State College Area High School football will play its final home game of the 2019 season at the one and only Beaver Stadium.

Head coach Matt Lintal made the announcement to his players, who have been through a lot thanks to the renovations and construction at Memorial Field in downtown State College.

“Fellas, it’s been a trying year,” Lintal said. “We’ve had to make a lot of accommodations, and you’ve done a great job. You guys have adapted to everything that we’ve done. We’ve got one more thing to ask of ya: We’ve got to change our last game against Cumberland Valley. We’re not going to play here at the South Track field — we’re going to play at Beaver Stadium.”

Memorial Field is the iconic home of State High football, but it’s closed for the 2019 season as it undergoes renovations that are part of a $14 million project. The project’s initial timeline indicated that the renovations will be completed next August — just in time for the Little Lions’ 2020 season.

Because of the renovations, State High has played its home games at the South Track Field, which is located right by the high school. However, the team’s seniors will get to round out their high school football careers in the world’s third-largest stadium and the second-largest stadium in North America.

“I want you guys to know and understand that there’s been so much that’s gone into this,” Lintal added. “Seniors — this is because of you guys, what you’ve done for our program, and what you’ve sacrificed this year. We’re forever grateful for you, and I want you guys to just understand that this is a special opportunity.

“You guys are going to have an opportunity to play in a stadium that most of us have grown up wanting to run out of that tunnel — myself included. I’m extremely excited to share that moment with you guys.”

Although the thought of playing a home game on the same field that guys like KJ Hamler, Micah Parsons, and Yetur Gross-Matos use every week might be exciting, State High’s focus is firmly on its next game against Central Dauphin East (Central Dauphin East, Central Dauphin East, Central Dauphin East…).

“We don’t got to look at [the Beaver Stadium game] right now,” senior captain Kevin Kurzinger said while breaking the team down before practice. “We got a week ahead of us — we got to play our best game this week, let’s go.”

Lintal and his team are 5-0 so far this season, and they’ll take on Central Dauphin East on the road at 7 p.m. Friday in Harrisburg.