In the eighth annual Varischetti All-Star game, the Allegheny Mountain League will look to get back-to-back victories and continue its reign of dominance over the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference, aiming for win number six. The Varischetti All-Star game began in 2016 with a tradition of recognizing the graduating student-athletes from the 22 District 9 League schools. “It’s a little bit younger than some of these other All-Star games in the area, but it has the same goal and it raises money for scholarships. It gives the players another place to play after they’ve graduated, to kind of showcase some of their talents,” said Troy Cook, who will be coaching the AML. “I think it’s an All-Star game that’s really gained a lot of respect in the area in the short time of its existence.” While the AML boasts five wins to KSAC’s two, recent years have produced tightly-contested battles. In 2022, the AML won 21-13 while in 2021, KSAC squeaked out a 14-12 victory. The AML will play as the North team, consisting of players from Bradford, Brockway, Bucktail, Cameron County, Coudersport, Elk County Catholic, Kane, Otto-Eldred, Port Allegany, Ridgway, Sheffield, Smethport and St. Marys. KSAC will be represented by the South team, and include Brookville, Central Clarion, DuBois, Karns City, Keystone, Moniteau, Punxsutawney, Redbank Valley and Union/AC Valley. To select the All-Stars, coaches nominated their players to an All-Star committee, who eventually whittle it down to a pool of players. Unlike the Big 30 selection process, the committee then sends the finalized list of players back to the coaches who then pick the official 33-man rosters. The committee, however, does select the head coaches for both teams. Leading the North team for the first time will be Cook, head coach of O-E’s football team. Coaching the South will be Bob Rottman of Moniteau. “It’s been great for us so far. Just to get to know the players and see their work ethic, it’s easy to understand what made all these guys the best players on their teams and the best players in the area,” said Cook, who will be coaching one of his own in Isaac Shaw, a guard from O-E. “(My coaching staff and I) have probably been able to learn just as much from them or maybe more than they’ve learned from us. It’s been a really rewarding experience for us so far.” Practice for the All-Star game, which will take place on Friday at 7 p.m. on Frank Varischetti Field in Brockway, began last Sunday. Players and coaches practiced three times throughout the week, where they formed their rosters. “You get the roster handed to you and you might be a little slight at certain positions and a little heavy in others. When we first got the roster, we had like five defensive linemen and 15 linebackers,” said Cook on piecing the lineups together. “We just basically went through the first day and asked kids if there was anyone willing to make the switch and, it kind of speaks to the character of the kids, we had a bunch of kids raise their hands and say their willing to give it a try if that’s what we need to do to win the game.” The two quarterbacks for the North will be Charlie Coudriet, from St. Marys, and Drew Evens from Port Allegany. Coudreit will be joined by fellow Dutchmen Logan Mosier, Clay Grazioli, Carter Chadsey and Eli Rippey, while Evens will have three of his teammates alongside him in Noah Archer, Gavin Burgess and the reigning Big 30 Defensive Player of the Year, Blaine Moses. The North team will also feature Lucas Luktash and Alex Gangloff (Bradford), Cameron Klebacha, David Anderson, Isaac Dellaquila and Joe Tettis (Elk County Catholic), Addison Plants, Ricky Zampogna, Aaron Smith, Landon Darr and Scott Szymanski (Kane) and Jameson Britton and Eyan Smith (Cameron County). The night will not solely be about football, however, as scholarships will be awarded to players prior to kickoff. Courtesy of the Frank Varischetti Foundations, 20 scholarships will be awarded. Throughout the seven years of its existence, over $100,000 has been awarded. “I think this game means a lot. I just know from talking with the players this week that it’s a big opportunity and a big honor for them to be selected,” said Cook. “For a lot of guys, this might be the last time that they’re playing football in their lives, so I don’t think that they’re taking this opportunity lightly. I think we’ll see good performances from everybody tomorrow night.”

