As fundraising chairman for the South Williamsport Lions Club in 1990, Max Dell was looking for new projects to tackle. While paging thru a Lions Club Magazine, he learned of a high school football game being played in Florida. He presented the idea to the local club and the rest, as they say, ‘is history.’

The 2018 edition of the long-standing South Williamsport Lions Club District Four All-Star game will kick-off Friday, June 29, 7:00 p.m. at Rodney K. Morgans Stadium. Players from the many schools comprising District Four will be divided into North and South squads with all proceeds going to local charities.

The North squad comprised of players from Lycoming County schools and the Northern Tier is led by Jersey Shore coach Tom Gravish now coaching in his third Lions Club game. Ironically, the veteran coach began his career in 1990 with stops at Bald Eagle Area, East Juniata, Bellefonte and Williamsport prior to joining Jersey Shore.

“I do it because of the kids,” Gravish explained. “I was fortunate that as a player myself in District Six, I got to play in what they now call the Lezzer Lumber Football Classic. It was a great experience for me, and now as a coach, I have this opportunity to help other young people enjoy a similar experience I once had. Personally, I enjoy the opportunity to coach with and against some of the other coaches in District Four that you have developed relationships with over the years.

“It also is another opportunity to coach players you’ve had on your own team one more time. This year we have two of our Jersey Shore players (QB Elijah Shemory and defensive lineman Mason Sechrist) on our North roster who have meant a lot to our program over the past three years. It’s a special opportunity to be able and coach those guys with whom you’ve shared a lot of good times within a game like this.

“The Lions Club has developed criteria for selecting the players for the game. We try and follow those guidelines. In inviting players, our first priority is to include those players who made first-team honors in the leagues from which we draw our North team roster. For various reasons, some of those players have opted out of this game. We also take recommendations from other coaches for players to round out the roster. As the game gets closer, we end up adjusting the roster based upon players’ availability.”

Regarding practice time, Gravish tends to keep thing simple.

“We have limited practice time to get ready for the game, so we try and keep things as simple as possible keeping in mind the special rules for the game. Defensively you have to play a 4-3, with all man-to-man coverage and no blitzing is allowed. Offensively, you can use any formation you’d like, but you have to keep it simple because you have so few days to prepare. You have to pass the ball 40% of the time and entering the fourth quarter if you aren’t at that 40% mark you get a penalty on every play. It’s a good rule for the fans. It opens the game up and highlights the skill players.

“You are allowed five practice sessions. This Sunday we will meet with the guys at Wellsboro for about three plus hours. We won’t be practicing that long, but want to have the guys meet each other and go over expectations. We’ll then practice at Wellsboro on Monday and at Montoursville on Tuesday and Wednesday. On Thursday there will be a light practice at South Williamsport, followed by a great banquet the Lions Club puts on for the teams, and then the game is Friday.

“We are there to have fun, but we are going to be serious about what we are doing. We want to win the game and the kids that keep their composure throughout four quarters of football are the teams that win. The kids are all All-Stars, and everyone will play, but we will challenge them as to what they can each do to help us win the game in a positive way,’ stressed the coach.

Now game chairman, Dell recalled that in the early years the game was played at the end of the regular season which proved difficult because of the weather and athletes playing winter sports. In the mid-1990s the game was moved to June. Dell leads a committee of six, but all South Williamsport Lions Club members are involved in various capacities.

Since its inception the games have raised nearly $300,000 for local charities.
“This year, we have a major corporate sponsorship from UPMC Susquehanna, which has been a tremendous help,” Dell stressed. Additional sponsorships have come from the Democratic Club and the VFW in Duboistown.

“My greatest satisfaction is seeing these kids get together, who were playing against each other during their high school seasons, become buddies during the days of practice for this game. That, coupled with knowing the money that is raised goes to local charities through our Lions Club projects, and other organizations is just a wonderful thing,” Dell added.

“Max Dell deserves appreciative recognition for his dedication, and he’s been the driving force behind this game’s success over the years,” Gravish emphasized. Throughout the year he comes to our District Four Coaches Association monthly meetings and is very helpful to the coaches in working out all the details for this game.”

Tickets for the June 29 game can be purchased at the gates, which will open at 6:00 p.m. Tickets are priced at $6.00 for adults and $4.00 for students. The game will also be broadcast over radio station WBZD Oldies 93.