Whether it’s the high school all-star games or local honors a few local stories on some of the players on the incoming freshmen class.
Leftover from the Big 33 game, Defensive Lineman Wayne Jones got some attention. I did not know that Artrell Hawkins was his older brother.
Fullback Henry Hynoski got the love locally for his Big 33 game (hat tip, Frank).
Hynoski ran well on limited carries in tough yardage situations.
He bulled his way into the end zone to score a second-half touchdown in Pennsylvania’s 28-10 victory over Ohio.
And he pass blocked particularly well, especially considering that wasn’t a big part of his job description as the dominant player in a dominant offense at Southern.
Meanwhile, WR Maurice Williams out of Erie gets attention in Altoona. Apparently he must be the biggest name on the East-West All-star game. Well, that and he has a sister on basketball scholarship at Penn State (probably the women’s team).
Williams said he eventually picked the Panthers because they were the school that made him feel they needed him the most. Pitt has put together a couple of very good recruiting classes under Dave Wannstedt, and Williams is optimistic about the program’s future.
“These last couple of recruiting classes — especially this one — are very good. This season, we should be at least two or three games above .500,’’ Williams said. “But we have to go there and work hard and set our marks.’’
For Williams, that will involve making the transition to receiver.
Finally, in the Lancaster area, Pat Bostick does not win the local paper’s athlete of the year. That honor goes to Jordan Gibbs who will be an OL at Pitt.
But whether he was punching open holes on the offensive line for the Penn Manor football team or pouring in points on the basketball court, Gibbs was impossible to ignore.
He played a vital role on both teams, leading them to unprecedented heights in his final season.
That’s why his selection as the New Era’s Male Athlete of the Year was not a difficult choice.
“It’s an honor,” says Gibbs. “I know a lot of good athletes over the years have been given (the award) before me, and it means a lot to be named with them.”
On Sunday, Gibbs will leave Lancaster to begin the next phase of his life.
He earned a full scholarship to play football for the University of Pittsburgh, and is headed west to take a few summer courses and begin his conditioning program for the Panthers.
Gibbs is also the first kid out of Penn Manor to get a D-1 athletic scholarship