Big 33 features plenty of WPIAL talent

By: HSSN Staff
Friday, June 15, 2018 | 6:15 PM

McKeesport's Carlinos Acie and Layton Jordan get to play one more high school football game together Saturday.

But don't expect to see the two in the same offensive backfield for Team Pennsylvania in the 61st Annual Big 33 Football Classic even though they combined for more than 2,100 yards for the Tigers last fall.

Jordan, a Temple recruit, will be at linebacker, and Acie, a Naval Academy commit, will be at running back when the squad meets Team Maryland at 7 p.m. at Central Dauphin Middle School's Landis Field.

“Carlinos is doing well at running back,” said Team Pennsylvania assistant coach Joe Cowart, who is New Castle's coach. “Jordan is at outside linebacker and, wow, is he fun to watch. He is so big, fast and aggressive.”

Central Catholic's David Green might see some carries. A starter on the defensive line for Team Pennsylvania, the Pitt recruit will make a cameo as a fullback.

“David Green looks really good,” said Canon-McMillan's Mike Evans, who is coaching Team Pennsylvania's offensive linemen. “He's been giving us fits in practice.”

State College's Brandon Clark has local ties, too. His father, Bruce, is a former New Castle and Penn State star who played in the NFL. Brandon, a wide receiver, plans to follow in his father's footsteps and play at Penn State this fall.

“Bruce has been in town all week, so it's been nice to catch up with him,” Cowart said. “Brandon was voted captain of the team Thursday, and it's been an absolute pleasure watching him work all week.”

Penn-Trafford's Will Mayr, an IUP commit, will play defensive end for Team Pennsylvania.

“I think the PSFCA is unbelievably first class the whole way. They put you in a very positive environment. The kids, coaches and people around the program take it seriously. It's an honor to be a part of it, from a coaching perspective,” Cowart said. “The kids lucky enough to be selected to be here, they are all in. The fact you are representing your state, your home school and yourself, the kids buy into that. When you get a group of guys who don't know each other, it's fun to watch them come together. We have guys from all over the state, and it's really fun to watch them interact. Collectively, we've been having an absolute blast.”

The team got together for a weekend in April and began preparation at Central Dauphin East High School last weekend.

“Most of these kids haven't been doing a lot of football the last few months. There's a lot of kids just getting their legs back. Practices were pretty heated the first couple days, but they've settled in and I think they have a pretty good grasp of what we're trying to do,” Evans said. “We are working on everything. A lot of all-star games, it's all about just getting out there and trying to make sure you know where you're going. We've been working hard and teaching technique and making details matter. We've been pretty hard on them about executing and getting things right. For an all-star game, we're not trying to gather guys together and hope everything is all right. I think the kids have learned some things that'll help them as they progress.

“We keep hearing out of Maryland's camp that this is the best team they've had in years. We have some pretty good players, too, and feel real good about things.”

Joe Sager is a freelance writer.