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County pride again at stake in annual MVCA grid game
By John Bassetti
HUBBARD
Could it be?
Seems like yesterday when Girard’s Adam Charles got his first varsity start at quarterback as a freshman in place of an injured player.
Now Charles is a recently graduated senior ready to play for the Trumbull County team in the 26th Jack Arvin All-Star Football Game at Mollenkopf Stadium on Thursday at 7 p.m.
Trumbull won the latest contest, 12-0, over Mahoning County last June, when Lakeview’s Ben Moody scored the game’s only touchdown on a 48-yard run in the second quarter.
That helped Moody win MVP honors for his side, while Chaney’s Myke Parker was Mahoning MVP.
Mahoning won in 2008, 21-14.
MVPs for both sides will again be chosen, said Ron DeJulio, who is working alongside Jeff Bayuk, president of the Mahoning Valley Coaches Association, the game’s sponsoring body.
“Last year seemed to be the best gate ever,” DeJulio said of the 25th annual MVCA, which was held at Mollenkopf for a first time. Admission is $6.
“The game will be back at Hubbard High every so often,” DeJulio said of the site where Arvin was an assistant coach who passed away in March, 2001.
DeJulio, like Bayuk, is serving as an Arvin Classic director, by virtue of his position as a MVCA executive board member.
DeJulio was Hubbard High’s head coach from 1984-88, following Dave Pappada and preceding Bill Hart.
Despite Bayuk’s departure to assist Dick Angle at Howland this fall, DeJulio will continue as an assistant at Campbell under new coach Mickey Sikora.
DeJulio has never been a Classic head coach, but he has served as an assistant five times: twice under Angle, twice under Bayuk and once under Hart.
Bayuk is currently in Hershey, Pa. where he’s helping the Ohio team in the Big 33 game, which is set for Saturday.
When the MVCA All-Star game was organized, teams were determined based on rivalries. In the last dozen years, the basis became counties: Mahoning vs. Trumbull. Those Columbiana County schools wishing to participate are included on Mahoning’s roster.
Arvin Classic players are required to hold nine practices, which have been held at the schools of the respective head coaches: Trumbull’s Randy Clark (Brookfield) and Mahoning’s Sean Guerriero (Springfield).
“It’s a great way to showcase players in our area,” said DeJulio, who noted that Girard’s roster, in addition to Charles, also has Tallen Birmingham, Mike Stacchiotti, Carlo Eggleston and Raymond Byrd.
“They had a great senior class,” DeJulio said of the select players from Girard, which, in 2009, enjoyed its first 10-0 regular season.
On Mahoning’s roster, four players are from one school: East’s T.T. Myers, Martez Penn, Brandon Mosley and Kendall Peterson.
The player selection process begins in April when MVCA member coaches receive notification of the game. Those coaches then submit a list of nominees to the MVCA. Head coaches for the upcoming game then select a roster.
“The MVCA tries to select at least one player from every school, so everyone is represented,” DeJulio said. “They’re the cream of the crop, the elite players from the area and most are going on to play college football.”