State High and Cumberland Valley Compete in Beaver Stadium Classic

Story posted October 29, 2019 in CommRadio, News by Andre Magaro

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A new tradition began Saturday afternoon, as the first-ever Beaver Stadium Classic took place at Penn State. The high school football matchup between host State College Area High School and visiting Cumberland Valley High School was the first to be hosted inside the historic football venue in 31 years.

Fans of both schools traveled well, as the attendance totaled 5,681.

David Atkins, a recent Cumberland Valley graduate who is currently a freshman at Penn State, took the opportunity to watch old friends perform on the big stage.

“It’s crazy to see the team I played for in high school being able to just walk onto that field and have that experience,” Atkins said. “They’re probably a little nervous. This is just a whole different level.”

Bella Spicer is a senior at State High who came to support her classmates on senior day.

“I think it’s a really cool experience for them and for all of us growing up here,” Spicer said. “We’re surrounded by Beaver Stadium and the fact that they’re in high school and get to play here, I think it’s a really cool experience for them.”

Elizabeth Golaszewski, another State High senior, also made the trip across town.

“Big legends have come out of here, and now they get to be a part of it,” Golaszewski said.

Even local residents who had no ties to either team, like Alan Jones, came out in support of such a unique opportunity for these players.

“If you see where some of these high school stadiums are and what they look like, this is like going to the Taj Mahal,” Jones said.

Fans enjoyed the experience and hope to see this tradition blossom down the road.

“I think it’s a great opportunity for the kids to come here and play here,” Jones said. “It may be the only time in their life that they get to play in a big time college stadium.”

State High won the game, 33-21, but both fans and players alike left Beaver Stadium as a part of a unique experience that they hope to see continue in the near future.

 

Andre Magaro is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email ajm7362@psu.edu.

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Andre Magaro

Senior / Broadcast Journalism

Andre Magaro is a senior from Enola, Pennsylvania majoring in broadcast journalism. He is one of CommRadio’s two student general managers. It’s there that Andre does play-by-play broadcasting of Penn State sporting events, and helps with the everyday operation of Penn State’s student-run radio station Andre is also a sports anchor and reporter for the Centre County Report, in addition to doing play-by-play for B1G+ as well. In the past, he has completed a broadcast internship in the Northwoods League for the Kalamazoo Growlers, provided feature articles and game day social media coverage of Penn State Men’s Soccer for Penn State Athletics, and produced articles on Penn State sports for Armchair Media. He can be contacted via email at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) and on Twitter @andre_magaro.