Mark Myers' 7-yard touchdown pass to Christian Bryant with 1:04 left gave Ohio a 18-15 win over Pennsylvania in an interminable, error-filled Big 33 game at Hersheypark Stadium.

The play capped a wild stretch drive that saw Pennsylvania take the lead on a 65-yard bomb, Anthony Gonzalez (Bethlehem Liberty High School, University of Pittsburgh) to Andrew Carswell (Sto-Rox, Pittsburgh), with 90 seconds left.

About two minutes before that Carey Spear's 33-yard field goal with 3:45 left capped a rally that gave Ohio a 10-9 lead. It had trailed, 9-0.

It was a crazy finish to a tedious (24-penalty, three-and-a-half hour) night.

"We gave it our all," said Tyler Beck (Wilson, Bowling Green), one of two Lancaster-Lebanon League products in the game. "We had fun. We just fell a little but short."

For a long, long while, the 58th edition of the venerable high-school football all-star game looked like it'd be the lowest scoring since a 0-0 tie (Pennsylvania vs. the U.S. All-Stars) in 1960.

Just four years ago, Ohio and Pennsylvania combined for 103 points. Late in the third quarter Saturday, they hadn't combined for 103 yards.

And Pennsylvania led, 2-0.

Eventually, somebody had to make an offensive play.

Didn't they?

They did.

Pennsylvania quarterback Tyler Smith (Wilson Area, Maryland) had shown a nice arm. And on a third-and-25 play from around midfield, Smith finally connected with somebody, laying a deep ball in the arms of wide receiver Alex Kenney (State College, Penn State) for a 48-yard, floodgate-opening touchdown.

It started a little offensive boomlet.

Ohio got the ball back and QB Vernon Reid (Ohio State) took a direct snap and sprinted 74 yards untouched for an answering score.

Then there was a big hit and nearly a brawl on the ensuing kickoff

End of boomlet.

The sequence that led to Spear's field goal started when Pennsylvania fumbled away a fielded punt it wouldn't have needed to field.

That gave Ohio the ball at the Pennsylvania 13. Befitting the night, Ohio them moved backward three yards before Spear (Vanderbilt) delivered

Most of the game belonged — perhaps by default — to the defenses.

The first half was a statistical wonder. The teams combined for three rushing yards. Ohio was -11.

Pennsylvania's two quarterbacks, Gonzalez (Bethlehem Liberty, Pittsburgh) and Smith, completed 4 of 21 passes for 53 yards and two interceptions.

The points came when an Ohio punt-snap went over Spear's head, into the end zone, and Spear kicked it through the end zone for a safety.

The biggest crowd reaction of the half came when local kid Adam Metz (Lower Dauphin, Temple) caught a punt, to the delight of his large rooting section. Metz is a 300-pound offensive lineman, and he was standing on the sidelines at the time.

The strategic highlight game when Pennsylvania tried a trick play on fourth-and-three at the Ohio 29. The ball was deliberately mishandled by Smith and rolled to running back Colby Way, who hit the back judge in the back with a pass.

Just the facts, folks.

Pennsylvania's D was quick and aggressive, led by linebackers Manasseh Garner (Breashear High School, Wisconsin) and Rich Grey (Woodland Hills, Kent), who had three quarterback sacks.

Gray was named the Pennsylvania MVP in media voting. The Ohio MVP went to Reed, who helped his team as quarterback and receiver.

The Pennsylvania offensive star, if there was one, was Beck (Bowling Green), who caught three balls for 46 yards in the half, and six for 74 in the game.

"I kept running that little drag route," he said. "We didn't think they'd be able to cover it."

The other L-L product, Elco LB Arron Achey (Maine), played every other series on defense and on special teams.

Then he talked about the reasons why, despite everything, the game remains worthwhile.

"The experience was unbelievable," he said. "Once the week started it just flew by. The 'Buddy' program [in which each player is matched with a special needs youngster] was awesome … awesome for them and awesome for us. And maybe it helped somebody."