The State College Little Lions outlasted a very game Altoona team in the District 6, AAAAAA championship last week, while Bald Eagle Area advanced to the AA final in typical style with a 49-14 win over Forest Hills.
Both teams are now within a win of the 2023 PIAA tournament, but both will have arduous challenges to overcome before any of those plans can be made.
The Little Lions will play D10 champ Erie McDowell in Erie on Friday, Nov. 17, in the District 6-8-10 regional final, while BEA will see No. 2 ranked and perennial power Richland in the D6, AA final on Saturday, Nov. 18, in Altoona.
Here’s a closer look at each of those games:
State College (7-3) at Erie McDowell (7-4)
District 6-8-10 Regional Finals
Friday, Nov. 17
Somehow, every season, the road to the PIAA football tournament for State College runs through Erie McDowell.
Both teams are perennial winners of their district tournaments, and both teams regularly see each other in the regional finals.
This year is no exception as State College qualified for the game with a 16-6 win over Altoona in the D6 final, and McDowell took care of Erie, 58-20, last week in the District 10 final.
Coming into the game, McDowell is 7-4 so far this season with wins over Barberton, Erie (twice), Villa Angela (Ohio), Cathedral Prep, Meadville, Dohn Community and Butler.
The team has won three of its last four games, with the loss coming against St. Francis, 34-31, on Oct. 27.
McDowell runs a balanced offense that gains over 330 yards per game, with 199 of that coming through the air.
Junior quarterback Blayze Myers, 6 foot 2, 200 pounds, has completed 174 of 248 passes (70%) for 2,192 yards and 28 touchdowns. He has also run for 157 yards and three touchdowns, while senior Dominic Berarducci (541 yards, seven TDs) and Junior Stephon Porter (431 yards, nine TDs) are the leading runners on the team.
Eight receivers have over 100 yards receiving, led by junior James Zigler with 436 yards and four touchdowns, while senior Leo Whitaker has 336 yards and six touchdowns.
Defensively, McDowell has recorded 39 tackles-for-loss, 11 sacks, five interceptions, and six fumble recoveries.
In the win over Erie, Myers threw for 249 yards and five touchdowns, and Berarducci ran for 75 yards and another touchdown.
Earlier in the season, State College rolled over Altoona, 49-7, in their first meeting, but in Hollidaysburg on Friday night things were very different.
In what was an intense defensive effort by both teams, SC scored on a touchdown by Owen Yerka and on a 25-yard field goal by John Zipf in the fourth quarter to hold off the Mountain Lions, 16-6, in the AAAAAA final.
The Lions led 7-0 at the half, and Altoona crept to within 7-6 in the third quarter, but the SC defense stood tall in the fourth quarter to ensure the win.
The victory was the seventh of the year for State College and its second in a row after two consecutive Mid Penn losses.
Last year, on the way to a 13-1 record and a deep run in the state tournament, SC edged McDowell 57-50 in an incredible three-overtime game in State College.
It is a good bet that the Trojans remember that game and will be looking to reverse that outcome, especially in front of their home crowd.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m. in Erie.
No. 1 Bald Eagle Area (11-1) vs No. 2 Richland (11-1)
District 6 AA Finals
Saturday, Nov. 18
Here are two teams that have no doubt been destined to play on this day and in this game since Day 1 of the 2023 season.
The 11-1 Richland Rams, the No. 2 ranked team in the AA tournament, will play the No. 1 ranked and 11-1 Bald Eagles for the D6 championship and a trip to the PIAA tournament on Nov. 18 in Altoona.
The game will match two teams that have played game after game at high levels and that have each only stumbled one time.
BEA lost to AAA Clearfield, 13-7, on Oct. 6 at home, and Richland lost to 11-0 and LHAC champion Central, 43-15, in the conference championship on Oct. 27.
Otherwise, both teams have cleared the board and won two playoff games to get to this position.
Richland beat Penns Valley, 45-7, and Mount Union, 35-12, while BEA won over Bishop Guilfoyle, 36-14, and Forest Hills, 49-13, Nov. 10 at home.
The Rams gain 156 yards passing per game and 156 yards running for a total of 312.
Freshman quarterback Grayson Mahala has completed 88 of 136 passes for 1,354 yards and 11 touchdowns, and Evan McCracken has run for 941 yards and 20 touchdowns.
Junior Austin Yannick is the top receiver with 604 yards and seven TDs, while another freshman, Arnold Mugerwa, has 430 yards and four touchdowns.
BEA counters with 266 yards passing per game and 125 yards rushing for a total of 391.
Junior quarterback Carson Nagle is having a career year with 230 completions for 3,065 yards and 35 touchdowns.
Running back Cameron Dubbs is not far behind with 1,069 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns, and top receiver Kahale Burns has caught 79 passes for 1,045 yards and 14 touchdowns.
These two teams did not meet last season, but Richland went into the D6 championship against Bishop Guilfoyle undefeated only to fall, 32-22, and end its season at 11-1.
This will be one of the marquee games of the 2023 season, with the winner poised to make big noise in the PIAA tournament.
Expect lots of yards and a game that goes deep into the fourth quarter, especially if BEA gives Nagle time to throw.
Kickoff is at 7 p.m.
