Sometime Saturday night, maybe minutes after the 52nd Big 33 Football Classic, or possibly hours later, it will sink into Brock DeCicco. The annual all-star football game, pitting the best players from Pennsylvania against the best from Ohio, will be the last high school football game DeCicco will ever play.
The 6-foot-5, 230-pound tight end/defensive end leaves Thomas Jefferson already with a boatload of accolades, including consecutive PIAA Class AAA state titles, and a football scholarship to Pittsburgh.
Brock DeCicco, Thomas Jefferson
Photo by George M. Powers
But DeCicco lived and breathed high school football. It was part of his life—like eating. The interesting thing about this year’s Big 33 game, played Saturday at HersheyPark Stadium at 7 p.m., is that it marks the first time DeCicco has ever played in a football all-star game.
There has never been a Super Bowl without a Big 33 Alumni. Some of the most well-known alums include: Tony Dorsett, Matt Millen, Joe Montana, Joe Namath, John Cappelletti, Dan Marino, Jim Kelly, Rocket Ismail, Kerry Collins and more recently Kyle Brady, Orlando Pace, Ricky Watters, Antonio Freeman, Ed McCaffrey, Marvin Harrison, Sean Gilbert, Curtis Martin and 2009 Super Bowl Champion, Ben Roethlisberger.
“It’s really all kind of tough to believe, me now on a list with all the greats that have played in this game,” DeCicco said. “This is the biggest all-star football game in Pennsylvania—and it’s my first football all-star game. I played in different all-star basketball games before, and I never really thought about it until now, but it will be my last high school football game.
“That’s something I never really thought about, but it’s certainly creeping up. I just feel like I’m moving on to college, and a chapter in my life is ending. It feels like everything is flying by so fast. I don’t know, sometimes I want everything to slow down, but I want that challenge of seeing other things, like playing college football. I suppose I’ll take the time Saturday night, maybe Sunday morning and look back. Everything else ended so fast.”
DeCicco won’t have much time to reflect. He’s headed immediately off to Pitt Sunday afternoon, where he’ll join his older brother, Dom, who also played in the Big 33 game after graduating from Thomas Jefferson. Dom is projected to start at strong safety for the Panthers this fall.
Brock, the youngest of three boys, was recruited as a tight end at Pitt. Though the Cougars were primarily a run-oriented team, DeCicco caught 25 passes this season and 11 touchdowns, which translated into a scoring reception almost every two passes he caught.
It’s been non-stop for him since graduating Jefferson on June 10, immersing himself in the weight room, where he’s working out now with 225 pounds for sets of eight, the strongest he’s been in his life. This week he’s been involved with fullpad two-a-days practices in preparation for the Big 33, sometimes in 85-degree heat.
While his friends have been sucking up the sun and enjoying the time off before college in September, all DeCicco has done is work on getting ready for Pitt and the Big 33 game.
Some graduating high school athletes might think of this as a sacrifice and might pass on playing in an all-star game to enjoy a portion of their summer.
Not DeCicco.
“In a way, there are sacrifices you have to make,” said DeCicco, who chose Pitt over Wisconsin, Illinois and Iowa. “I just graduated on June 10, and here I’m playing in the Big 33. This whole week would have been my summer. I’m playing Saturday night in the Big 33. I’ll get home Sunday, and then I leave for Pitt. You think about why you’re doing this; you think about playing at Pitt. But I wanted to play football at a major college, and it’s what I always wanted to do. This is what it involves.
“The down time is the time you work to get better. I’ll remember this time of my life, the back-to-back state championships and playing with all my friends. I’ll never forget that. What’s going to be really cool is that a lot of my friends and family will be there at the [Big 33] game.”
There to share DeCicco’s last moments on a high school football field. He won’t get emotional, but he will try and absorb a final page in a fun chapter of his life.
Joseph Santoliquito covers high schools for the Philadelphia Daily News and is a frequent contributor to MaxPreps.com. He can be contacted at JSantoliquito@yahoo.com.
