Conaboy, Repshis to participate in Big 33

As Abington Heights High School senior Sal Conaboy prepared for his collegiate football career at The University of Maryland, he didn’t think he would get a chance to work closely with his high school head coach anytime soon.

As it turns out, both he and his coach—Joe Repshis—will hit the field together one last time, and on this occasion, it will be for one of the nation’s most celebrated and prestigious high school football events.

Conaboy, an offensive lineman for the Comets, has been selected to participate in the 53rd annual Big 33 Football Classic. Sponsored by PNC, the game will pit the top senior football players from across Pennsylvania against their counterparts from the state of Ohio. This year’s contest is set to take place on Saturday, June 19, at Hersheypark Stadium. Conaboy will be joined on the Pennsylvania squad by Repshis, who was picked to serve as an assistant coach on the team.

“Coach Repshis called me last Saturday and told me that I had been selected,” Conaboy said. “It’s a huge honor for me. If you just look at some of the players who have been there in the past, the names are incredible.”

According to the game’s Web site, the Big 33 Classic is often referred to as “The Super Bowl of high school football” and all 43 Super Bowl games played to date have featured at least one alumnus from the Big 33 game on the rosters of the competing teams. The list of alumni from the game’s history includes Dan Marino, Matt Millen, Marvin Harrison and Ben Roethlisberger.

The game has always featured two teams of high school all-stars, using various formats for selecting teams before settling on the current Pennsylvania vs. Ohio alignment in 1993. Since then, the Pennsylvania team has held a 9-8 advantage over their counterparts from the Buckeye State.

This year Conaboy will play on the same team as Tyler Smith, a quarterback from Wilson Area in the Lehigh Valley, who is also headed to Maryland this year.

“Everyone here is going to be on the same page…big, strong and fast,” Conaboy said. “It’s the best football players in Pennsylvania and Ohio out there. You can’t get better than that.”

For Repshis, the selection to serve as an assistant coach comes as a tremendous honor. Having been notified of his selection just after Christmas, Repshis is looking forward not just to the game, but also to the week of football camps and community service events that accompany the event.

“To me, the opportunity to coach in the Big 33 Game is much more than a game, it is about being involved in the community and working with some of the finest young athletes in Pennsylvania,” Repshis said. “It a tremendous honor for me.”

With his selection, Conaboy becomes the first Abington Heights player selected to the game since Repshis took over as head coach of the program prior to the 2005 season. Conaboy is also the only player from District II to be selected to play.

AJ Sports

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