Players looking to represent Philly in Big 33
Shawn Oakman probably could have played any sport he wanted. The 6-foot-9, 270-pound "athlete," as he was called for recruiting purposes, is all of that.
HUMMELSTOWN, Pa. - Shawn Oakman probably could have played any sport he wanted. The 6-foot-9, 270-pound "athlete," as he was called for recruiting purposes, is all of that.
He attended Penn Wood in Delaware County, playing basketball and football, and will be a defensive end at Penn State next season.
A stigma that Oakman and eight other Philadelphia-area players will try to break Saturday night during the annual Big 33 football game at HersheyPark Stadium is that Philly's a basketball town.
"I want to put Philadelphia football on the map," former West Catholic cornerback Brandon Holloman said Wednesday at a practice at Lower Dauphin. "I think a lot of people think it's just played out. We can play football in Philadelphia, too."
In the locker room, everyone has gotten along at the Big 33 game, but that doesn't mean there's a lack of regional pride.
"I know everybody from Philly, so we're all cool," Oakman said. "Just making fun of those Pittsburgh guys. Making fun of them Harrisburg guys."
It's all in good fun. But the Pittsburgh and Harrisburg guys might hit a nerve if they say everyone coming out of Philly is a basketball player.
In football, Oakman was a four-star recruit, according to Rivals.com, with offers from Pittsburgh, South Carolina, Temple, Connecticut, North Carolina State, and Penn State.
Oakman played basketball for Penn Wood, too, and went to the PIAA Class AAAA state final as a sophomore and junior, winning in 2009 and losing in 2010. His team fell just short of the finals this past season.
But football allowed Oakman to release some built-up aggression, as he put it. So far, the decision has worked out just fine for him.
"In Philly, we don't get that much recognition," Oakman said. "So I'm just out here to show off.
"We don't have maybe the best facilities or the best talent, but we've got some good players. You've just got to give us the chance to show it."
Holloman wasn't as highly recruited as Oakman was, though, and Holloman might have even more incentive to show off Saturday: New Hampshire and Norfolk State were the only Division I schools to give him a look.
Holloman wanted to play at a bigger school, and he needed to get bigger before he would reopen his recruitment. So he has decided decided to head to a prep school in Connecticut, the Salisbury School.
"Weight was an issue, so I could go to prep school, put some weight on, hit the gym," Holloman said.
The defensive playbook is simple Saturday: straight-up man-to-man.
Across the line of scrimmage will be some formidable athletes, including two quarterbacks committed to Big Ten schools: Cardale Jones (Ohio State) and Connor Cook (Michigan State).
"It's definitely going to be a challenge," Holloman said. "But you get to see where you are, playing against guys that are all-stars and going to big schools."
Also playing in the Big 33 will be Jamal Abdur-Rahman (La Salle), Dave Bowen (Radnor), Dexter Bridge (Conestoga), Daquan Cooper (George Washington), Tyler Kroft (Downingtown East), and Corey Majors (Neshaminy). Terrell Chestnut (Pottsgrove) was named to the roster but is injured and won't play.
"It's a whole new experience," said Kroft, a 6-6 tight end committed to Rutgers.
"I'm kind of used to being one of the bigger, faster kids. Now I'm like average out here, height-wise. Shawn Oakman's 6-foot-9.
"Makes me look small."