Nov. 13—Wilkes-Barre Area had its third consecutive District 2 Class 6A football title wrapped up before kickoff against Williamsport last Friday.
The Wolfpack, though, lacked the biggest prize — a trip to the PIAA Class 6A state playoffs. That came with a 42-14 win over Williamsport in the District 2/4 Class 6A subregional championship game.
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“This is just a culmination of a lot of hard work by the players,” WBA coach Ciro Cinti said. “They put it in their heads last year we were going to get back to this point, but win this game. So I’m extremely proud of them doing that.”
A loss to Williamsport in the subregional in 2024 sent the Millionaires not the Wolfpack into the state playoffs. In 2023, a loss to Nazareth in the District 2/4/11 Class 6A subregional quarterfinals ended the quest for a state berth.
Now up is District 6 champion State College at 1 p.m. Saturday at Milton High School. State College has never lost to the D2-6A champion in the state playoffs.
“We’re going to play a heck of a team, but it doesn’t matter,” Cinti said. “We got this far and further than any other team in our program so far.”
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Here are 10 points to ponder about the matchup:
1. District 6 champion State College defeated District 10 champion Erie McDowell in the subregional championship game 41-7 last Friday.
The Little Lions used a 20-point second quarter to pull away. Senior running back D’Antae Sheffey rushed for 103 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Sophomore quarterback Connor Kulka threw for 224 yards and three TDs.
2. Sheffey has committed to Syracuse after sifting through about a dozen Division I offers. He is an excellent combination of speed, moves and tackle-breaking ability. He is listed at 5-foot-11, 180 pounds on one website and 6-foot, 200 pounds on another.
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Sheffey rushed for 1,775 yards as a freshman and 468 yards as a sophomore when injuries curbed his availability. He transferred to Harrisburg as a junior where he was fourth on the team in rushing before returning the State College.
Sheffey has 1,363 yards and 18 rushing TDs this season.
3. Senior linebacker Trayce Brennan leads State College in tackles with 93 and tackles for loss with 8.5. The next four in the tackles category are all juniors.
Senior linebacker Gene Ardo was atop the WBA tackles board with 97 entering last Friday’s game with Williamsport. Junior linebacker Nick Saracino (70) and junior defensive lineman Atlamir Terry (64) was third.
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Terry also had a team-leading 10 tackles for loss.
4. WBA quarterback Jake Howe broke two Wyoming Valley Conference records this season.
Howe threw his 65th career TD pass against Wyoming Valley West in Week 8 to break the record of 64 set by Williamsport’s Isaiah Hankins in 2016. He threw for 213 yards in last Friday win over Williamsport to surpass Berwick’s Ron Powlus in career yardage.
Powlus threw for 7,342 yards from 1990-1992, although one source had the yardage at 7,339.
5. The Wolfpack’s leading receivers — wideouts Jordan Kieselowsky and Treyvon Gembitski and running back Devon Underwood — have lower receiving totals than last season. However, that’s not a reason for concern.
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WBA is deeper in the receiving corps than last season. Wideout Kevon Creech has 24 catches and tight end Nick Saracino has 20 receptions. Wide receiver Jonathan Otway-Kellom came on late in the season to add another deep threat.
6. State College has scored 57 touchdowns — 28 by run, 28 by pass and one on a fumble return.
WBA has scored 56 touchdowns — 29 by run, 26 by pass and one on an interception return.
7. While WBA will be playing its first state playoff game, State College will be playing its 33rd.
Only four other programs have played more state playoff games according to PIAA records — Southern Columbia (81), Erie Cathedral Prep (57), Farrell (36) and Steelton-Highspire (36).
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8. State College played for a state championship once, losing 24-7 to La Salle College in the Class 4A title game in 2009. The Little Lions advanced to the semifinals three times, also reaching them in 2021 and 2022.
9. In its seven years of existence, WBA has never played a team from outside District 2, District 4 or District 11.
The Wolfpack is 4-6 against District 4, with all the games vs. Williamsport. They’re 2-4 against District 11.
10. State College is 4-0 against the District 2 champion in the Class 6A state playoffs. All four victories have come against Delaware Valley —21-14 in 2017, 56-19 in 2018, 38-7 in 2019 and 28-19 in 2021.
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State College is 1-3 all-time against District 2 opponents in regular-season games. The Little Lions defeated Hazleton Area 17-6 in 1992 and lost 14-7 in 1993. They lost to Valley View 15-6 in 1994 and 41-27 in 1995.
