost my entire life, so to be out here with him, Friday night lights, there’s nothing like it, it’s amazing.”

Corkery showed appreciation for his star receiver and said, “We went to the turf every single day during the summer. We built that connection on and off the field. That’s one of my best friends, we hang out all the time, and I just know if I see him open he’s gonna go make a play.”

The offensive explosion, along with a defensive touchdown by senior Thomas Keller, gave the Little Lions a whopping 50-0 lead at halftime. Altoona went to the locker room demoralized, and the State College faithful could not have been happier.

The highlight of the second half for many was the running clock that was implemented after State College took a 35-point lead. On the field, Altoona mustered just two drives into State College territory, and State College ran countless inside running plays with its third and fourth-string offense.

Senior running back Levi Mellott scored the only points of the half for either team with a 1-yard touchdown run with 7:57 remaining in the game.

After this rout and barring a loss in the District VI Championship, State College’s class of 2025 will graduate without a loss to Altoona. Brushwood, a team captain, was proud of his team’s ability to show up in its first rivalry game of the season. “It (the rivalry victory) means everything, that scoreboard shows it, shows how much work we’ve been putting in,” Brushwood said, “I love our guys this year, we love each other, and that scoreboard shows it.”

State College will travel to Harrisburg for its next game on Sept. 7, and Altoona is back in action at home against Cumberland Valley on Sept. 6.

State College kicker Shane Markowski celebrates on the sidelines after Salazer’s fifth receiving touchdown. (Noah Radio)

Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews