Photos courtesy of Matt Topper
MECHANICSBURG, PA — The scoreboard said it was final, and it was for a lot of players participating in the Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association (PSFCA) East-West Small School All-Star game at Cumberland Valley’s Chapman Field on Sunday.
What will remain was the sweaty reminder of how much each player loved football—and what drew them to the game in the first place.
The West All-Stars beat the East, 27-24, thanks to a 1-yard touchdown pass from Loyalsock’s Tyler Gee to eventual West MVP Joey Wilkinson, from Hanover, with 5 seconds to play.
That almost seemed inconsequential to the way both teams went at each other, and in the exciting way the game ended.
Palmerton 6-foot, 195-pound quarterback Matt Machalik was the East All-Star MVP, after completing five of seven passes for 115 yards and two touchdowns, which included a Hail Mary 31-yard strike go-ahead score to Steelton-Highspire’s Durrell Ceasar, Jr. with 4:44 to play.
“This is it, that was the last one, it’s now off to Lehigh for Lehigh,” Machalik said. “This was my last high school football game. I know that will not sink in for a while. But it was great playing with these guys from different schools. We are not together very long, but you create a bond there. It’s been fun.
“We had two practices, and we made the most of those practices. I was playing backyard football, and it was a lot of fun. I had playmakers and they were great. The pass to Ceasar was improv. I just threw it up. I have track coming up for states (in the 100 and 4X100 relay). I’m going to miss it.”
Machalik reports to Lehigh on July 29, he said. He also stressed he can not wait to take the next step in his football life. The Mountain Hawks finished 2-9 overall last season. Coach Kevin Cahill will begin his second season and Machalik is excited to be a part of the new culture Cahill is attempting to build at Lehigh.
On the West side, Wilkinson will next head to East Stroudsburg in the PSFCA, and Gee will be playing next at Robert Morris. Wilkinson, listed at 5-11, 170, caught a game-high three passes for 52 yards, including the game-winning score, while Gee completed 4 of 7 for 49 yards and two touchdowns.
“I could not have asked for a better way to end my high school career than this,” Wilkinson said. “It could not have been a better ending. We practiced twice and the environment was really laid back. You get to create new friends, and we did not know each other too long, and we played hard. In the end, it did feel like November with the intensity.
“I’ll take away the friendships I made and how this ended.”
Gee has one more local all-star game to play in, the District 4 North-South game. Gee will play with guys who he grew up playing football with.
“This was a lot of fun playing in this game,” Gee said. “This game is more fun than preparation. I am the type of quarterback who likes to prepare. There is not a lot of prep that goes into this, so you have to change your mindset. And it was a nice way to go out. That was a prepared play, something we actually ran a few times in the past few weeks.
“Going up against one of the best quarterbacks in the state (Machalik), it makes this a little sweet. We obviously see each other’s names everywhere. He is going to Lehigh and it is cool to play against players like that.”
The game took a few turns.
West led, 21-7, late in the second quarter, after three unanswered TDs on Da’sjon Craggette’s 49 run, and pair of touchdown receptions from Loyalsock’s Jamaire Harden, who caught a six-yard pass from Eion Snider and a 32-yard score from his Loyalsock teammate Gee.
What busted the game open was the fourth quarter.
The West goal-line stand stuffed an East attempt to score, but when Craggette was taken down in the end zone for a safety, followed by Machalik’s improvised 31-yard TD Ceasar, Jr. on a third-and-12 play, East led 24-21 with 4:44 left to play.
Gee drove West back, reaching the one with 5 seconds to play.
Considering it was an all-star game, West head coach Roger Beitel, from Ligonier Valley, opted to go for the win. Gee hit Wilkinson on a little out pattern in the end zone, and the West team went home happy.
Actually, both teams did.
The many who played high school football for the last time.
Scoring Summary
West 7 14 0 6-27
East 7 7 0 10-24
1st Quarter
East – Matt Machalik 11 run (Mina Elzek kick), 3:36
West – Da’sjon Craggette 49 run (Evan Baker kick), 2:43
2nd Quarter
West – Jamaire Harden 6 pass from Eion Snider (Baker kick), 3:42
West – Harden 32 pass from Tyler Gee (Baker kick), 1:12
East – Kameron Chisholm 16 pass from Machalik (Elzek kick), :06 .
4th Quarter
East – SAFETY (Craggette tackled in end zone), 7:12
East – Durrell Ceasar, Jr. 31 pass from Machalik (Kameron Chisholm pass from Machalik), 4:44
West – Joey Wilkinson 1 pass from Gee (kick blocked), :05
Joseph Santoliquito is an award-winning sportswriter who has been covering high school football since 1992 and is the president of the Boxing Writers Association of America. He can be followed on Twitter @JSantoliquito. Follow EasternPAFootball.com on Twitter @EPAFootball.
