The team colors, the game rules and Saturday’s opponents may have been different, but it was business as usual for coach Todd Silfies and his nine Kane players during Big 30 Charities Classic.
After six seasons of unprecedented success with the Wolves that included three consecutive Allegheny Mountain League titles, Silfies and his top Kane players got the chance to put their talents on display a final time. And they did not disappoint.
Kane quarterback Reed Williams picked off where he left off this past season, combining with Otto-Eldred quarterback Sawyer Drummond to pace the Pennsy offense.
Williams had a game-high 181 yards passing and threw for two touchdowns. He helped Pennsylvania set the Big 30 record with four passing touchdowns in a single contest and also ran for a touchdown to ice the game in the fourth quarter.
After practicing with his Pennsylvania teammates over the last two weeks, Williams said he was pretty confident entering Saturday’s game.
“Having all the Ridgway guys, Bradford guys and the rest of the Kane guys, I knew we weren’t going to lose,” Williams said after the game. “A guy like Neil MacDonald (Ridgway) who I previously had to game plan against and knew I couldn’t throw over the middle of the field against him I had on my team. It was awesome.”
One of Williams’ favorite targets in the game was his teammate of the past four seasons, Ray Maze. Maze caught a three-yard touchdown pass from Williams to score the game’s first touchdown and also hauled in a two-point conversion pass later in the game.
Maze also caught two passes from Drummond, and the wideout credits his head coach for getting everyone on the team up to speed on the game plan.
“The whole experience worked out really well,” Maze, who finished with four catches and 33 yards, said. “Coach Silfies really helps us bond as a team by giving us homework assignments. Reed and I have been doing that for I don’t know how long. But, Sawyer was easy to get along with too because they have a similar offense at Otto so he kind of knew what was going on.”
In addition to Kane’s offensive weapons, the reigning AML champs made plenty of plays on the defensive side of the ball, as well. Angelo Costanzo recovered a fumble while a contingent of other Kane players recorded tackles in the game en route to holding the New York side to just nine first half points.
Along with the nearly 70 seniors who participated in Saturday’s game on both sides, it will also mark the end of Silfies’ coaching career for now. The 34-year-old, along with his four Kane assistants that also coached in the game, stepped down from their positions following the 2017 season to spend more time with their families.
The Big 30 game was Silfies’ third time coaching an all-star game this summer, although Saturday’s win was his first serving as head coach.
After the game, Silfies reflected on one of the best runs of any District 9 football team in recent memory and being able to put an bow on it with Saturday’s victory.
“We won them together, but they won me 45 football games in their high school career. The guys that played in the (Frank Varischetti All-Star Game) made it 46 and then today made it 47. That’s an awful lot of great that they’ve done for their head coach,” Silfies said after the game.
“To do it my last time with them and their last time, it’s a special bond that we had. We had nine guys and you aren’t going to find nine better kids than the ones we had in the game from Kane tonight.”
Williams echoed his coach’s sentiments, while also reminiscing about many practices where he went head-to-head with the defensive mastermind.
“It’s great, It’s so passionate,” he said. “When we practice it’s basically offense against Silfies. Him and I get in fights all the time and it’s great. But, it’s all love and I’m happy we got to get a win for him in his last game.”
And while Williams and his Kane teammates were happy to be a part of Silfies’ last game for now, they aren’t all that convinced that he’s going to be away from the sidelines for all too long.
“I think he’ll be back,” Williams said. “I wouldn’t doubt it. He’s a pretty good coach.”
