Area can count on Turkey Bowl

It is said that the only thing that remains truly constant is change, and, in some ways, the Turkey Bowl is no exception.

But the most fundamental and important aspects of the game - a flag football contest which benefits Easter Seals of Blair County and its work with children and adults with disabilities - have endured over a quarter-century.

The 26th annual Turkey Bowl, for which the Altoona Mirror served as chief sponsor for the second straight year, unfolded between the Bucks and Ducks Wednesday night at Mansion Park.

Wednesday's Turkey Bowl again generated a nice cash gift for Easter Seals, as players on both rosters joined forces to raise over $14,000 for the Blair County chapter.

And though attrition has played a large part in the history of the game, a core group of players on both teams have participated for a very long time.

One of them is Mark Martino, 43, an Altoona policeman who serves as one of the Ducks' co-coaches.

"We're kind of a new team overall,'' said Martino, who has been playing in the game for the past decade. "A lot of guys who played in this game when I first started are gone, but everybody who plays still looks forward to it every year. It's just a fun time.''

Players are required to raise a minimum of $250 each in sponsorship money, a rule which hasn't changed since it was first instituted back in the mid-1980s.

"And as a player, you've got all year to raise the money,'' said Bucks' co-coach Nick Castellucci of Duncansville, the general manager of Jethro's Restaurant, who has been playing in the game for over 10 years. "I think it's great to give back to Easter Seals.''

Which is really why this event means so much to the veterans and newcomers of the Turkey Bowl alike.

Steve Moore, 53, of Hopewell, has played for the past 16 years. His brother and Bucks' teammate, Wayne Moore, 46, of Roaring Spring, has participated for the past 14 years.

"Raising money for the [Easter Seals] kids is the best part of this game,'' Wayne Moore said.

Steve Moore agreed.

"We always try to do well to raise money for the kids and adults who use [Easter Seals] services,'' he said. "And we also know that none of us is invincible. None of us ever knows when they may be in need of those services themselves. You never know what life is going to throw at you.''

Over the years, the rules in the Turkey Bowl have changed somewhat as well, in order to lessen the risk of injury to players. There are no longer any kickoffs - teams now take the ball on their own 20-yard line to start play after touchdowns or at the beginning of each half - and there are now free punts and no subsequent mad dashes down the field and/or all-out contact on punt coverage.

"We all have jobs, and nobody can afford to risk serious injury playing in the game,'' pointed out Martino. "[Covering] kickoffs and punts can generate some people running down the field at a high rate of speed, and we don't want anybody getting hurt.''

That said, the games are still ultra-competitive.

Wednesday night's event bore that out, as both defenses produced a scoreless second half. The Bucks built a 19-7 lead on three first-half touchdown passes by Vince Nedimyer, and that stood up as the final score.

Nedimyer threw a 30-yard scoring toss to Tyke Steiner in the first quarter, then added a 5-yard touchdown pass to Scott Delozier in the second quarter and another 5-yard TD throw to Jeremy Guyer - who was named the game's Most Valuable Player - just three seconds before halftime.

The Ducks got on the board when former Bishop Guilfoyle standout Garrett Lestochi broke off an 80-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.

"There's always a competitive streak running through this game, but at the end of the day, everybody shakes hands,'' said former Altoona Area High School football standout T.J. Hileman, 38, a receiver with the Ducks, who has been playing in the Turkey Bowl since 1993. "Everybody in this game knows that raising money for Easter Seals is why we are all out here.''