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By John Hartsock
jhartsock@altoonamirror.com
Cambria Heights High School football coach Jarrod Lewis will serve as one of the two head coaches in tonight's First Summit Bank Ken Lantzy All-Star Football Classic, and he feels especially honored about the opportunity.
The game -- which features outstanding recently graduated high school players from all over this area -- was started back in 1971 to help defray medical costs for former Heights football player Ken Lantzy, who was paralyzed after suffering an injury while competing in a varsity football game for his school back in October 1970.
Lewis, who has previously served as an assistant coach in the Lantzy Classic, will be the head coach for the North All-Stars in tonight's game, which kicks off at 7 p.m. at Johnstown Area High School's Trojan Stadium.
"It's quite an honor,'' Lewis said. "I've been fortunate enough to be an assistant coach in this game a number of times, and to be a head coach is special. And the fact that Ken Lantzy is from Cambria Heights, leaves a special place in my heart for this game.''
Friday's game will be the 53rd in the history of the Lantzy Classic, which has been held annually every year since 1971, except for 2020 - the onset year of the COVID-19 pandemic. The South, which leads the all-time series 32-20, will have Northern Bedford's Garry Black as its head coach in this year's game.
"It's really a great feeling knowing that I got selected to this position by my peers and fellow coaches in the Southern Alleghenies Football Coaches Association,'' Black said. "It's a really special game, and the relationship-building is probably the coolest part of this game. Players from schools who had never previously known each other become great friends in two or three days. That's really what makes the game what it is.''
Some of the game rules -- which mandate man-to-man coverage and a 4-3 format on defense -- lend the game to becoming an offensive showcase, and that plays into the strengths of both teams this year.
The South team features former Northern Bedford quarterback Eion Snider and former Chestnut Ridge quarterback Nate Whysong, who threw for over 1,800 and 1,500 yards respectively as seniors last fall.
Adam Johnson (Northern Bedford), Brock Beppler (Bishop McCort-Carroll Catholic), and Isaiah Sosak (Tussey Mountain) will comprise the running game for the South team, which will feature Chestnut Ridge products Chase Whysong and JaRod Wolfhope, McCort-Catholic's Shaquille Ferguson, Northern Bedford's Ben Gable, and Meyersdale's Tristan Ohler at the wideout positions.
"This game is geared to be more offensive that defensive, and we've got a lot of weapons on offense, with two of the best quarterbacks in the entire western part of the state, three of the best running backs in the area, and receivers who can do some special things,'' Black said. "We've got offensive weapons galore.''
The North team also has plenty of talent, led by quarterbacks Connor Yoder of North Star and Tanner Barkley of Windber, who threw for over 2300 and 1200 yards, respectively, in their senior seasons last fall.
The North backfield will include running backs Devin Chontas of Conemaugh Valley, Easton Robertson of Richland, Cade McCully of United Valley, and Raheem Durant of Johnstown High School, while the North wideouts will be Ben Harteis of Forest Hills, Luke Feichtel of Richland, Jon Updyke and Kyler Mauzy of Conemaugh Township, and Dom Speal of River Valley.
"Participating in this game and having the kids see what it is all about is special,'' Lewis said.