A big shift in the landscape of high school all-star games in the northeast region took place today when it was announced the Big 33 Football Classic was shifting its matchup.
Pennsylvania will remain involved, but will now play an all-star team from Maryland for the next five years. Maryland replaces Ohio as the opponent for Pennsylvania of the 57th PNC Big 33 Football Classic on June 15.
“The Big 33 is happy to welcome back Maryland to the PNC Big 33 Football Classic,” Big 33 Scholarship Foundation executive director Dave Trimbur said. “The competition, as well as the proximity to Hershey, Pa., will allow this to continue to be the premier High School Football all-star game in America.”
The game usually pits the best players high school seniors from each state, and each NFL Super Bowl has featured an alum of the Big 33 game.
It is the latest change for the game, whose previous formats included teams from Texas and Ohio as well as an all-Pennsylvania game.
Last season’s game featured more than 25 players who went on to BCS schools, including Penn State’s Nyeem Wartman, Evan Schwan and Eugene Lewis, Rutgers’ Brandon Arcidiacono and Blake Rankin, Pittsburgh’s Rushel Shell.