Penn Charter RB Ohifame Ijeboi has ‘unlimited potential.’ Next stop: Minnesota.

The Penn Charter-Germantown Academy rivalry game is one of the biggest on both schools’ football calendars. Billed as the oldest continuous high school football rivalry game in the country, “The Big Game” has been played for 137 years, surviving world wars and two global pandemics.

The winner gets bragging rights — at least until PC-GA Day rolls around the next year — and the MVP of the game gets the Geis Trophy. In 2021, Penn Charter running back Ohifame Ijeboi hoisted the trophy after rushing for 220 yards to lift the Quakers over the Patriots, 35-32. He shared the honor with teammate Seamus McCain.

For Ijeboi, who is committed to Minnesota, that still stands out as one of his fondest memories. It was the first time he had more than 20 carries in a high school game, and he scored the winning touchdown.

“That was probably my favorite moment of my high school career,” Ijeboi said. “A big crowd comes out, everybody in the school comes out — there’s a big pep rally for it. It’s a big game for us.”

Ijeboi’s journey to a Power Five program wasn’t exactly straightforward. From the COVID-19 pandemic shortening his first season to working through rehab after suffering a torn labrum in his shoulder during his junior year, he had to make the most of every single carry he got. But it paid off — Ijeboi ended up choosing the Gophers over several other FBS offers, including from Virginia Tech, Vanderbilt, Rutgers, and Northwestern.

For Penn Charter football coach Tom Coyle, who has known Ijeboi since he was in the seventh grade, that comes as no surprise.

“He has talent, athletic ability, and all those experiences help, but whether things have been easy for him or difficult for him, he always rises to the challenge,” Coyle said. “Being injured and having the type of surgery he had, to recover from that, he certainly has a lot of grit, a lot of toughness to him, but he’s a gentleman at all times, and we couldn’t be more proud of him.”

Ijeboi has always been fast.

It’s why he was initially drawn to the running back position in the second grade. He grew up playing football with his older brothers, and they’d constantly tell him how fast he was. At Penn Charter, Ijeboi was also a standout on the track and basketball teams, although he knew his heart was always for the football field.

“Playing basketball, being explosive is very important,” Ijeboi said. “And being explosive definitely is important on the football field. So I think those two definitely lie together when playing defense, or driving to the basket or being able to dunk, stuff like that. Definitely all of them help each other and complement each other.”

Soon he’ll get to test that speed at the next level. Ijeboi was drawn to Minnesota after forming a connection with the coaching staff. He plans to make his commitment official Wednesday, when he puts pen to paper on national signing day.

To prepare for the Gophers, he’s mainly been focusing on keeping up his conditioning and health.

“He’s a guy who has unlimited potential,” Coyle said. “For a high school player, he’s a pretty polished back, and he’s going to go to Minnesota, understand how they want things done, and do things their way. He’s going to transition very well.”

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Both of Ijeboi’s parents were born and raised in Nigeria, and he credits their sacrifices with allowing him to pursue what he loves.

“They helped me a lot with my journey,” Ijeboi said.

“Just seeing how hard my mom works, just wanting to give back to her, is probably one of my biggest inspirations. Knowing how hard she worked for me to be in this position kind of makes you want to work harder, to be able to provide back for her.”

Ijeboi will graduate early from Penn Charter, allowing him to head to college in the new year and get acclimated to the demands of the Big Ten program. It’s a unique path compared to the rest of his high school team. In recent memory, only Tyler Needham did the same. He is now a junior linebacker at Rutgers.

There is one thing Ijeboi is already itching for. At Penn Charter, he never had the chance to play a night home game because of league rules. So he can’t wait for his first game under the lights.

When that opportunity finally rolls around, he said, it will probably be right up there with that Geis Trophy win in 2021.