Two head coaches who have led high school football programs to extraordinary, benchmark distinction in the recent past will be on opposite sidelines Friday night, when the 54th annual Ken Lantzy Football Classic, sponsored by First Summit Bank, takes place at Johnstown’s Trojan Stadium. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.

Cambria Heights coach Jarrod Lewis, who led the Highlanders to the school’s first-ever District 6 football championship — at the Class 1A level in 2023 — and followed that up by directing Heights to the District 6 Class 2A title last season, will coach the South squad in the Lantzy Classic.

His counterpart in Friday’s game will be North team head coach Nick Felus, who became the football coach at Class 6A Neshaminy High School in District 1 earlier this year after leading Penn Cambria to a school-record 14 wins, the school’s first-ever District 6 championship, and a berth in the PIAA Class 3A state semifinals last season.

It will be the second straight season that Lewis has coached the South squad in the Lantzy Classic. The head coaches for the game are appointed by fellow coaches in the Southern Alleghenies Football Coaches Association.

“Last year was a great experience,” Lewis said. “It’s such a heck of an honor to be voted in by your peers, and to represent Cambria Heights – the school that Ken Lantzy graduated from – in this game. Coach Felus and I know each other well, so getting the opportunity to share the field and compete against him is nice.”

Felus expressed similar sentiments about being picked to be the head coach in the game.

“This game holds a special place in my heart,” Felus said. “Being able to coach in this game is very important to me, and it’s an honor and a very humbling experience to be picked by your peers to coach in a game of this magnitude.”

Both coaches will have a plethora of offensively gifted, recently graduated players at their dispatch.

The South features former Bishop Guilfoyle Academy quarterback Chase Kissell, who completed 208 of 290 passes for 3,358 yards and 40 touchdowns last season, and former BG star wideout/running back Hamilton Gates, who caught 93 passes for 1,705 yards and 19 touchdowns while rushing for 864 yards on 116 carries and 20 TDS last season as BG won its fifth PIAA Class 1A state football championship.

Northern Cambria product Ty Dumm will man the athlete’s position for the South squad, after accounting for over 3,400 combined rushing and passing yards and 36 total touchdowns last season for the Colts. Bedford grad Quincy Swaim, who will also be available at quarterback for the South, accounted for over 2,800 combined passing and rushing yards and 28 touchdowns last season.

Former Hollidaysburg standout Brady Steiner, who caught 45 passes for 797 yards and 12 touchdowns last season, will play wideout, and another former Hollidaysburg standout, Gavin Bell — who led the Tigers in receptions (49) last season — will play on defense at the safety position for the South, which will also include wideout Caleb Dolney (Northern Cambria) and running backs Sam Yanits (River Valley) and Gerald Veney, Jr. (Johnstown High School) in its offensive arsenal.

Five former Heights players will be on the South team, including offensive standout Steven Nelen, a dual rushsing-receiving threat who scored 18 touchdowns last season while accounting for over 1,200 combined yards.

“There are some really, really good football players around this area, and seeing that level of talent, along with having a great coaching staff for this game, has made this a really good week in practice and preparation,” Lewis said.

The North team is led by former Penn Cambria star Gavin Harrold, who accounted for nearly 2,000 total yards last season as a rusher/receiver while scoring a total of 34 touchdowns. Other offensive talents for the North team will include Northern Bedford graduate Vaughn Schleinkofer, who threw for 1,802 yards and 17 touchdowns last year, Forest Hills product Nate Cornell, who threw for 1,707 yards and 17 TDs last season, and Claysburg-Kimmel alum Mark Lattieri, who rushed for 1,404 yards and 17 touchdowns. Northern Bedford product Aaron Bowers, who was a four-time all-state selection at several different positions during his high school career, will play wideout for the North squad Friday. He caught 52 passes last season.

“We have so many dynamic playmakers on both sides of the ball, and we’re excited to see them showcase their talents on Friday night,” Felus said.

The game began in 1971 in honor of former Cambria Heights football player Ken Lantzy, who suffered injuries while competing in an October 1970 game that left him paralyzed and in a wheelchair. Proceeds from the game were generated initially to help Lantzy and his family to help defray the cost of his enormous medical bills, but over time, the game has also generated academic and athletic scholarship money for its participants, as well as for selected charities.

“Everything about this game is first-class,” said Lewis, who joined Felus in saluting former Windber coach Ralph DeMarco and Southern Alleghenies Football Coaches Association president Eber Verhovsek for their organization and leadership in coordinating the event. “In my opinion, this is the best all-star game around, and it’s an honor to be a part of it.”

Ken Lantzy Football Classic

When: Friday, 7 p.m.

Where: Johnstown High School’s Trojan Stadium.

TV: Game will air live on Renda TV. It can be found at Renda Digital TV dot com as well ason You Tube.

Head coaches: Cambria Heights head coach Jarrod Lewis will coach the South team, while former Penn Cambria and current Neshaminy head coach Nick Felus will direct the South team.

Series: The game began back in 1971 in honor of former Cambria Heights football player Ken Lantzy, and has continued every year since, with the exception of 2020, when it was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The South stars lead the series, 29-24.

Last season: The North team won last year’s game, 21-14 at Trojan Stadium.