PA Offense preps for Big 30 Classic with short roster, new QB

Pennsylvania is gearing up for the 2026 Big 30 Charities Classic Saturday. While tonight will be focused on the banquet and celebrating this year's participants, things are falling into place ahead of game time. Both teams have one more practice Friday before the big day, which begins with the parade and flows into game time. Pennsylvania's offense consists of: Shane Magee (Otto-Eldred), Gavin Kilpeck (Ridgway), Brayden Babcock (Port Allegany), Jayden Overly (St. Marys), Colby Wilcox (Otto-Eldred), Jacob Abers (Bradford), Eric Gray (Otto-Eldred), Owen Thompson (St. Marys), Milo Brem (St. Marys), Greyson Linkerhof (Eisenhower), Logan Kohler (Bradford), Frankie Smith (St. Marys), Jonah Ganoe (Smethport), Logan Penley (Eisenhower), Logan King (Eisenhower), and Gavin Lindemuth (Eisenhower). "We lost the quarterback from Eisenhower, so we are going into Saturday with Shane stepping up. This is a special situation for him, as he lost half his season due to injury," Yingling said. "He's definitely taking ownership and has been a great leader. You can tell he's ready." As for time on the field, Wednesday marked the last practice in full gear. "We finished up our last practice in full pads (Wednesday), it will be uppers only Friday in Eldred," Pennsylvania Coach Ryan Yingling said. "Tonight was working on a fast-paced tempo and making sure the guys were comfortable with wristbands. Everything seemed to flow very well." In a game where some things remain the same year-to-year and some things change a bit, this year's difference is in player availability. As we count down to Saturday's game time, the number of players that will be hitting the field for PA is lower than spectators may remember from previous face-offs with NY. "The only thing different this year is the limited roster. We are in the low 30s; typically the roster is 44 kids," Yingling said. "We have had a lot of kids have some great opportunities with college offers and work opportunities. That has left us in a position where we are one platoon short of what we normally would have." Flexibility and a willingness to adjust are key when prepping for a game like the Big 30, and Yingling confirmed that the PA squad is more than willing to go with the flow if needed. "As coaches, we just have to be able to shift kids around. We have to be able to put them in the best places to be successful. We have had a couple kids we shifted from defense to offense. All of the kids have been cooperative and said 'play us where you need us,'" he noted. When asked if the focus is on the tie record for NY and PA going into Saturday, Yingling confirmed it has crossed players' minds but isn't the priority. "It has come up in conversation. We aren't really focused on that, we are focused on doing our jobs. They are having fun," Yingling stated. The parade begins at 2:30 p.m. Saturday, with gates opening at 5 p.m. and game time set for 7 p.m. at Parkway Field.