CUMBERLAND COUNTY, Pa. — Steel-High senior Alex Erby knows what sacrifice looks like. He wanted to increase his mobility and fitness as a sophomore when he weighed 250 pounds. Alex committed himself to three workouts a day and did the extra work his coaches didn't ask him to do to reach a level worthy of being selected to play in the 67th PSFCA Big 33 Football Classic.
Once he was selected, there were a few other sacrifices.
“I’m missing a little bit of prom preparation, missing getting haircuts and little things like that," Erby said. "I was a little late on finding a suit but other than that, I mean this is the Super Bowl of high school football, so you have to make those risks on and off the field to be able to come and perform at a high level in this game.”
His next stop is to play football at the Naval Academy. He said his coaches there are supportive of his decision to play in the Big 33.
That's not always the case with college coaches but this year's group has been given the thumbs up.
"Hats off to all of our colleges in our region," said Big 33 Team Pennsylvania Head Coach Tom Gravish. "We have Penn Staters in there, Coach Franklin is not saying they can’t play. We have a couple of Pitt football players, Coach Narduzzi is allowing them to play. We have the Naval Academy, we have West Point, Army, we got them all over the place. West Virginia, Indiana University, the list just goes on and on."
It's a prestigious honor to be chosen for this game, for players and coaches. What they quickly find out is that this experience leads to lifelong connections.
"It’s amazing, I had the opportunity to coach in the ’97 game and the guys that I coached with in that game are my dear friends to this day," explained Big 33 Executive Director Garry Cathell. "It was guys from all over the state, the staff was much smaller at that time, we just had a great time. The players come together and bond and understand that they're representing the state. That group of 38 will be right in the picture of things with what’s going on Memorial Day weekend, a big event for them so it’s exciting for everybody.”
The PSFCA Big 33 Football Classic takes place on Sunday, May 26 at Cumberland Valley High School. Kickoff against Team Maryland is at 7 p.m.