State College rallied back to beat Cumberland Valley 33-21 Saturday afternoon in front of a crowd of 5,681 in the first-ever Beaver Stadium Classic.
On senior day for the Little Lions, who improved to 9-1 on the season, Isaiah Edwards and Lokey Howell played key roles on both sides of the ball. Junior standout Dresyn Green tied Howell with two touchdowns on the afternoon in what was the first high school game to be played at Beaver Stadium since the Pennsylvania 4A state championship between Pittsburgh Central Catholic and Cedar Cliff in 1988.
Neither team scored a point while trying to figure each other out in a back-and-forth first quarter, but the Eagles found the end zone first thanks to a 46-yard catch from Isaiah Grunden that set up Dontey Rogan’s rushing touchdown. Rogan made it 14-0 with 4:06 left before halftime following a pick-six of State High quarterback Brady Dorner.
Dorner responded with a 62-yard touchdown strike to Edwards down the left sideline just 14 seconds later to give the Little Lions some needed momentum heading into the locker room. It was fitting that State High players used Saquon Barkley’s famous arm-swinging celebration after reaching the end zone Saturday.
“That was one that really got the crowd back into it,” Little Lions head coach Matt Lintal said postgame. “You need that positive energy. You need that little bit of juice and momentum that can go a long way, and it certainly did in that second half.”
Coach Matt Lintal leads the Little Lions onto the Beaver Stadium field. Photo by Ethan Kasales
“Coach called a vert and I knew Brady was going to look only to me when throwing it one-on-one,’ Edwards said. He threw it up and I was like, ‘I’ve got to go get it.’ I just ran under it and I scored.”
State High received the second-half kickoff and Dorner promptly led the Little Lions deep into Cumberland Valley territory. Howell’s 18-yard rushing touchdown tied things up before Edwards forced a fumble on the ensuing drive to give State High the ball back.
Green capitalized on the Cumberland Valley turnover and rumbled into the end zone for a 4-yard touchdown run. An offensive lineman hoisted Green high into the air in what was one of the best celebrations of the day, but the Little Lions missed the ensuing PAT wide right to keep it 20-14.
Despite wearing a heavy-duty cast on his right hand, Kyle Domico nearly delivered a pick-six of his own for the Little Lions, but the play was called back due to defensive holding. State High’s defense stepped up and forced a punt before Dorner hit Howell for a 12-yard touchdown. The Little Lions went for two but were unsuccessful.
Green effectively put the game away with a 16-yard rushing touchdown to make it 33 unanswered points for State High.
Dresyn Green had two touchdowns against Cumberland Valley at Beaver Stadium. Photo by Ethan Kasales
Logan Ramper stopped the bleeding for the Eagles with a 58-yard receiving touchdown to cut the deficit to 33-21, but Cumberland Valley’s comeback attempt stalled from there on out. Dorner took a knee several times deep in Cumberland Valley territory before the State High defense closed the door following the intentional turnover on downs.
After State High players sung the alma mater and both teams gathered for postgame photos, Green discussed how it felt to score a pair of touchdowns in the second largest stadium in the country.
“It feels great,” Green said. “This opportunity to play in Beaver Stadium, it’s crazy. The crowd was roaring after my touchdown. It was just a crazy experience. I could never think that I would be doing this at 16 years old.”
Photo by Ethan Kasales
Edwards expressed how special it was for he and his teammates to run out of the tunnel and onto the field together like all of the Penn State teams they grew up watching.
“It was amazing,” Edwards said. “I felt like a Penn State football player for that moment — going out with coach holding us back and then running through the tunnel. It was amazing to have our fans here, too.”
Central Dauphin, the only team to beat the Little Lions during the regular season, captured the Mid-Penn Conference crown after handily beating Central Dauphin East 36-6 Friday night in Harrisburg. Although it hasn’t been announced yet, State High will likely play Mifflin County in the District 6 – 6A championship game. The Little Lions beat the Huskies 42-6 in the season opener on Aug. 23 in Lewistown.
“The first half, we came out a little slow,” Howell said of Saturday’s win. “We went in the locker room, talked, and we just got our energy pumping again. We came out and just did our thing in the second half.”
Photo by Ethan Kasales
