Mt. Pleasant's Rob Gumbita is heading to Virginia this fall to play football at the College of William & Mary, but first, he'll be making a stop in Hershey. Gumbita is one of only 14 WPIAL players selected to represent Pennsylvania at the 51st annual PNC Big 33 Classic on June 14. Each year, outstanding football players from around Pennsylvania take on Ohio's top players in the game, which will be at Hersheypark Stadium. Gumbita said he was notified of his selection via phone calls, one from a member of the Big 33 committee and one from Mark Lyons, the senior lineman's high school football coach. "I was pumped," Gumbita said. Playing in the Big 33 Classic has been one of Gumbita's goals since his days as a player in the Mt. Pleasant Junior Football League. "It's just something I've always dreamed of doing," he said. "When you're growing up, it's a prestigious game that you want to play in." Many of the players who have competed in the Big 33 have graduated to successful Division I college careers, as well as successful careers in the NFL. According to the Classic's Web site, some of the game's most well-known alumni include Tony Dorsett, Joe Montana, Dan Marino, Jim Kelly and Ben Roethlisberger. Gumbita said this year's crop of talent has already gotten to know each other a bit -- at least, the WPIAL players have. "The West team had a practice at North Allegheny," he said. "Me and some of the guys there, like (Montour's) Christian Wilson were just getting to know each other." Gumbita and Wilson join four players from Pittsburgh Central, which leads the WPIAL in selections this year. Two players each from Trinity and North Allegheny dot the roster. Aliquippa, Thomas Jefferson, Gateway and Norwin are also represented. Gumbita said he is looking forward to playing in the Big 33 Classic, but he will spend the majority of his summer preparing for his first season as a college football player. "I'm just working out and just trying to keep in shape and get stronger," he said. "(I'm trying to) put myself in a position to get some early playing time." For more information on the PNC Big 33 Football Classic, visit www.big33.org.

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