By HUNTER O. LYLE
The last time Shane Magee walked off the football field in full pads and uniform, it was in pain.
In his final campaign suiting up for Otto-Eldred, Magee was the Terrors’ gameplan: a mobile quarterback with equal parts speed on the ground and precision through the air and the fulcrum of the Blue and Gold playbook. However, in Week Five of his senior season, his year came to an abrupt end, suffering a season-ending shoulder injury and being relegated to a role on the sidelines.
Flash forward ten months and Magee is back on the gridiron, earning a shot at redemption. Swapping his familiar Blue and Gold threads for Red and White, he will return to the pocket, leading the charge for Pennsylvania in the annual Big 30 Charities Classic.
“This means everything to me. My brothers had a chance to play (in the Big 30) and for me, coming to these games as a kid, you really see these guys as the all stars,” said Magee, who tallied 736 passing yards and 509 rushing yards in just over four games. “You’d look up to them and one day hope to be in this game. Now, I’m on the team, a team full of great people.”
Another person on the Keystone sidelines with some history in the ‘big game’ is the man running the show, head coach Ryan Yingling.
After leading Smethport to their most winningest season in recent history, Yingling finally gets his chance to hold the clipboard and whistle, a position he’s always circled but never held. Growing up in the area, Yingling first earned a roster spot during his senior season back in 1996 before returning to the game as an assistant coach in 2016. Ten years later, he now completes the gauntlet by taking a spot at the helm.
“To be honest, even being asked to coach this game was an honor and should be considered nothing less,” said Yingling. “For my staff and for myself, we want to represent PA and Big 30 and represent that tradition and what it means. To be able to support such a good charity that Big 30 contributes to through the game of football, it means a lot to us.”
The pair entered Pennsylvania’s roster for the Orange and White in a pool of 12 athletes representing local talent.
Like Smethport, Port Allegany also sends a duo to the Big 30 Charities Classic in Julian Kaple (RB/WR/OLB) and Brayden Babcock (T/C/G/DT). The Otto-Eldred/Oswayo Valley co-op will be showcasing four, a group that includes Magee (QB/S), Dawson Welch (WR/CB/S), Colby Wilcox (G/DT) and Erik Gray (C/MLB/OLB), while Bradford will also have four players return to their home field for one last time. The Owls will be represented by Andrew Girodano (TE/G/OLB/MLB), Sean Ward (TE/G/OLB/MLB), Jacob Abers (C/G/T/DT/DE) and Logan Kohler (WR/RB/CB/S).
Stretching beyond the local scope, St. Marys and Eisenhower both hold the lions’ share of the roster spots, each sending six athletes, followed by Warren and Kane with three, Coudersport with two and Cameron County and Ridgway with one each, respectively.
“Fortunatley for us, this group of kids, really from day one, we started to notice that they were continuously were encouraging each other towards the goal that they have in mind,” said Yingling. “To be able to coach them has actually been very easy because they’ve gelled together since day one, they’ve bought into both offensive and defensive systems and it’s been a very pleasurable experience coaching this group.”
Coupling their heavy presence in the trenches with the speed and athleticism of players like Magee – the team’s lone quarterback on the roster – and Kohler, a substantial portion of Yingling’s plan of attack comes from their ability to get down field and get down field quickly.
“This year, we’ve had a lot of kids have great opportunities with college offers and work opportunities, which comes with restrictions on being able to play,” said Yingling, “so everything has been resting on Shane’s shoulders. But from what we can see, that kid is hungry. We’re very impressed with him.
“One thing that we do have this year, particularly on offense, is team speed,” continued Yingling. “They are locked in and just really easy to coach. Smart, easy to coach and they come down hill. Speed is one thing we’re going to try to take advantage of. That’s probably our biggest asset.”
After one more practice on Friday, Yingling and Co. will set their sights on Saturday, where the Big 30 Charities Classic will enter its 54th contest. The festivities will begin at 4 p.m. with a parade before kickoff at Bradford Area High School at 7 p.m.
As a cherry on top, Yingling has two of his own joining him on the field in Jonah Ganoe (RB/S/OLB) and Clayton Kiser (TE/FB/DE). On offense, Ganoe had a standout season as the Hubbers’ primary offensive weapon, recording 1,338 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns, while Kiser reinforced the team’s defense with 43 total tackles, 30 of which came individually.
Despite all the celebrations and flair, the importance of Saturday night is underscored by a turn in recent history. After tying the game’s all-time series last year, New York will look to pull ahead in the records book for the first time ever with a fourth consecutive Big 30 win. However, with a few more days still to go, Yingling isn’t sweating it, at least not outwardly.
For a man entwined in the event’s history, putting forth a good team and a good effort is enough to fulfill the moment.
“Obviously, my job is primarily to secure a win for Pennsylvania. That’s obviously our goal, but what we’re trying to do is, we want a good competition, good sportsmanship and hopefully at the end of that, PA comes out on top,” said Yingling. “But, any kid that I coach, you have to win with class and lose with class. So our goal is set on a win, but how we’re going into it is, whatever happens, whatever the scoreboard says at the end, we’re going to play our game.”
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