Red Lion's Tanner, Central York's Suchanic earn Big 33 football recognition

Red Lion’s Tanner, Central York’s Suchanic earn Big 33 football recognition

Posted by author February 17, 2025 Football

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Red Lion’s Sean Tanner will play in the annual all-star showcase, while Central York’s Saxton Suchanic was an honorary selection.

Sean Tanner had never played football before he joined the Red Lion program as a high school freshman. His size made him a promising offensive line prospect, though, and his eagerness to improve helped him blossom into a Division I college prospect.

Just over two months after signing with Elon University, Tanner received one of the highest individual honors in Pennsylvania high school football. The 6-foot-7, 320-pound tackle has been chosen to represent his state in the Big 33 Football Classic.

The Pennsylvania Scholastic Football Coaches Association (PSFCA) announced the Team Pennsylvania roster Friday for the 68th edition of the all-star showcase. Tanner was the lone York-Adams League player named to the initial iteration of the roster, although Central York cornerback Saxton Suchanic earned one of four honorary selections given to standouts who enrolled early with their college teams.

Red Lion head coach Jesse Shay will be one of the assistant coaches for Team Pennsylvania under head coach Matt Ortega of Coatesville. The game will kick off at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, May 25, at Cumberland Valley’s Chapman Field.

Tanner, who was selected by a statewide panel of coaches, is just the second Lion to ever be selected for the Big 33 classic. The other was Scott Fitzkee, who played in the 1975 game after a historic three-sport career at Red Lion and went on to play wide receiver at Penn State and in the NFL. Tanner was a York-Adams Division I first team all-star this season.

“He’s only played football since his freshman year, so he’s still learning the game,” Shay said. “He has tremendous upside, but what (this selection) does is it shows that other coaches around the state recognize the work that he’s put in and the talent he has and certainly the potential that he has in front of him.”

The York-Adams League has now landed 13 players on the last five Team Pennsylvania rosters. Spring Grove lineman Michael Hershey and New Oxford cornerback Idriz Ahmetovic played in last year’s game, while Dallastown wideout Kenny Johnson and York Suburban running back Mikey Bentivegna competed in 2023 (Johnson was named that game’s MVP). Both the 2022 and 2021 rosters featured four local stars, including a Central York trio.

Suchanic, an all-state selection in 2023 who was dominant again this past season, signed with UConn on Dec. 4 and joined the Huskies in January. With top players enrolling early more frequently in recent years, the PSFCA added the honorary selections to recognize stars who will not be able to play in the game. Recent YAIAA stars such as Central York’s Beau Pribula and Juelz Goff, as well as York High’s Jahiem White, were not recognized due to their early enrollments.

PIAA District 3 landed four players on the initial roster of 38. Tanner will be joined by Bishop McDevitt wide receiver Dominic Diaz-Ellis, Manheim Township cornerback Donovan Rodriguez and Cumberland Valley tight end Nolan Buzalka. The honorary selections included Suchanic, Bishop McDevitt quarterback Stone Saunders (the state’s new career passing leader) and Susquehanna Township receiver Lex Cyrus.

The rosters tend to undergo a handful of changes before the game itself as players pull out for one reason or another. Ahmetovic, for instance, was added to the 2024 Team Pennsylvania roster less than three weeks before the game. He ultimately competed in both the Big 33 showcase and Pennsylvania East/West game one week earlier.

The Big 33 game has long been called “The Super Bowl of High School Football” and is one of the oldest all-star showcases in the country. Past iterations have seen Team Pennsylvania face all-stars from Maryland, Ohio, Texas, a nationwide team and even a second Pennsylvania squad. Over the years, rosters have expanded from 33 players and the game has moved from July to May.

Shay has coached Red Lion for 12 seasons and is a district director for the PSFCA, but this will be his first time serving on the Big 33 staff. He was selected by his peers nearly a year ago but is still honored and humbled by the opportunity.

“It’s a validation from your peers that, ‘Hey, you’re doing a job that we recognize,’” Shay said. “It’s a tremendous honor. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s basically the mecca for high school football coaches — it’s a dream come true.”

Thirty-five junior and senior cheerleaders were also selected for the Team PA cheerleading squad after a tryout process. A large portion of the 2025 group will be representing York County schools (Central York, Dallastown, Red Lion and York High) or York-based clubs (Full Force All-Stars and York Elite). The inclusion of junior Mackenzie Hardy makes Red Lion the only school with a coach, cheerleader and player on the active roster.

The PFSCA is finalizing its rosters for the East/West games and an announcement is expected within the next week, Shay said. Those contests are set for Sunday, May 18, at Cumberland Valley.