Seneca Valley's Tyler Hudanick has a 14-hour drive ahead of him in little more than a week, an end-of-his-summer trek to Central Florida's campus in Orlando. But he'll gladly spend his final week of vacation in Hershey, where the offensive lineman will compete Saturday in the Big 33 Football Classic at Hersheypark Stadium.
The all-star game has labored in recent years to lure some of the state's best recruits, but it survives on the shoulders of those who still value its tradition-rich heritage. “It has some great history behind it,” Hudanick said, “which is still important in people's eyes. It's definitely important in my eyes. Everyone in Pennsylvania knows it's been around for awhile and some of the best of the best have played in this game.”
This is the 59th year for the Big 33, which can boast that every Super Bowl has had at least one former player. For the third straight year, Maryland will be Pennsylvania's opponent in the all-star game, which starts at 7 p.m. The WPIAL placed 13 players on Pennsylvania's roster, which includes 33 players and one kicker. Both Pennsylvania quarterbacks are from the WPIAL: South Fayette's Brett Brumbaugh (Duquesne) and West Allegheny's Andrew Koester (St. Francis [Pa.]).
Penn State has four players on the roster: Altoona defensive end Kevin Givens, Great Valley defensive end Ryan Buchholz, Governor Mifflin linebacker Jan Johnson and George Washington defensive end Shareef Miller. Coatesville defensive back Jay Stocker is the lone Pitt recruit.
The late-June date causes trouble for some recruits. “I had to talk to my college coaches before I committed to the game,” said Hudanick, a 6-foot-5, 305-pound tackle. “One of my line coaches at UCF used to coach at Temple, so he's been around here. He knows a little about the Big 33 game and how big of an honor it actually is. He said definitely go for it.”
The commitment requires more than one day. The players arrive this weekend and spend seven days in Harrisburg and Hershey. Along with practice sessions, the players take part in team-building activities and community outreach events. Each player spends the week living with a host family.
The Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association chooses the roster in January, shortly after the PIAA championships. To be picked, a player's coach must be a member of the PSFCA, must submit a nomination form and provide online game video. More than three dozen PSFCA coaches separate into committees and review the nominees, picking players for the Big 33 and the PSFCA East-West Game (May 3).
“We've gotten better because of technology,” said Central Valley coach Mark Lyons, who's active in the PSFCA. “In the old days, you were popping in DVDs and VHS tapes. Now you can do a little bit of the legwork prior to (the selection meeting) on Hudl.”
The rosters released in February changed in four months. Pine-Richland's Ben DiNucci (Pitt) and Central Catholic's Johnny Petrishen (Penn State) were among those on the original roster but no longer are. “By the time kids get to June, they're ready for college,” Lyons said. “The other big-time states play their games in January or February when the iron's still hot. We can't do that here.”
Hudanick expects to have a collection of family, friends and former coaches in the stands. “I've been jacked for awhile about this,” Hudanick said. “I'm excited to actually start knocking some heads around and get back into it. … My (college) coach said it would give me a little bit of a transition and a taste right before I head off to college.”
Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/hssports/football/8542308-74/central-game-hudanick#ixzz3d3b4bHVF
The all-star game has labored in recent years to lure some of the state's best recruits, but it survives on the shoulders of those who still value its tradition-rich heritage. “It has some great history behind it,” Hudanick said, “which is still important in people's eyes. It's definitely important in my eyes. Everyone in Pennsylvania knows it's been around for awhile and some of the best of the best have played in this game.”
This is the 59th year for the Big 33, which can boast that every Super Bowl has had at least one former player. For the third straight year, Maryland will be Pennsylvania's opponent in the all-star game, which starts at 7 p.m. The WPIAL placed 13 players on Pennsylvania's roster, which includes 33 players and one kicker. Both Pennsylvania quarterbacks are from the WPIAL: South Fayette's Brett Brumbaugh (Duquesne) and West Allegheny's Andrew Koester (St. Francis [Pa.]).
Penn State has four players on the roster: Altoona defensive end Kevin Givens, Great Valley defensive end Ryan Buchholz, Governor Mifflin linebacker Jan Johnson and George Washington defensive end Shareef Miller. Coatesville defensive back Jay Stocker is the lone Pitt recruit.
The late-June date causes trouble for some recruits. “I had to talk to my college coaches before I committed to the game,” said Hudanick, a 6-foot-5, 305-pound tackle. “One of my line coaches at UCF used to coach at Temple, so he's been around here. He knows a little about the Big 33 game and how big of an honor it actually is. He said definitely go for it.”
The commitment requires more than one day. The players arrive this weekend and spend seven days in Harrisburg and Hershey. Along with practice sessions, the players take part in team-building activities and community outreach events. Each player spends the week living with a host family.
The Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association chooses the roster in January, shortly after the PIAA championships. To be picked, a player's coach must be a member of the PSFCA, must submit a nomination form and provide online game video. More than three dozen PSFCA coaches separate into committees and review the nominees, picking players for the Big 33 and the PSFCA East-West Game (May 3).
“We've gotten better because of technology,” said Central Valley coach Mark Lyons, who's active in the PSFCA. “In the old days, you were popping in DVDs and VHS tapes. Now you can do a little bit of the legwork prior to (the selection meeting) on Hudl.”
The rosters released in February changed in four months. Pine-Richland's Ben DiNucci (Pitt) and Central Catholic's Johnny Petrishen (Penn State) were among those on the original roster but no longer are. “By the time kids get to June, they're ready for college,” Lyons said. “The other big-time states play their games in January or February when the iron's still hot. We can't do that here.”
Hudanick expects to have a collection of family, friends and former coaches in the stands. “I've been jacked for awhile about this,” Hudanick said. “I'm excited to actually start knocking some heads around and get back into it. … My (college) coach said it would give me a little bit of a transition and a taste right before I head off to college.”
Read more: http://triblive.com/sports/hssports/football/8542308-74/central-game-hudanick#ixzz3d3b4bHVF
