Penns Valley, State College youth football teams play in Super Bowl

Some area kids played in their own Super Bowl — the Juniata Valley Football League’s Midget Division championship game — at Mitchell Field in Lewistown on Oct. 30. The Penns Valley Rams fell to the State College Lions in what the game’s announcer dubbed “the battle of Centre County.” 

The youth football teams are part of a group of nine teams made up of 10- and 11-year-olds from Mifflin, Juniata, Huntingdon and Centre counties.

The JVFL games are played following Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletics Association rules and are overseen by certified PIAA officials. The championship game consisted of four 10-minute quarters, and extra points after touchdowns must be either running or passing plays — no kicks. A run over the goal line scores one point and a completed pass scores two.

Even though the players in this game were young, there was plenty of big-time action.

The Rams took the opening kickoff to their 38-yard line, and a few plays later, Penns Valley’s Rylee Brungart scampered down the sideline for a 40-yard gain. They were unable to score and punted the ball to the Lions. The two teams butted heads back and forth in a scoreless game until, with fewer than two minutes left in the half, the Lions scored a touchdown on a pass play. Their conversion attempt was stopped by the Rams, and the score remained 6-0 at the half.

State College ran the second-half kickoff down to the Rams’ 33-yard line, and soon were closing in on the Rams’ goal line. The Rams intercepted a Lions pass, but fumbled it back to the Lions. State College scored again a few plays later with a successful conversion, making the score 13-0.

The Rams took the ensuing kickoff and began marching toward the Lions’ goal line when the Lions intercepted a Rams pass near the 10-yard line. The Rams’ defense rose to the occasion and forced a Lions’ ball carrier down behind his own goal line for a two-point safety, making the score 13-2. This would be the final score of the game.

Throughout the game, turnovers plagued the Rams, who lost the ball four times to interceptions, and once to a fumble, following their interception of a Lions’ pass.

John and Holly Hawkins, from Millheim, were in the large crowd of Penns Valley supporters, watching their 12-year-old son, Sam, play. They praised the JVFL program, and especially the Penns Valley coaches, led by head coach John Crawford.

“These coaches are just wonderful,” said Holly Hawkins.

The Penns Valley Youth Football team was formed in 2014 by Crawford and several other coaches, and rapidly rose to championship level, making its first appearance in the JVFL Super Bowl in 2015, and again this year.

For more information, visit www.jvfl.org.