Rewarded on the gridiron
The days of suiting up for their respective high school football teams were already over, but Matt Griffiths and Eli Penny were afforded one more rewarding evening on the gridiron before heading off to college.
Griffiths, a Karns City graduate, and Penny, an A-C Valley product, both helped the South squad prevail, 14-12, against the North in the Frank Varischetti All-Star football game last month in Brockway.
The annual contest includes recent graduated players from all across District 9.Prior to the game, Griffiths and Penny both received one of 17 $1,000 scholarships.“They do a tremendous job with those scholarships,” said Karns City coach Joe Sherwin. “And I've been involved in a couple other all-star games and this one was outstanding. They really take care of the players.”Several criteria are used in determining the recipients of the scholarships. A player must be headed to some type of post-secondary education or training. Extra-curricular activities in school and community service are also weighed and each player must turn in an essay describing how football has had a positive affect on him.Griffiths was a two-year starter on the offensive and defensive lines for the Gremlins. He admits he did not have the career he was hoping for, simply because knee and wrist injuries sidelined him for half the games between his junior and senior seasons.“A lot of my career was not in my control,” he said. “I didn't have the experience a lot of players get while playing in high school. So football helped teach me how to overcome adversity.“Being on the sidelines a lot, seeing things from there and talking with the coaches, it helped me see things as a coach does.”And Griffiths soaked it all in, something noticed by Sherwin.“Matt was a technician when he was on the field, could tell the other players what they should be doing,” Sherwin said. “He's very dedicated and also very smart.”Griffiths is headed to Penn State University to study civil engineering. He did not take lightly the opportunity to play in the recent all-star game.“It was one of the few games over the last two years that I was completely healthy for,” he said. “I got to enjoy one last game.”Griffiths was also heavily involved in student affairs, serving as class president and National Honor Society president at Karns City.
Penny will continue his playing career at Westminster College, where he will study finance and economics. He has already reaped the benefits of the gridiron.“Football created a good work ethic within me,” he said. “I've learned so many values and life lessons from playing and I really appreciate this scholarship. They do a nice job of helping us out.”Penny started at fullback and linebacker the last three years for Union/A-C Valley. In 2020, he totaled 47 tackles, including five for a loss, and averaged nearly five yards per carry on 59 attempts.Falcon Knights' coach Brad Dittman saw his contributions reach beyond the field.“The thing that stuck out for me about Eli was his leadership and work ethic,” he said. “Workouts, practices ... he never missed anything.”Along with his basketball teammates at A-C Valley, Penny made annual trips to the VA hospital in Butler to spend time with patients and give them gift bags. The visits always came with the holiday season drawing near.He was part of the group of players that brought winning football to Union/A-C Valley. The two schools remain separate, but combined forces in football beginning in 2016.Over the last two seasons, the Falcon Knights went a combined 12-6.“After the merger, the program was struggling and being part of the teams that turned it around, it meant a lot to me,” Penny said. “We put Union/A-C Valley football on the map.“I grew up playing against those kids (from Union). Coming together and becoming one team is something I'll remember.”
