Two players from each of the Allegheny Mountain League’s divisions headline the latest roster additions for the Big 30 Charities Classic.
Smethport running back Akete Kindle and Otto-Eldred’s Damen Palmer represent the AML North, while the South’s Elk Catholic’s Doug Schatz and Kane’s Austin Labesky also accepted invitations to the Aug. 5 game at Bradford High’s Parkway Field.
Kindle, a 5-foot-7 running back and defensive end, is a two-time league all-star in both wrestling and football. The former player of the year for the Hubbers wants to play in the Big 30 because it means a lot to him to have people notice his hard work on and off the field.
The New York Giants and Odell Beckham Jr. fan’s most memorable moment was on senior night during his freshman year when he got a game-clinching safety. His future plans include attending college to study criminal justice.
For Palmer, playing in the Big 30 game has long been a goal.
“I had a lot of family members who played in the game and they all told me how great it was to play in the Big 30 game,” said Palmer, a 5-foot-11 running back-slot end and safety.
A member of the Terror’s AML North championship team last fall, Palmer’s hobbies include hunting and going to dirt track races. He plans to enter college to earn an Associate’s degree in welding and fabrication.
Schatz, meanwhile, wants to play in the Big 30 game because of his “love for the sport and it will be my last high school game.”
The 6-foot-4 lineman is a high honor roll student at Elk Catholic and an Eagle Scout. His favorite memory of high school football is playing under the Friday night lights with his teammates.
“It will be great to play with the players I have played against my whole life,” he said.
Schatz’s future plans are to attend Penn State Behrend and major in mechanical engineering.
Labesky was a fullback and linebacker for the AML and District 9 champion Wolves. Labesky earned three football letters and one in soccer. He’s a four-year letterman on the track team and will be continuing his education and athletic career at Slippery Rock throwing the javelin.
The Classic, to Labesky, represents a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and way to get back on the field doing something he loves to do. His most memorable moments included the moments with his friends and teammates before and after practices and games.
Four players from New York were added to the roster with two each from Pioneer Senior High and Bolivar-Richburg.
Tight end-defensive end Brent Nourse and running back-linebacker Jason Gauthier are the additions from Pioneer, while quarterback-safety Devin Carr and running back-defensive back Dustin Howard come from Bolivar-Richburg.
The 6-foot-4 Nourse wants to play in the Classic because he “would love for his impact on this sport to be recognized in a game as substantial as the Big 30 game.”
The Bills fan’s most memorable moment playing football was beating East Aurora, 50-43. After high school, Nourse plans to serve six years as a member of the 274th ASOL, and then pursue a career in Law Enforcement.
At Pioneer, he was honored as most-improved player, named second-team all-WNY and received the Citizenship Award of Cattaraugus County.
Gauthier was named both team and defensive MVP. His most memorable moments playing football include the comeback victories with his teammates. His future plans include attending college to major in a science field.
Jason Gauthier
Carr has one goal in the Big 30 Classic: Beat Pennsylvania.
He was a team captain, defensive MVP, principal scholar award recipient and the scholar athlete winner at Bolivar-Richburg. His most memorable moment playing football was a come-from-behind victory as senior on homecoming. He plans to attend college.
Finally, Howard has been awarded the Counselor’s Classic MVP, homecoming MVP, Ferris Bowl MVP and simply wants to play in one last high school football game. His most memorable moment in football was scoring two touchdowns in their first sectional playoff game in eight years.
A Bills and Marshawn Lynch fan, the 5-foot-11 Howard plans to attend college to major in construction inspection or engineer inspection.
Today’s additions bring to 73 the number of players named to the game, 37 to the New York roster and 36 to the Pennsylvania squad. When the squads are filled they will number 40-some players each. A series of 11 practices will begin on July 20 in preparation for the game.
