By Tom Fox
MaxPreps.com
HERSHEY – It's like a passage of summer in the states of Pennsylvania and Ohio.
The best football athletes unify together, and try to stake claim that their respective states are the power in high school football.
The 51st annual PNC Big 33 game will be held at 7 p.m. Saturday, at HersheyPark Stadium in Hershey, Pa.
Originating in 1957, the Big 33 game is one of the nation's finest and more unique games and some experts have deemed it the “The Super Bowl of High School Football.”
Heading into the 2008 game, Pennsylvania holds a slim, 8-7 lead over its neighbor to the west.
The alumni of the game is more like a who's who list with players like Tony Dorsett, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, Marvin Harrison and Ben Roethlisberger all participating in the game during their scholastic high school careers.
Pennsylvania has won the last two meetings, including last season's 28-10 victory.
Pa.'s Most Valuable Player Dan Persa finished with 65 runs on 11 rushes with two touchdowns, and one passing score, while Ohio's MVP was B.J. Cunningham with four receptions for 120 yards and one rush for 16 yards.
In the game, Ohio jumped out to a quick, 3-0 lead on a field goal by Nick Spadafore and held a 10-7 lead after quarterback Perci Garner fired a 57-yard touchdown pass to Wisconsin recruit Kyle Jefferson.
That's when Persa took over.
He completed 20-plus yard passes to Derek Moye and Daryl Robinson, and capped off the drive with a short QB sneak, putting Pennsylvania up for good.
A Persa-to-Moye touchdown in the back of the endzone, and a 1-yard run by Pitt recruit Henry Hynoski put the final score to 28-10.
There's no shortage of talent in the 2008 game.
The Pennsylvania squad is led by Parkland coach Jim Morgans, and has six Penn State recruits on the roster: Pete Massaro, David Soldner, Matt Stankiewitch, Brandon Ware, Mark Wedderburn and Mike Yancich.
There's no shortage of Pitt recuits either as seven will play for the resurgent Panthers: Jonathan Baldwin, Jarred Holley, Antwuan Reed, Cameron Saddler, Mike Shanahan, Tino Sunseri and Andrew Taglianetti.
Although Pennsylvania superstar Terrelle Pryor won't play in the game, there's no shortage of talent at the QB spot with Parkland's John Laub and Pittsburgh Central Catholic's Sunseri expected to take most of the snaps.
The Ohio squad is led by Olmsted Fall's Jim Ryan, and of course, you expect to see the Big 10 flavor throughout. The 2008 squad is no exception as 13 kids are heading to universities in that conference.
Five players have committed to Ohio State – Ben Buchanan, Nathan Williams, Shawntel Rowell, Nic DiLillo and Taylor Rice – while four are heading to the rival Michigan Wolverines: Taylor Hill, Michael Shaw II, Elliott Mealer and Roy Roundtree.
Calling the snaps for Ryan's team will be Mentor's Bart Tanski, a Bowling Green recruit, and Ada's Zac Dysert, a Miami-Ohio recruit.