Published: June 21, 2008 12:23 am      

Blackwell, Cruz get chance to shine on TV

Central Cambria defensive end Mitch Blackwell and Bishop McCort tight end Mike Cruz will represent this area in tonight’s eighth annual East-West All-Star football game at 6 p.m. in Altoona’s Mansion Park.

They will play for the West squad in the game, which features 68 of the state’s best college-bound high school players.

Blackwell is a 6-foot-2-inch, 219-pound defensive end who was credited with 83 tackles, 16 assists, 17 sacks, a blocked field goal and a touchdown last season by the MaxPreps Web site.

“Mitch is a high-motor kind of player,” said his high school coach, Ken Bussard. “He attacks both practices and games with an intensity that you just can’t coach. He poses a lot of problems for quarterbacks when he’s playing defensive end or coming off the edge because he’s fast enough to get the job done and has that aggressiveness and not-quit attitude. Numerous times, we’ve looked at film where the play has gone away from Mitch, and he still pursues the ball and gets in on the tackle if he doesn’t make the initial hit. I think Mitch is going to do very well at Slippery Rock.”

Cruz is a 6-4, 250-pound tight end who has committed to Pitt. He caught 11 passes for 241 yards and five touchdowns last season and 44 for 564 yards and 10 touchdowns during his career, which was hampered by a knee injury. As a senior, he had 43 tackles, three sacks and a fumble recovery.

“Mike is a very talented young man, and he’s had to really face some adversity over the past two seasons recovering from his knee injury,” Bishop McCort coach Ken Salem said. “He’s not only improved as a player, but he’s matured as a person and grown as a leader. We think he has an excellent opportunity to make an impact at Pitt early on in his career.”

During the week, Cruz was voted an offensive captain by his West teammates.

“He’s having a real good week of practice,” Salem said. “The coaches had a lot of positive things to say about his ability and his leadership skills.”

Salem participated in the East-West Youth Clinic on Thursday, one of the satellite events to the game.

“About 100 kids showed up at Mansion Park,” he said.

Being among the coaches at the clinic gave Salem a chance to evaluate the all-stars as well.

“The kids seemed to be enjoying themselves and working hard and getting real excited about getting ready to play,” he said.

The East-West game dates to 2001. The East holds a 5-2 edge in the series, but the West is the defending champion after a 24-14 win last summer.

The game is to be televised live on the Pennsylvania Cable Network (PCN), beginning with a 5:30 p.m. pre-game show. It also is to be rebroadcast by PCN and Fox Sports.

Bishop Carroll’s Nate Gerber was among those chosen to play this year, but had to turn down the opportunity because of obligations to The Citadel, where he has agreed to continue his football career.

“He’s at The Citadel right now doing summer workouts and summer school for the incoming freshmen,” Huskies coach Craig Sponsky said.

Terry Smith of Gateway will lead the West. His assistant coaches are Lou Cerro (Montour), Scott McLean (Muncy), Matt Ortega (William Penn), Ron Wabby (Brashear) and Al Wolski (State College).