The final walk-through for Big 30 Classic is tonight
The Pennsylvania and New York Big 30 Charities Classic participants will hold their final practices tonight after last night's banquet. Team PA will be in Sheffield. The kickoff Saturday night is at 7 p.m., and the gates open at 5 p.m. at Parkway Field in Bradford.
The parade lines up at 1:30 p.m. at the Best Western.
Ridgway's Tyler Merritt (S), Dan Park (DE), Eric Salberg (RB/WR), Hunter Wall (LB), and Johnsonburg's Camron Marciniak (RB) and Kenny McKenna (DL) will represent the Elkers. Players from 13 schools make up the 41man roster.
Participants play on just one side of the ball, and quarters are 15 minutes.
Port Allegany head coach Justin Beinkowski and his staff will lead the Keystone State. The 1998 Johnsonburg graduate talked about preparing the team.
“Obviously, these guys are all-stars for a reason, so we're looking to find a good mix. Whether it's a motion running back, a power running back, a throwing quarterback, a running QB, or whatever it may be. I think it took us a couple of days to figure it out, but we really liked our plan once we did. Practices have been efficient, and they've put themselves in a position to be ready to play the game, and Saturday's all about showtime.”
The teams began official workouts last Monday in Bradford.
The series, which started in 1974, is tied 22-22-3. PA has won four of the last five, and a win would give the state the lead for the first time. In 2019, the game ended 27-27, and there was no contest in 2020 due to COVID.
Proceeds from the annual event are donated to individuals in need and charitable organizations in McKean, Elk, Cameron, Potter, and Warren in Pennsylvania and Allegany, Cattaraugus, and Chautauqua counties in New York. Since the game started in 1974, over 1.8 million dollars have been donated.
A preview of the contest will appear in Saturday's edition.