Tough Blow for Big 33

By Josh Rizzo
When it comes to the Big 33 Football Classic, there seem to be more barriers popping up every year to challenge one of Pennsylvania high school football's proudest traditions.

Due to concerns with the coronavirus pandemic, a common enemy of anyone who enjoys sports or sanity in general, the Pennsylvania State Football Coaches Association was forced to cancel this year's version of the game Tuesday.

"Due to the uncertainty of the weeks ahead with the Coronavirus constraints placed upon each individual, our schools, families, and the organizations and businesses that help make this holiday weekend one of the best in the country, we cannot move forward in holding these events or our exciting football games," the group posted on their website Tuesday. "Our top priority is the health, safety and welfare of all of our participants, families, workers, sponsors, and fans."

The Big 33 features a roster of Pennsylvania's best senior football players taking players from Maryland. Since the first game was contested in 1958, Pennsylvania has had a rotating schedule of opponents. In the first contest, Pennsylvania defeated a team made up of the best players from around the country. Maryland has been Pennsylvania's foe since 2013.

Mars football coach Scott Heinauer, who is a member of the PSFCA, was disappointed to see all of the athletes lose their chance to compete.

"I hate to see any all-star game get canceled in any sport any athletes because that is something that is an honor to be selected to this type of a game," Heinauer said. "Especially the Big 33 game in football. It's an honor to get to play with all of the best players in Pa. that see you see play all year long or read about in the newspaper."

Holding the game, which pits the top prep football players in the state against the best from Maryland, has been a difficult task in recent years. The PSFCA previously saved the contest after the Big 33 Foundation went belly up, citing unsustainable debt in January 2017.

What state coaches were hoping to preserve was a unique streak started by Herb Adderley on Jan. 15, 1967 at the Los Angeles Coliseum.

By suiting up at defensive back for the Green Bay Packers in the AFL-NFL World Championship game (retroactively known as Super Bowl I), the graduate of Philadelphia's Northeast High School became the Big 33's first participant to suit up on the game's biggest stage.

There has been at least once participant from the game in every Super Bowl since. What has made things difficult to maintain such consistency is how the high school sports landscape has changed.

Competition from other all-star games has also made things more difficult to bring in top players. Mars senior defensive lineman and Notre Dame recruit Michael Carmody skipped this game to participate in the All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, and the Polynesian Bowl in Hawaii.

The Planets have had five players participate in the Big 33 in the school's history. Heinauer, who believes PSFCA president Garry Cathell does a nice job putting together the game, would like to see the game return to a matchup of Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Pennsylvania played Ohio from 1972-76 and 1993-2012 and before starting settling on its current setup with Maryland.

"I do think this game has lost its luster simply because it's very difficult to compete on a national level with some of these games nowadays," Heinauer said. "Both (of Carmody's games) were on National TV and all the costs were paid for by the sponsors. I belong to the PSFCA and do support the Big 33 All-Star football game. ... I would like to see PA play Ohio again. I always liked the game more and though interest was generated when PA played Ohio."