State College in 6-A and Bald Eagle Area in 3-A both came through with impressive wins in PIAA football tournament play Nov. 18.
Now it’s on to the state quarterfinals for both teams, and they both will be facing imposing and playoff-hardened opponents.
Here’s a look at the games:
STATE COLLEGE (12-1) VS. PINE-RICHLAND (11-2)
AAAAAA QUARTERFINAL
7 P.M., SATURDAY, NOV. 24
MANSION PARK, ALTOONA
Perhaps the third time will be the charm for the Little Lions of State College.
After a stellar 9-1 season, a District 6 championship, and now a 56-19 PIAA victory over Delaware Valley, State College will get another shot at District 7 and defending state champion Pine-Richland.
It will be the third time since 2014 that the Little Lions have run into the Rams, and the last two encounters were not very pleasant.
In 2014, the two teams met in the first round of the PIAA tournament, and Pine-Richland used a big third quarter to outlast SC, 49-29. The Rams later advanced to the PIAA final and lost to St. Joseph’s Prep.
Last season, in the PIAA quarterfinal at Hempfield High School, the final was 49-21, and this time Pine-Richland got its revenge against St. Joe’s with a 41-21 win in the state final.
This year, the Rams come into the game with a record of 11-2 and with a 34-7 victory over Seneca Valley in the District 7 final Nov. 17 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh.
As were the other Ram teams SC faced, this one is impressive on both sides of the ball. Pine-Richland averages 345 yards of offense each game, including 227 on the ground. The Rams average 31 points per game and only once gave up more than 21, and that was in a 42-0, opening day loss to national power IMG Academy.
Luke Meckler is the leading rusher for the Rams with a 103 yard per game average and 15 touchdowns through 11 games. Quarterback Cole Spencer and Caden Schweiger add another combined 78 yards per game and have scored 11 touchdowns.
Spencer, a 5-foot-10, 180-pound sophomore, throws for 111 yards per game, through 11 games, with 11 touchdowns. He completed 61 percent of his passes and threw just three interceptions.
Pine-Richland has five receivers with more than 15 catches and 200 yards led by sophomore Eli Jochem with 31 catches for 288 yards and a touchdown.
On defense, the Rams are extremely aggressive and have a total of 24 takeaways (with eight interceptions) and have recorded 32 sacks.
In last year’s game, after the two teams battled to a 14-14 tie at halftime, Pine-Richland quarterback Phillip Jurkovec threw three third-quarter touchdown passes and ran for another one as the Rams opened a 42-21 lead.
Another score after an interception added the final touchdown for the Rams as they hung on for the victory and ended the State College season.
This year, State College again comes into the game with momentum after three consecutive playoff wins.
Against Delaware Valley, the Little Lions led 21-0 after the first quarter, 35-13 at halftime, and then added another three touchdowns in the third quarter to pull away.
Ahead 7-0 in the first quarter, SC’s Kevin Kurzinger changed the complexion of the game with a 50-yard pick-6 that put his team ahead by two scores.
After a DelVal three-and-out, Isaiah Edwards broke free for a 46-yard touchdown and a 21-0 lead. The Little Lions never looked back from there.
The importance of this game for both teams can’t be overstated. For State College, it’s an opportunity at redemption and to advance farther than it has at any time under head coach Matt Lintal.
And for Pine Richland, it will be a chance to advance toward a second-straight PIAA, 6-A state championship.
The winner will take on the winner of the game between St. Joseph’s Prep and the District 11 champion Freedom High School from Bethlehem.
BALD EAGLE AREA (11-2) VS. SHARON (10-3)
AAA QUARTERFINALS
1 P.M., SATURDAY, NOV. 24
MANSION PARK, ALTOONA
It has been a long time since Bald Eagle Area has risen to this level in PIAA football play, but it hasn’t been for the Sharon Tigers.
Last season, Sharon made it to the 3-A PIAA semifinals, where the Tigers finally lost to Quaker Valley by a score of 43-23.
Sharon finished that season at 10-4, and now standing at 10-3, the Tigers have a chance to advance once again in the state semifinals.
First, however, they have to contend with an explosive and talented Eagles team from BEA.
Sharon’s wins this season include victories over Wilmington (42-12), Fariview (63-12), Slippery Rock (30-27), Fort LeBoeuf (50-13) and Sharpsville (23-21).
One of the Tigers’ three losses came at the hands of Grove City, 42-9, on Oct. 5 at Grove City. The Tigers, however, avenged that loss when they took on the same team in the District 7 championship and ended its season in a 23-6 victory. In that game, played Nov. 16 at Slippery Rock University, Sharon took a 17-0 lead into the fourth quarter and held on from there to win the district championship.
The Tigers, like BEA, are an explosive team with the football. They average 350 yards per game, 154 on the ground, and they average just over 30 points.
Quarterback Lane Voytik, a 6-foot, 200-pound junior, has completed 200 of 314 passes (64 percent) this season for 2,552 yards and 26 touchdowns. In the backfield with him is senior Jordan Wilson, 5-foot-10 and 230 pounds, who ran for 1,722 yards on 250 carries and scored another 24 touchdowns. The duo accounts for almost all of the team’s scoring and over 90 percent of its yardage.
Junior CJ Parchman, at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, is the leading receiver with 64 catches for 974 yards and six touchdowns.
On defense, the Tigers have recovered eight fumbles, intercepted 11 passes and recorded 10 sacks.
BEA has been on a roll since its razor-thin 10-9 loss to Bellefonte in the final regular-season game at Bellefonte on Oct. 26.
Since then, the Eagles have beaten Huntingdon, 47-27, Forest Hills in the D-6 title game, 21-16, and Bedford by a score of 35-14 in the PIAA AAA first round Nov. 18 at Altoona’s Mansion Park.
The Eagles can also put up some numbers. They average 335 yards per game with quarterback Jaden Jones completing 142 of 235 passes for 2,468 yards and 27 touchdowns.
Before his injury, running back Gage McClenahan led the team in rushing and receiving, but since his loss, Blake Roberts has filled in with some impressive numbers of his own.
Roberts has run for 758 yards on 106 carries and scored six touchdowns, and then he’s moved outside and caught 15 passes for 306 yards and two more touchdowns. Roberts is also a dangerous return man who can break a long run at any time.
Defensively, the Eagles will be measured by the size and balance of the Sharon attack, but the strength of that defense is up front and they could very well be up to the challenge of taking on Voytik and Wilson. And if Sharon falls behind and has to throw, the BEA pass rush will become even more important.
The winner of this game will advance to the PIAA quarterfinals and play 7-1 Aliquippa either Friday, Nov. 30, or Saturday, Dec. 1.
