Vacation ends early for Terrell, Reeder

Vinny Pezzimenti

State College’s Emmitt Terrell and Jake Reeder arrived in Altoona at 10 a.m. Sunday with the rest of the players participating in the PSFCA East-West All- Star football game.

Terrell

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Things began slowly. Team pictures were taken and players were fitted for uniforms.

“Then,” Reeder said, “we went right to work. Full pads, hitting and everything on Sunday afternoon. We’ve been running two-a-days ever since. It’s just like August but a little earlier.” Summer vacation? Hardly.

“The very first drill that we did was one-on-one, defensive line versus offensive line,” Terrell said.

“Just getting after it. Coach says we don’t mess around here, it’s not the girl scouts.”

In fact, Terrell explained, Tyrone defensive lineman Jerrod Good broke his hand during the drill.

The State College players are just fine. Maybe just a little tired.

Besides an afternoon at DelGrosso’s amusement park on Wednesday, they’ve been busy with practices, sponsorship events and community service that are tied into the week leading up to the game, which kicks off tonight at 6 p.m. at Mansion Park.

Terrell, who will play at Cornell, is expected to start on the defensive line and the University at Buffalo-bound Reeder at tight end for the West team in a game that features some of the top college prospects coming out of Pennsylvania.

Terrell, Reeder and the rest of the 66 players participating in the game have stayed with host families in Altoona since Sunday. They’ve also visited with area veterans and helped put on a youth football clinic this week.

“I’m going to be honest,” Terrell said. “I didn’t know what to expect coming down here, accept for the opportunity to play in the East-West game. I was looking at it solely from the view of football. But it’s really a lot more than that. It’s about coming out of your shell and meeting people and forming relationships.”

Both Little Lions have roommates with their host families. Terrell is staying with Peabody receiver Pierre Carr and Reeder with Erie Strong Vincent defensive back Deonte Flemings.

Both players were asked what teammate has caught their eye the most on the field. Both said their roommates.

Carr, who is headed to Akron, beat State College’s Alex Kenney to win a PIAA title in the 100 meters this spring and also won the 200 crown.

“He’s just a really explosive athlete,” Terrell said. “He’s just lightning fast. I’m pretty fast off the edge, but he’s given me trouble breaking my contain all week.”

Flemings will continue his career at Grambling.

“All I ever see is him breaking up passes and stopping our offense,” Reeder said.

Terrell and Reeder aren’t bad either. They helped State College to a 12-1 season and a trip to the PIAA Class AAAA quarterfinals, where the Little Lions lost to Bethel Park 17-14.

The 6-foot-5, 250-pound Reeder caught a team-high 28 passes for 354 yards and five touchdowns as a senior. He doesn’t expect many receptions tonight, however.

“It looks like I’m more of the blocking tight end,” he said. “Obviously, I’m used to that.”

Reeder, who also played on the defensive line at State College, said he will be rotated in at defensive tackle.

“I really won’t be sitting that much, which is great,” he said. “I’m used to it.”

The 6-2, 236-pound Terrell had 331/ 2 tackles, 81/ 2 for loss, and two sacks this past season. He will also play on the

punt return team and serve as a rush end during passing situations.

Terrell set a goal of being selected for the East-West game at the beginning of his senior year.

“That’s what I really had my sights set on,” he said. “I managed to attain it.”

Reeder was first introduced to the game three years ago when former State College standout Justin Masorti played in it. He attended the game two years ago when Little Lions Brook Hart and Andrew Kerr participated.

“They talked a lot about it and how fun it was,” Reeder said. “I saw all the guys they got to meet and all the different team’s decals on their helmets. I thought it was a real cool situation.

“You sit around with your friends after you play your game on Friday and you hear how everybody else did. Now you get to meet the stars of those games that you heard about.”

Terrell was asked how he would feel after playing in his final high school game.

“I see my last high school game as the one I played against Bethel Park, in that devastating loss,” he said. “I kind of view this as somewhere in between, where I’m getting a chance to get my feet wet against some really high-caliber players before I go up to Cornell.”