PA Practice Smooth

Thursday night's Big 30 practice at Kane went smoothly for Pennsylvania.
A couple of players getting nicked up and leaving practice because of injury.
PA had an extra half hour of practice last night because of a rainout Tuesday.
The Keystone gridders looked good in the passing game and even had a couple of nice runs. And,there was some popping as the two teams raised their intensity levels from previous practices. The weather was nice and cooler for practice too.
And, thanks to Larry and the Kane Sports Boosters for the hamburgers and hotdogs. The brownies were tasty, too.

Players Added to Big 30 Roster

The following players have added to the roster for the Don Raabe Big 30 All-Star Charities Classic:

Travis Enser
West Valley Central School
Height: 6’ 0” Weight: 160
Position: Wide Receiver/Corner

The valedictorian of his graduating class at West Valley, Travis will attend Rochester Institute of Technology in September, majoring in chemical engineering. He was the recipient of the Bob Davies and Lou Foy Award and his teams “Heart & Hustle Award”. Like many of his Big 30 teammates, he is excited about playing in the 2010 Raabe Classic, “because it’s one last opportunity to play in an organized football game.

Travis says his biggest thrill came in qualifying for the Section VI, Class D playoffs. In his leisure time Travis enjoys running, dirt biking, swimming, reading and ultimate Frisbee. His favorite NFL team is the Tennessee Titans and Chris Johnson is his favorite player,


Chris LeBlanc
Salamanca High School
Height: 5’ 9” Weight: 150
Position: Running Back/Corner

Chris was named the Brady & Swenson player of the week seven times in his football career. He was Salamanca’s Offensive Most Valuable Played for the 2007 season and Special Teams M.V.P. for 2009. He was also a recipient of the “Accepting the Challenge” award for success in academics and was a 2nd team all section defensive back for the 2009 season. When asked why he wants to play in the Raabe Classic Chris says, “Since I’ve participated in football it’s been a dream of mine to play in the Big 30 Game and represent New York with the elite seniors of our area”. Chris lists playing under the lights and scoring touchdowns as his greatest thrills while playing football. A Buffalo Bills fan he notes that Adrian Peterson is his favorite player. In the fall Chris will attend Jamestown Community College and earn an associates degree in criminal justice. He then plans to transfer to Fredonia for a B.A. degree in the same filed. His hobbies include working out in has weight room, hanging out with friends and playing horse shoes.

Jon Jones
Portville Central School
Height: 6’ 1” Weight: 255
Position: Guard/Tackle

Jon was named to the Olean Times Herald Big 30 Wrestling Team for 2 years and was an Expressway All Star for 2 years. He set school records in the shot put and discuss and finished 7th and 6th the last two years in shot and discuss at the State Meets and was 1st in sectional meets in those disciplines the last two years. Jon wants to play in the Big 30 Game for the Tradition. “I’m the seventh member of my family to play in the Raabe Classic! I love football!” His biggest thrill came in the playoffs at (Rich), Ralph Wilson Stadium. He says that he’s been too busy with sports and work to have much time for hobbies but does enjoy hunting and fishing. Jon will attend Buffalo State University and participate in track.



Zach Zurat
Salamanca High School
Height: 5’ 11” Weight: 185
Position: Fullback/Outside Linebacker

Zach was named defensive player of the game after one of the Warriors’ games in 2009 and was named the “Most Improved Player” for the 2009 season. He says his biggest thrill was just playing defense with all his friends. When asked why he wants to play in the Raabe Classic he said, “I love to play football and I want to meet new players and coaches”. Zach spends his spare time playing lacrosse and basketball. He will be studying at Jamestown Community College in the fall. Zach is a buffalo Bills fan who lists Bob Sanders as his favorite player,

Carmen Papa
Salamanca Central School
Height: 5’ 8” Weight: 165
Position: Running Back/Safety

Carmen was named to the Olean Times Herald Big 30 All Star Team. He received the Merit Award and the “Male Athlete of the Year Award from Salamanca. He was a 1,000 yard rusher and was a first all league selection for lacrosse as well as second team Western New York. Carmen plans to attend Thiel College to pursue a degree in business and will be a member of the lacrosse team there. He says the greatest thrill for him is that first hit of the game, the one that gets your juices flowing! Carmen is excited about playing in the Raabe Classic because it will be his final game. He wants to play PA and beat them. He likes to spend time playing football and lacrosse with his buddies. His favorite team is the Buffalo Bills and his favorite player is Adrian Peterson.

