State College played it close to the vest against Williamsport in the District 6-4 Finals on Saturday night and squeezed out a 17-14 victory over the Millionaires.
The win put the Little Lions in the first round of the PIAA Tournament against Delaware Valley on Friday night at Hazleton High School.
Bald Eagle Area, however, got to see Forest Hills’ Damon Crawley up close on Saturday, and Crawley more than lived up to his clippings.
The 5-foot-10, 195 senior ran 21 times for 269 yards and five touchdowns in the Rangers 49-20 win over the Bald Eagles.
And for good measure, he added a 34-yard touchdown pass to Jeremy Burda in the fourth quarter.
BEA fell behind by 14-7 at the half, but 28 Forest Hills points — all by Crawley — in the third quarter put the game essentially out of reach.
BEA, still playing, scored twice in the second half on a two-yard run by Edward Greene and then a 16-yard run by Gavin Eckley. The loss ended the Eagles’ season with a record of 9-3 and a second-place finish in the Mountain League Conference.
This leaves State College as the lone Centre County team still alive, and here is a brief look at the Little Lions’ PIAA First Round game against Delaware Valley:
6-1 STATE COLLEGE (6-5) VS 2-1 DELAWARE VALLEY (9-3)
PIAA 6A FIRST ROUND, NOV. 19
HAZLETON HIGH SCHOOL, HAZLETON
In a back-and-forth game against Williamsport in the District 6-4 Final held at Central Mountain High School, State College used three takeaways and a late field goal by Quinn Murphy to outlast the Millionaires, 17-14.
Leading 14-0 at the half after touchdowns by Jashaun Green and Brady Bendik, SC saw its lead evaporate as Williamsport scored twice in the second half to tie the game at 14-all.
The Little Lions, however, drove in the fourth quarter and Murphy hit his 36-yard field goal with 5:37 left to play. The Lions then left it to their defense to stonewall Williamsport and take home the win and the District Title. The victory advanced SC into the PIAA, 6A First Round against District 2 Champion Delaware Valley.
The Warriors are 9-3 this season and will enter the tournament on a nine-game winning streak. After losing its first three games to Gateway, Valley View, and Downingtown East, DelVal finished its season with a seven-game sweep and then took out Scranton and Hazleton in the D2 Playoffs.
In Delaware Valley’s 35-20 win over Hazleton in the D2 Final, quarterback CJ Ross completed 14 passes for 155 yards, and running backs Joe Sciascia and Paulie Weinrich each scored two touchdowns. For the season, Ross has thrown for 1,327 yards and 10 touchdowns, while Sciascia and Weinrich have combined for 1,751 running yards and 25 touchdowns. Aiden Black (346 yards), Jayden Rameriez (296) and Harlem Cook (237) are the leading receivers. In all, the Warriors gain 303 yards per game, including 195 on the ground.
The winner will advance to play the champion from District 3, either Wilson or Harrisburg. Those two teams will meet on November 20 in the D3 Championship at Harrisburg. Kickoff for SC and Delaware Valley is set for 7 p.m.
This story appears in the Nov. 18-23 edition of the Centre County Gazette
