by Mike Gross , Sunday News

HERSHEY - For those who had forgotten how special the Big 33 Game can be - and the game's recent history made that understandable - Pennsylvania and Ohio provided a glorious reminder Saturday.

A 1-yard plunge with 20 seconds left by Adam Replogle (an offensive lineman by trade), set up by a 50-yard sprint by Austin Boucher (a passing quarterback), gave Ohio a 38-31 win in a thrilling 52nd edition of the annual high school football all-star game before a modest crowd at Hersheypark Stadium.

The win ended Pennsylvania's three-game winning streak, although the host state still leads the current series with Ohio, 9-8.

The game has been plagued in recent years by competing all-star games and college coaches requiring incoming freshman to spend much of their summer at school. Last year the problem was simply an awful, endless game between two barely organized teams.

Not the case this time. Ohio head coach Mike Fell put together a surprisingly sophisticated passing game behind two gifted QBs, Miami (Ohio)-bound Boucher and starter Patrick Nicely (Akron).

The two combined for 407 passing yards. Boucher completed 18 of 24 throws for 260 and two TDs.

"The fans got their money's worth tonight,'' Fell said. "Both sides just had a lot of kids out there making plays.''

Pennsylvania countered with QB Curtis Drake and RB Rob Hollomon, teammates from Philadelphia West Catholic High.

(No, Lancaster Catholic fans, this wasn't a fever dream from last fall's state playoffs, in which West Catholic eliminated the Crusaders in the semifinal round.)

Drake, who's going to Penn State "as an athlete,'' ran for 103 yards and threw for 114. Hollomon, bound for prep school at Cushing Academy in Massachusetts, didn't do a whole lot on the ground from scrimmage because this wasn't a ground-game night. He did have kickoff returns of 58, 50, 58 and 47 yards.

The first of those was with the opening kickoff, and set up a Pennsylvania TD that looked too easy. One snap later Drake rumbled 24 yards. Then Holomon slashed 14 to the Ohio 1.

From there it was easy for fullback Lyle Marsh (Bethel Park, Pennsylvania).

Ohio tried the short-pass route on its first turn, and QB Pat Nicely (Akron) hit Ohio State-bound WR Chris Field three times on the possession, but for just a combined 12 yards.

The same kind of thing worked big for Ohio on its next try, three wideouts going deep to clear out the secondary and Nicely finding Fitzgerald Toussaint (Michigan) in the flat and Toussaint making open-field things happen for a 46-yard touchdown.

And so it went. There was Boucher rolling left and throwing back across field to the right, to Shaun Joplin, for a 35-yard TD.

And there was Drake a moment later, reeling off a 42-yard run as if shot from a cannon.

But Drake fumbled at the Ohio 1-inch line early in the third quarter, and a play later Boucher made a brilliant, if dangerous, throw through traffic to Micah Hyde (Iowa) for a touchdown of 99 yards, 11 inches.

Ohio ultimately had more weapons, barely, and led 31-17 early in the fourth quarter.

Here Ohio made the mistake that sent it to the wire, Nicely throwing a bad pick to Pennsylvania LB Carson Sharbaugh (Wilmington, Youngstown State) at the Ohio 15.

Marsh eventually converted that from a yard out.

Pennsylvania held, got it back, and went to work. Drake found his buddy Hollomon over the middle for 43 yards. On third-and-1 from the 37, Drake drilled a strike to tight end Garry Gilliam (Milton Hershey, Penn State), who rumbled to the 1. Drake took it from there.

But Pennsylvania couldn't cover the many Ohio wideouts, especially given the game's restrictions on zone schemes. Boucher found Hyde twice and then, with the field spread, took off on his own, rumbling to the Pennsylvania 9.

Three plays later Replogle, presumably a tackle-eligible on the play, stormed across with 20 seconds left.

QBs Boucher and Drake were the no-brainer MVPs of their teams as chosen by the media.

Drake, it's assumed, will start at Happy Valley as a wide receiver. He would seem to be an intriguing option for a Wildcat-style offensive option behind center, though.

"Hopefully [I'll play] slot [receiver],'' Drake said. "Maybe Wildcat. They talked to me about learning some plays [at QB] in case something happens. I'll play anywhere.''

The lone Lancaster-Lebanon League player in the game, Lebanon QB James Capello, got a few series early in the game, during which he was besieged by pass rush, and then mostly sat behind Drake.

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