Future Lions ready for Big 33

By JAMES REESER
Collegian Sports Writer

The 1995 Penn State football recruiting class will be well represented this summer at the Big 33 Classic.

The Pennsylvania squad will feature 10 Penn State recruits in Hersheypark Stadium on July 29. One future Lion, linebacker Gabe Tichner, is on the Ohio squad.

Both teams are comprised of 33 position players and a kicker. Nine position players, including Pennsylvania Big School Player of the Year Brandon Short, are Penn State recruits.

"They've got some good players on that team," said John Nemec, the Ohio head coach. "Pennsylvania has one of the stronger senior classes in the nation. But we also have some good players."

Last year Ohio won 35-20. Pennsylvania leads the overall series, 4-3.

"The game's going to be exciting," said George Novak, Pennsylvania's coach. "We got some big kids, some fast kids. We got a lot of kids recruited by good college programs. We have some great skill players like the (Florida State recruit Dan) Kendra kid and (Corey) Jones from Conestoga Valley. We got a good core of running backs, and we'll be strong on the defensive side of the ball."

In this game, the rules state that teams must play man-to-man defense. They cannot pull stunts and they must have a 5-2 defensive front.

"The defense rules open up the game, especially on offense," Novak said. "Hopefully, we will be the ones doing all the scoring."

Each team is given two weeks to practice. Both coaches are expecting their players to be in shape when practice begins.

"I expect the players to be ready," Novak said. "But when practice starts, we are going to concentrate on skills and get down to work."

Overall, the Big Ten is represented by 27 players -- 13 on the Pennsylvania squad and 14 on the Ohio squad. The number of Ohio State recruits matches the number of Penn State recruits.

Kendra, the Pennsylvania Big 33 Player of the Year, will be one of two quarterbacks on the Pennsylvania squad. The other is Marc Bulger of Pittsburgh Central Catholic. Bulger will attend Pittsburgh in the fall.

Chad Kroell, Penn State's other quarterback recruit, will not be taking the snaps for Pennsylvania, but will be roaming the defensive backfield.

Both coaches said they are taking this game seriously and want their players to get more out of the game than just a victory.

"Sure, we want to win," Nemec said. "But this game is about camaraderie, learning and building relationships."