Pa. squad aims to snap losing skid at 40th annual Penn-Ohio All-Star Football Classic

By: Greg Macafee
Tuesday, June 25, 2019 | 5:45 PM

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Football players from Pennsylvania and Ohio will square off at Geneva College’s Reeves Field in Beaver Falls on Wednesday for the 40th annual Penn-Ohio All-Star Football Classic.

The two teams will kick off around 7 p.m., and the Pennsylvania squad will be looking for its first win in three years. Last year, Ohio squeaked out a victory, defeating the Keystone State, 22-20.

The Pennsylvania team will be made up of players accustomed to winning over the course of their high school careers and turned in highlight-worthy senior seasons.

To start, look for this year’s Pennsylvania team to be run heavy. Aliquippa’s Avante Mackenzie, Rochester’s Noah Whiteleather and Darius Goosby, and Riverside’s LeMarcus Cleckley will provide a bruising and athletic backfield that could eat up chunks of yards throughout the evening. The four runners combined for more than 5,700 yards last season.

With OLSH’s Tyler Bradley and Beaver’s Brodie List as the team’s quarterbacks, expect Pennsylvania’s offense to also attack through the air. The pair combined for 4,551 passing yards in 2018.

Pennsylvania also will showcase several defensive standouts, including Freedom’s Cody Ross, Quaker Valley’s Jeremy McCoy and Blackhawk’s Jordan Wright, among others.

In total, 24 players from around the WPIAL will be competing:

Aliquippa: Avante Mackenzie (RB/SS), Deoveon Crute (WR/DB)

Beaver Falls: Dante Collins (TE/OLB), Devin Little (OL/DL)

Blackhawk: Sammy Fusetti (WR/DB), Carmen Campagna (WR/DB), Austin Nicely (OL/DL), Jordan Wright (OL/DL)

Beaver: Brodie List (QB/LB), Noah Yates (RB/OLB)

Central Valley: Anthony Mendicino (WR/DB), Jesse Shively (RB/OLB)

Cornell: Corey Johns (OL/DL)

Fort Cherry: Nick Ruperto (K), Zach Vicenti (TE/LB), Brennan Shiel (OL/DL)

Freedom: Cody Ross (RB/LB), Tanner Boyer (OL/DL)

Hopewell: Connor Forrest (OL/DL)

Moon: Ramone Dean (WR/DB), Jon Nucctelli (OL/DL)

Mohawk: Nate McCutcheon (WR/DB), Braydon Cameron (RB/LB), Parker Lyons (OL/DL)

New Brighton: Caleb Shuler (WR/DB), Ashton Fath (WR/DB)

OLSH: Richard Banks (WR/DB), Tyler Bradley (QB/DB)

Quaker Valley: Isaac Guss (RB/LB), Jeremy McCoy (OL/DL)

Riverside: LeMarcus Cleckley (RB/DB)

Rochester: Noah Whiteleather (RB/DB), Darius Goosby (TE/OLB), Kaden Mersing (OL/DL)

South Side: Josh Hillard (OL/DL)

Tags: Aliquippa, Beaver, Beaver Falls, Blackhawk, Central Valley, Cornell, Fort Cherry, Freedom, Hopewell, Mohawk, Moon, New Brighton, Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, Quaker Valley, Riverside, Rochester, South Side