State High Set to Take on Williamsport in PIAA Tournament

The State College Little Lions’ 35-14 victory over Erie McDowell was a classic example of a team taking full advantage of its opportunities.  

Unfortunately for McDowell, those opportunities were too many and too often.

The win gave the Lions their 10th victory of the season and set up a matchup against 11-1 Williamsport in the first round of the PIAA 6-A State Tournament.

Playing in the PIAA Regional Championship at Clarion University on Nov. 11, the Little Lions recovered three fumbles — one a scoop-6 —intercepted a pass in the end zone, scored shortly after a bad McDowell snap, and finally took control when a critical third-quarter penalty gave them a first down on the doorstep of the goal line.

Noah Woods was instrumental in four of the Lions’ scores. He caught three touchdown passes from quarterback Tyler Snyder as SC took a 20-7 halftime lead and held off the Trojans throughout a back-and-forth and unpredictable second half.

Woods scored on passes of 33 yards, 9 yards, and 74 yards, accounting for 116 of State College’s total of 147 yard passing for the night. He also scored on an 8-yard, two-point conversion that gave the Little Lions a 28-14 lead early in the fourth quarter. 

“We had to play,” Woods said. “These guys (McDowell) did not want to put their pads away. Neither team wanted to put their pads away, and it was a real battle up front. At the end of the night, it was our team that came out on top.”

Now the Lions will square off with Williamsport in the 6-A state tournament Friday night at Selinsgrove High School.  Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.  

The District 4 champion Millionaires are 11-1 this season and without question have one of the top offenses in the state. Williamsport averaged more than 50 points per game this season and just over 500 yards of offense every time out.

The Millionaires’ lowest point output came in a 35-22 win over Wyoming Valley West, and their only loss came to Delaware Valley, 49-42, on Oct. 8.

Otherwise, Williamsport won out and scored more than 50 points five times and more than 60 three times. And it avenged the DelVal loss with a 55-21 Regional Championship victory on Nov. 11 at Williamsport to qualify for the state tournament.

Williamsport’s numbers are off the charts.

Senior quarterback Isiah Hankins controls the Millionaires offense with both his arm and his legs. Hankins completed 120 of 169 passes this season (71 percent) for 2,227 yards and 24 touchdowns. He also ran 100 times for 771 more yards and another 12 touchdowns. 

Hankins has help, to say the least, from running back Treyson Potts. Potts, a 5-foot-10, 183-pound sophomore, ran 159 times in 11 games for 1,890 yards, an average of 11.9 yards per carry. He scored 32 touchdowns running — and two receiving — and ran for more than 100 yards 10 times and went over 200 yards three times. 

His biggest game was 231 yards against Wyoming Valley West, and against Wyoming he ran just four times for 186 yards and three touchdowns. In all, he amassed 2,222 all-purpose yards and scored 212 points. 

Senior fullback Martezes Clark, 5-9, 209 pounds, added 575 yards and eight touchdowns to the WHS totals and has a 128-yard performance against Scranton on his resume.

None of Williamsport’s successes has escaped Lintal and his players.

“We go now a little bit different route (in the playoffs),” Lintal said, “and we have Williamsport. 

“They are a very talented football team. They’ve got one of the best running backs I’ve seen all year, and he’s only a sophomore, which is a scary thing. They are very well coached, have some big boys up front, and a really athletic quarterback. This will be a huge game.”