The Big 8 Football Conference held their 31st Annual Awards Banquet on Wednesday evening at the Smithfield Fire Hall at Huntingdon.
Ron Sprecher of Indian Valley, conference president welcomed football players, coaches and guests and Paul Kozak gave the invocation. A turkey dinner with all the trimmings was served by the ladies of the Smithfield Volunteer Fire Company.
Jack Bailey, Secretary/treasurer of the Big 8 Conference introduced the guests and the head coaches introduced their individual staffs. Dick Condo gave special recognition to former Big 8 athletes now playing football at the college level. Tyrone graduates Doug Roseberry (Pitt), Tyler Mertiff (IUP), Dan Grazier (Westminster), Josh Taylor (St. Francis) and Jesse Jones (IUP) were acknowledged by Condo.
Following the dinner, the players who were voted honors by the coaches were recognized. Honorable Mention picks were recognized at their seats. Second Team honorees were given certificates, while First Teamers received plaques.
Huntingdon was honored as the 2003 Big 8 champion, the 10th time the Bearcats have won the title and the 10th undefeated regular season for Huntingdon as well.
With the league expanding in 2004, this was the final year for the Big 8 in name. Actually since Central departed for the Laurel Highlands conference, there have been only seven teams in the Big 8 for the past three years. Next year, Bellwood-Antis, Bishop Guilfoyle, Penns Valley, Clearfield and Punxsutawney will join the fold and the Big 8 will become the 12-team Mountain Athletic football Conference with two divisions.
The Seven Mountains Division will be Bellefonte, Clearfield, Huntingdon, Indian Valley, Lewistown and Punxsutawney all Triple-A schools. The Nittany Mountains Division will feature Tyrone, Bellwood-Antis, Bishop Guilfoyle, Penns Valley, Philipsburg-Osceola and Bald Eagle Area. Each team must play all the schools in their own division, but don’t have to play anyone in the other division unless they wish.
Tyrone over 30 years in the Big 8 has 116 wins and 74 losses to go along with seven ties. The Eagles have won or shared seven Big 8 titles, second in both wins and titles only to Huntingdon, which has 137 wins to go along with their 10 titles. Either Tyrone (1995, 1996, 1997, 1999 and 2000) or Huntingdon (1998, 2001 and 2002) has won the Big 8 championship since 1994.
Bellefonte was recognized as the junior high Big 8 champion with a 5-0-1 record, followed by Indian Valley (4-0-2) and Tyrone (4-1-1).
Six Tyrone players were selected to the All-Big 8 First Team, three on offense and three on defense. The Golden Eagles also had six Second Team picks and four Honorable Mentions for a total of 16 positions on the All-Star team.
Tyrone offensive guard Justin Clark was one of just four First Team offensive players to earn unanimous selection. Joining Clark, a senior, was senior tight end Joe Stewart of Lewistown, senior quarterback Geoff Kozak of Huntingdon and senior running back Adam White of Philipsburg-Osceola. There were no unanimous selections on the defensive team.
Clark was joined by teammates Ralph VanAllman at tackle, and Brice Mertiff at running back, both juniors, on the First Team offensive unit. The Eagles on the First Team were joined by Boomer Danko (P-O) at center, Bill Waugh (Bellefonte) at guard, Ron Pollock (P-O) at tackle, Stewart at tight end, Matt Young (Huntingdon) and Jared dyer (Lewistown) at wide receiver, Kozak at quarterback, White and Derek Weaver (Indian Valley) at running back and Kozak was the place kicker.
Waugh, Young, White. Stewart and Kozak were the only four players to be named to both offensive and defensive First Teams.
Waugh was named as an offensive guard spot and defensive lineman, Young was named as a wide receiver and the defensive secondary. White was named as a running back and on defense as a special teams player. Stewart was named at tight end and defensive end. Kozak, who actually manned three spots, was the quarterback and placekicker on offense and made the defensive unit as the punter.
Tyrone senior Max Soellner was named to the First Team Defense as a defensive end. Junior Terry Tate was selected as a defensive lineman and senior Tom Crowl was named in the defensive secondary.
Joining Soellner, Tate and Crowl on the First Team Defense were Stewart at end, linemen Jerry Stanowski (Huntingdon) and Waugh, linebackers Alex Waleski (Huntingdon), J. B. Baker (Lewistown), Monty Rockey (Bald Eagle Area) and Stan Koguc (Philipsburg-Osceola), and Young, Ryan Dobo (Philipsburg-Osceola), Brandon Spayd (Huntingdon), Jon Heverly (Bald Eagle Area) and Jarrod Smith (Huntingdon) in the secondary.
The Eagles Max Soellner (tight end), Tom Crowl (wide receiver and special teams), Justin Clark (defensive end), Ben Gummo (linebacker) and Jason Wilson (secondary) were chosen for the Second Team. Ben Gummo (running back and placekicker Brinton Mingle (linebacker) and Brice Mertiff (punter) were named Honorable Mention.
Seniors dominated the First Teams in 2003. Of 30 total positions, 22 spots were filled by seniors and eight by juniors. There were no freshmen or sophomores selected this year. On the Second Team, there were 20 seniors, six juniors and the only sophomore was Bellefonte’s Nate Carson in the secondary. Honorable mention includes 12 seniors, 10 juniors and five sophomores.
Adam White, Derek Weaver and Geoff Kozak return from the First Team in 2002, White and Weaver as running backs and Kozak as placekicker. On defense, the Lewistown tandem of J. B. Baker (defensive end) and J. B. Baker (linebacker) are the only returners from the 2002 First Team.