PA All Stars Fall Behind at Practice

The Pennsylvania All Stars had a second practice cut short, with Wednesday's workout at Port Allegany called because of a thunderstorm.
Pennsylvania also lost time last Friday due to a storm.
So, the Keystone State gridders are behind their counterparts in New York by over two and a half hours of practice time.
Big 30 Committeeman say that Pennsylvania had a good practice Tuesday and New York has been sharp, but has some injury concerns.
Tonight the PA All Stars are at Kane and practice will begin at 5:30pm as they try to make-up some of the lost time.
The Empire State gridders are at Olean Middle School for their workout.

Bills Open Camp With Many Question Marks

It's a shame that the Bills aren't a winning team. Look at the fan support, the talk show lines never fail, win or lose, to light up in Buffalo. And, here we go again. Another coach, no clear-cut starting quarterback and an offensive line that, well is inexperienced to say the least. I have been a Bills fan my entire life, being born in Lockport, when the Bills were beginning their first year of football in the old AFL. My mother is 79 and a die-hard Bills fan. It would be nice to see a Super Bowl championship in Buffalo before she moves on. I keep hoping they will win one soon, but I also hope they do not move when Ralph passes on. If the Bills move, so would my support of the NFL. I hope it doesn't come to that.

Big 30 Teams Practicing for 37th Classic

The 37th Don Raabe Big 30 Classic is less thant two weeks away.
Tonight the Pa All Stars workout at Sheffield and the NY All Stars practice at Ellicottville. All Big practices run from 6-8pm.
Much of the talk centers early on how the coaching staffs are handing the practices.
Sources tell me that the NY coaching staff has installed it's offense and defense, while the PA coaching staff hasn't put their's in yet.
There are only so many practices to put your offense and defense in and many observers feel that PA may have falling behind NY in the race to win the 37th classic

Bill Cowyer Could Return to Coaching Again

Former Steeelers Coach Bill Cowher's wife Kaye died Friday after a battle with skin cancer. Kaye Cowher was 54. Kaye was supportive of Bill Cowher's coaching legacy and later as a football commentator on CBS Football. She had to spend a great deal of time raising her three daughters during the long football seasons in Pittsburgh. When she wanted to relocate to North Carolina, Bill didn't hesitate and soon gave up coaching. I think that we might see Cowher back on the sidelines somewhere in the NFL. The loss that Cowher is feeling may be enough to bring him back to the NFL.

Pirates Youngsters Producing

Everyone knows how bad the Pirates have been over the past 18 seasons.
But, there may be hope ahead. The Pirates have won all three series's since the All Star break and have won the two of three in a four game set with the Brewers.
And, it's the youngsters who are doing the damage, lie Pedro Alvarez, Delwyn Young and Neil Walker. Now if the Pirates young arms can mature too things may change. But then again the trading deadline is just ahead and we all know what the Pirates have done before in late July. Trade away their youngsters.

NFL Training Camps Set to Open

I hate to see summer pass so quickly, but there is excitement in the air knowing that the Bills and Steelers are ready to open their summer camps next week.
The Steelers report on July 30 and their first workout is July 31 at St. Vincent College in Latrobe.
The Bills report on the 28th and their first practice is July 29th at St. John Fisher College in Rochester.
If you like football there's nothing like the opening of training camp around the NFL.

A Summer Classic is Only a Couple of Saturday's Away

The 37th annual Don Raabe Big 30 Charity Classic is Saturday August 7th at Bradford's Parkway Field. A new kickoff time is in effect for the game, at 7pm.
Many New York followers are hoping that the NY All Stars can get back on the wining side.
Also, talk is centering on the NY quarterback spot and where will Olean's Kevin Stevens lineup at.
You can catch the Big 30 Classic on August 7 on 1490 WESB, WESB.com and 100.1 The Hero.