State College fought the good fight in their overtime game against Harrisburg on Friday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Cougars by a score of 48-45. Despite running the score up even higher than they did in their prior game last Friday (37), the Little Lions still had to take the loss.
Despite the loss, State College saw an underclassman step up: sophomore Connor Kulka threw for 121 yards and three TDs, and also rushed for 69 yards and one touchdown on only six carries. The bulk of those rushing yards came from one huge play: a run that gained an incredible 55 yards. D'Antae Sheffey helped out on the ground, rushing for 80 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Trayce Brennan
| 09/05/25 vs Harrisburg | 13 |
| 08/29/25 @ Altoona | 5 |
| 08/22/25 vs Gateway | 5 |
| 11/22/24 @ Central Catholic | 17 |
| 11/15/24 @ Williamsport | 5 |
| + 4 more games |
State College didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Keen Furmanek and Trayce Brennan. Brennan has been hot for a while, having also posted five or more total tackles the last nine times he's played. State College received some extra help from Matt Gaul, whose fumble return for a touchdown made for one of the most unforgettable moments.
Harrisburg's success was the result of a balanced attack that saw several players step up, but Princeton Dent led the charge by rushing for 171 yards and one score. Mikal Shank Jr was another key signal caller, throwing for 209 yards and a pair of TDs while completing 72.2% of his passes.
Having lost for the first time this season, State College fell to 2-1. As for Harrisburg, the victory was the third in a row for them, bringing their record up to 3-0.
State College and Harrisburg should be looking forward to their upcoming games as both have a sizable advantage in the MaxPreps Pennsylvania Rankings. The Little Lions (ranked 16th) will meet Cumberland Valley (ranked 60th) at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Meanwhile, Harrisburg will square off against Chambersburg at 7:00 p.m. on Friday with a big rank advantage (4 vs. 119).
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
