District graduates prepare to uphold state's football honor

Sam Werner has an update on the state's high school football all-stars:

"In the 32-year history of the Penn-Ohio Classic, Pennsylvania holds a commanding 23-9 series lead.

A statistic like that, though, doesn't quite reflect what Pennsylvania coach Don Phillips expects when his team lines up for the game's 33rd edition Friday at Springfield High School in eastern Ohio.

Over the past seven years, Pennsylvania holds just a 4-3 edge. The two sides needed overtime last year before Pennsylvania ultimately prevailed, 17-10.

"Number one, we want to win the football game," Phillips, Ellwood City's coach, said. "That's why we're there. We want to win because the kids worked real hard to represent Pennsylvania."

The Pennsylvania team is made up of players mostly hailing from Beaver County hgih schools, plus a few from western Allegheny County. The Ohio team comprises players from a few neighboring counties in eastern Ohio."