State College Shocks Cumberland Valley in Battle of Unbeatens
State College won a thriller over Cumberland Valley on Friday night for their homecoming game. Both teams came into the game 5-0, but State College proved their ability and made a statement by beating a talented Eagles team 20-16.
The defense on both sides started strong, resulting in a scoreless first quarter. State College defensive back Mark Wess helped set the tone early with an athletic interception, but the Little Lions’ offense was unable to capitalize. The Eagles forced a turnover of their own when State College quarterback Tyler Snyder fumbled while being sacked, resulting in Cumberland Valley ball on the 42. The Eagles made a couple of nice plays, including a long pass to two-way star Charlie Katshir, to get the ball down the field and put themselves in position to score. They ended the quarter facing 3rd and 7 on the State College 9 yard line.The Little Lions managed to stop Cumberland Valley on third down, but Eagles kicker Jared Plessinger nailed the 26 yarder to give his team a 3-0 lead with 11:50 left in the second quarter.
Midway through the quarter, State College found their first score on a nine yard run from Pete Haffner to take the lead 7-3.
@haffnerpete in for @scasdathletics Td. Ate 7 @CVEaglesFB 3 w 6:35 left pic.twitter.com/loqT7p8Yn8
— WPAFootball (@WPAFootball) October 7, 2016
It did not take long for Cumberland Valley to respond, however. A deep ball to Charlie Katshir followed by a six yard touchdown pass to the same receiver made it 9-7 Eagles. The extra point attempt was blocked by State College’s Aziz Salamy.
Katsir w Td grab. Pat blocked @CVEaglesFB close gap to 9-7 w 2:25 left in 1st half pic.twitter.com/zY8vxJWdCn
— WPAFootball (@WPAFootball) October 7, 2016
With the Little Lions driving at the end of the half and looking to regain the lead, Cumberland Valley defensive back Alex Hetzel delivered a crushing 65 yard pick six with 38 seconds left in the second. The Eagles had a comfortable 16-7 lead at the half, with all momentum in their favor.
A nice second half opening drive by State College resulted in a 25 yard boot from Jack Sheehan to narrow the score to 16-10. The Little Lions stifled the Eagles’ run game, and improved on their containment of CV star Katshir, holding their opponent scoreless not only this quarter, but the entire half. A big screen play to Haffner moved the Little Lions to the 38 yard line with 1:30 left in the third. They ended the quarter in a 4th and 12 situation on the 20.
@JackSheehanIV 25 yard fg @scasdathletics trails 16-10 early 3rd pic.twitter.com/ReyYuL9yIY
— WPAFootball (@WPAFootball) October 8, 2016
State College opened the quarter with a clutch 37 yard field goal from Sheehan to make it 16-13 in favor of Cumberland Valley. The Little Lions’ defense continued to dominate, allowing their offense multiple chances to regain the lead. With 5:30 left in the game, State College made a huge conversion on 3rd and 24 with a pass from Snyder to Woods. They used the momentum to continue their march down the field. With 3:56 left, the Little Lions put the ball in the hands of their captain Haffner, who bowled over opposing stud Katshir and into the endzone for a 15 yard touchdown to give his team a 20-16 lead.
“It was awesome to get the lead. The fans were going nuts. I knew after we got the lead we were going to win,” said Haffner. The State College defense held strong one last time for a huge stop, allowing their offense to run out the clock and get a statement win over a tough inner conference opponent. “It’s great to beat a team like Cumberland Valley. It’s a game we’ve been waiting for all season to play. It was good to take it to them and pull out the win,” said Haffner.
State College remains undefeated at 6-0, while Cumberland Valley drops to 5-1.
