People might not remember, but Justin King didn't play in either the PSFCA East West All-Star Football Game or the Big 33 Classic.
King never got the chance. The high school All-American cornerback from Gateway enrolled at Penn State in January, taking him out of the running to participate in either of Pennsylvania's premier all-star games.
King was in Altoona Saturday night though, looking on for the first half as his step-father, Terry Smith, coached the West to a weather-abbreviated 10-0 victory in the eighth annual PSFCA Game.
"I played in the [U.S. Army] All-American Game,'' King said. "But these games, like for Pennsylvania or in the Big 33 vs. Ohio, I wish would have been able to play in those, because it gives you bragging rights. It's a fun time playing against other great players. It's a good thing.''
King had flown in earlier in the day from St. Louis, where he's been going through mini-camp and getting ready for the moment he signs with the Rams. The Rams drafted King in the fourth round of this year's NFL Draft.
"It's been going really good,'' King said. "I'm just picking up the NFL game, picking up the playbook and all those type of things. There's something going on all day.''
King, who sat with his mother, Alison, and younger sister, Haley, during the game, was considered an eventual high draft pick coming out of high school. He raised some eyebrows, however, when he chose to enter the draft following what many following the Nittany Lions considered a subpar junior season.
"I'm extremely happy about my decision,'' King said. "Obviously, I didn't go where I expected and where I wanted to go, but everything happens for a reason. I'm happy for where I went and the opportunity I'm getting.''
