PHOTO GALLERY | North's offense meshing well before Friday's contest

Taking individual players from 18 different schools and forming one cohesive team is always a challenge at the beginning of the week for both squads in the 1st Summit Bank Ken Lantzy All-Star Classic.

With each repetition on the field, the North offense is gaining more confidence. Forest Hills’ Nate Cornell and Northern Bedford County’s Vaughn Schleinkofer are the signal-callers at the head of the operation.

Building chemistry and perfecting timing were at the top of the North’s checklist for the unit heading into Friday’s 7 p.m. kickoff at Greater Johnstown High School’s Trojan Stadium against the South.

“It’s going really good,” Cornell said of team building.

“We’re all getting along real well as a family and a team here. I think we’re all on the same page right now. I think the more we build on each practice until the game, we’ll be in really good shape.”

PHOTO GALLERY | Ken Lantzy All-Star Football Classic players prepare for Friday's game

The North team is coached by former Penn Cambria mentor Nick Felus, who will roam the sidelines at Neshaminy this fall. Felus and his staff have been able to implement the offense at a fast pace, which has led to more game-speed reps.

“With the players and installing the offense, there’s a lot of similarities with some of the schools that run similar offenses,” Felus said. “Having our Penn Cambria players that know the offense like the back of their hand, Gavin Harrold and Preston Farabaugh have been like coaches on the field.

“This group of football players is very, very smart. They have a high football IQ. So when we started installing, they pick things up quickly, so that enabled us to hit the ground running a little bit more and get some more scrimmage-type situations earlier than we normally would during a regular week of practice.”

Cornell threw for 4,715 yards, 45 touchdowns and 17 interceptions over three seasons. He will play quarterback at NCAA Division II Shippensburg University.

The skilled positions are stocked with talented players possessing game-breaking abilities. At running back are Chestnut Ridge’s Haydan Webb (1,246 yards and 14 touchdowns in 2024, will play at Division III Allegheny College), Claysburg-Kimmel’s Matt Lattieri (1,256 yards and 22 touchdowns in 2024), Forest Hills’ Mason Papinchak (885 yards and seven scores in 2024), North Star’s Ethan Smith (1,980 career rushing yards and 23 touchdowns and 1,855 receiving yards and 32 scores) and Richland’s Cody Yeager (391 rushing yards in 2024, will play at Division II Seton Hill).

Father-son combinations create family ties on Ken Lantzy Classic's South roster

The 1st Summit Bank Ken Lantzy All-Star Classic will provide three area football coaches and their sons with one final opportunity to compete at the high school level Friday.

Northern Bedford County’s Aaron Bowers (2,609 career receiving yards and 28 touchdowns) and Wesley Horsh (280 receiving yards and three scores in 2024), Penn Cambria’s Gavin Harrold (two-time all-state selection with 2,351 career receiving yards and 24 touchdowns and 1,325 rushing yards and 31 scores) and Richland’s Austin Yarnick (2,530 career receiving yards and 26 scores) are at wide receiver. North Star’s Jesse Samler (428 receiving yards and six touchdowns in 2024) and Portage’s Bode Layo (1,309 career receiving yards and 17 touchdowns) are the tight ends.

“It’s definitely nice,” Cornell said of the weapons at his disposal.

“You got the run game, too, and it opens up the pass game with all kinds of receivers to throw to. Everywhere I look, there’s going to be a receiver I know that’s going to catch the ball. It’s good having a bunch of different threats around the field so they can’t just single out one guy. I think we’re going to mesh really well.”

Harrold’s older brother Garrett played in the 2023 Lantzy contest.

“Right before I left actually, he said this is one of his favorite things of his high school career,” said Gavin Harrold, the 2024 Tribune-Democrat player of the year and Indiana (Pa.) recruit, of the wisdom he received from his brother who is a quarterback at Duquesne University.

“I knew I was going to have a lot of fun playing with new guys and creating new bonds. Some of the best players around, so you know there’s going to be good football for sure.”

With opposing defenses zeroed in on Gavin Harrold throughout the 2024 season, he is relishing the one-on-one opportunities Friday.

“I’m definitely looking forward to it,” Gavin Harrold said. “During the regular season, I get a lot of double and triple coverage, so knowing there’s one guy guarding me, I’m pretty happy about that.”

Richland’s Austin Blough is the offensive line’s anchor at center. He has picked up the offense quickly.

“Play-calling between us and Penn Cambria, it turns out to be very similar with the setup,” Blough said. “It’s not too bad of a transition. We got a great group of guys around us helping out a lot. We’re already getting tons of plays and reps in. We already have a pretty solid playbook lined up.”

Building bonds with his new teammates was one of the positives.

“It’s kind of like a brotherhood,” Blough said. “You show up Day 1 and you’re already making friends with guys that you’ve never really talked to before in your life. It’s a pretty awesome experience I’d say.”

Jake Oswalt is a copy editor for The Tribune-Democrat. Follow him on Twitter @TheWizOfOz11.