There may be a lot of anxiety surrounding the sport of football these days with the NFL labour dispute at a stand still, but for at least one Sunday we'll have football. Better yet, that football will be at the Carrier Dome, featuring the best high school football talent the state of New York has to offer. The 2nd annual Empower New York State High School Football Classic kicks off this Sunday at 2 PM, and the Upstate team will certainly be looking for revenge last years loss to Downstate. But just as the fans will be excited to see future Orange stars in action, like quarterback Ashton Broyld, the players are giddy about another chance to play at the Carrier Dome.
"I played here (about) two times in my career," recalls Nottingham Linebacker Charles Gary, "but everytime I come in here it's like wow, this is the big stage, it doesn't get much better than this."
"Everytime I come (here) this is amazing to me," added Fowler Wide Receiver Kelvin Amparo, "it's so big, so much space and it's just gorgeous in here. I love it."
SU's future kicker Jon Fisher is excited to get a sneak peak at what it will be like playing at the Dome for four years to come, while future SU Lacrosse player Mike Messina is getting a chance to play a huge football game at the Dome before he launches his career with Coach John Desko's SU Laxers.
"It's just a great opportunity to play this great sport of Football here," says Messina, "and end my football career here. Then one day I'll end off my lacrosse career here."
