Photos by Tim Weight/Jeff Shomo

By Kenny Varner

BELLEFONTE- The focus of the local sports scene Friday night was on football.

Yes, football was back as the time had come for another exciting edition of the Lezzer Lumber Classic.

This year’s contest fitted the best of the best from Central Pennsylvania with the groups splitting up competing as North and South.

Local senior players from all over the heart of Pa. took to their football gear one last time in a high school setting.

The game lived up to its moniker as Classic as this contest would go down to the final minute before a winner would be crowned.

In the end it would be the North, with Red Raiders quarterback Liam Halterman that would come out triumphant posting a 36-28 victory over a strong South crew.

Leading the game in rushing was Clearfield’s Brady Collins who rushed for 94 yards and 3 TDs in North’s victory. North quarterback Liam Halterman followed up with the win for 63 yards and running for 84 yards and a touchdown.

However, it would be the South that would take the lead to start the contest.

After holding the North in their first possession, the South would work the ball down the field and would cash it in towards the end of the opening quarter.

Tyrone quarterback Ashton Walk found a familiar face as he hit fellow teammate Trent Adams for the first score. On the extra point attempt, the South was successful on the 2-point kick, making it an 8-0 advantage at 4:23.

But before the game had a chance to settle in, the North battled back to also score. With 2:14 left in the first,

Danny Dixon from DuBois blazed his way to 6-yard run. With the successful PAT, the North cut it to a 8-7 South lead.

In the second quarter, the South scored again. Bellwood-Antis quarterback Holden Schreier hit a touchdown to Hollidaysburg’s Brady Steiner at 11:52, upped its lead to 14-7.

Collins once again found the endzone scoring on a 16-yard TD run as the PAT failed with 11:13.

It would be the South that would have the last points of the half.

Walk cashed in on a 3-yard TD run , at 7:08.

Coming out of the intermission, the North scored first.

Brady Collins rumbled on an 8-yard TD run at 2:19.

Back came the South and Tyrone runningback Seth Hoover. Hoover capped off the long drive with a 5-yard TD run and a Dante Novak kick with just 0:09.

The Fourth quarter belonged to the North as the team outscored the South 16-0 to tie the contest and to go up by eight.

Halterman called his own number and scored on an 8-yard TD run at 8:39. Collins completed the 2-point conversion, tying the game at 28.

Collins finished the scoring as he scored the final touchdown and 2-point conversion with 2:28 left, leading 36-28.

The South had one last chance to tie but it would be the North that had the last say as they picked off Walk to ice the win.