In the eighth annual Varischetti All-Star game, the Allegheny Mountain League will look to get back-to-back victories and continue its reign of dominance over the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference, aiming for win number six.

The Varischetti All-Star game began in 2016 with a tradition of recognizing the graduating student-athletes from the 22 District 9 League schools.

“It’s a little bit younger than some of these other All-Star games in the area, but it has the same goal and it raises money for scholarships. It gives the players another place to play after they’ve graduated, to kind of showcase some of their talents,” said Troy Cook, who will be coaching the AML. “I think it’s an All-Star game that’s really gained a lot of respect in the area in the short time of its existence.”

While the AML boasts five wins to KSAC’s two, recent years have produced tightly-contested battles. In 2022, the AML won 21-13 while in 2021, KSAC squeaked out a 14-12 victory.

The AML will play as the North team, consisting of players from Bradford, Brockway, Bucktail, Cameron County, Coudersport, Elk County Catholic, Kane, Otto-Eldred, Port Allegany, Ridgway, Sheffield, Smethport and St. Marys. KSAC will be represented by the South team, and include Brookville, Central Clarion, DuBois, Karns City, Keystone, Moniteau, Punxsutawney, Redbank Valley and Union/AC Valley.

To select the All-Stars, coaches nominated their players to an All-Star committee, who eventually whittle it down to a pool of players. Unlike the Big 30 selection process, the committee then sends the finalized list of players back to the coaches who then pick the official 33-man rosters.

The committee, however, does select the head coaches for both teams. Leading the North team for the first time will be Cook, head coach of O-E’s football team. Coaching the South will be Bob Rottman of Moniteau.

“It’s been great for us so far. Just to get to know the players and see their work ethic, it’s easy to understand what made all these guys the best players on their teams and the best players in the area,” said Cook, who will be coaching one of his own in Isaac Shaw, a guard from O-E. “(My coaching staff and I) have probably been able to learn just as much from them or maybe more than they’ve learned from us. It’s been a really rewarding experience for us so far.”

Practice for the All-Star game, which will take place on Friday at 7 p.m. on Frank Varischetti Field in Brockway, began last Sunday. Players and coaches practiced three times throughout the week, where they formed their rosters.

“You get the roster handed to you and you might be a little slight at certain positions and a little heavy in others. When we first got the roster, we had like five defensive linemen and 15 linebackers,” said Cook on piecing the lineups together. “We just basically went through the first day and asked kids if there was anyone willing to make the switch and, it kind of speaks to the character of the kids, we had a bunch of kids raise their hands and say their willing to give it a try if that’s what we need to do to win the game.”

The two quarterbacks for the North will be Charlie Coudriet, from St. Marys, and Drew Evens from Port Allegany. Coudreit will be joined by fellow Dutchmen Logan Mosier, Clay Grazioli, Carter Chadsey and Eli Rippey, while Evens will have three of his teammates alongside him in Noah Archer, Gavin Burgess and the reigning Big 30 Defensive Player of the Year, Blaine Moses.

The North team will also feature Lucas Luktash and Alex Gangloff (Bradford), Cameron Klebacha, David Anderson, Isaac Dellaquila and Joe Tettis (Elk County Catholic), Addison Plants, Ricky Zampogna, Aaron Smith, Landon Darr and Scott Szymanski (Kane) and Jameson Britton and Eyan Smith (Cameron County).

The night will not solely be about football, however, as scholarships will be awarded to players prior to kickoff. Courtesy of the Frank Varischetti Foundations, 20 scholarships will be awarded. Throughout the seven years of its existence, over $100,000 has been awarded.

“I think this game means a lot. I just know from talking with the players this week that it’s a big opportunity and a big honor for them to be selected,” said Cook. “For a lot of guys, this might be the last time that they’re playing football in their lives, so I don’t think that they’re taking this opportunity lightly. I think we’ll see good performances from everybody tomorrow night.”