Two York County football players selected to prestigious Big 33 Classic football game
York Suburban's Mikey Bentivegna and Dallastown's Kenny Johnson were last teammates during the 2020 football season.
Now they'll play together again in one of the most prestigious high school football games in the country.
The two seniors were the only YAIAA football players selected to compete in the Big 33 Classic all-star game. The game pits some of the top seniors from Pennsylvania against all-stars from Maryland.
The 2023 Big 33 Classic is scheduled to be played May 28, 7 p.m. at Bishop McDevitt’s Rocco Ortenzio Stadium.
The Big 33 has been surpassed in popularity in recent years by national all-star games like the Under-Armour All-America Game and the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. Many top college recruits, including Central York's Beau Pribula last year and York High's Jahiem White this year, enroll early in college and therefore do not play in the game.
But few games match the Big 33's history.
The game has been played since 1958 and previously pitted Pennsylvania teams against squads from Ohio and Texas. Maryland has been the opponent since 2013.
Every Super Bowl (which dates back to 1967) has featured at least one player who appeared in the Big 33 Classic. Kansas City Chiefs backup quarterback Chad Henne and defensive end Frank Clark and Philadelphia Eagles running back Miles Sanders were this year's participants.
More on Bentivegna:After long wait, York County superstar running back finally makes Division I choice
Related:Here's why Dallastown's Kenny Johnson chose Pitt football over Penn State and others
The game has featured the likes of Joe Montana, Dan Marino, Ben Roethlisberger, Jim Kelly and Joe Namath. York High grad and Pro Football Hall of Fame member Chris Doleman also played in the game.
Bentivegna and Kenny Johnson played together at York Suburban as freshmen and sophomores from 2019 to 2020. Johnson transferred to Dallastown due to a residency change prior to his junior year.
Now both are NCAA Division I recruits.
A running back, Bentivegna had a season for the ages this fall. Standing around 5-foot-6, he still rushed for 2,385 carries on 244 carries, caught 27 passes for 431 yards and registered 512 return yards. That adds up to an insane 3,328 all-purpose yards. He also scored 37 total touchdowns with 32 coming on the ground. He rushed for over 200 yards and put up over 300 all-purpose yards five times each.
He led York Suburban to its first District 3 playoff win in 36 years and committed to Division I FCS Duquesne last weekend.
A 6-foot-2 wide receiver, Johnson caught 42 passes for 724 yards. He was also a factor running the ball and on kick returns and scored nine total touchdowns. In a game against York High, he caught nine passes for 103 yards and three touchdowns and took a kick back for a fourth score.
He will play college football at the University of Pittsburgh after receiving more than 16 Division I offers.
Find the full Pennsylvania roster for the Big 33 team here.
Matt Allibone is a sports reporter for GameTimePA. He can be reached at 717-881-8221, mallibone@ydr.com or on Twitter at @bad2theallibone.
This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: York Suburban and Dallastown football players named to Big 33 Classic
