His last hurrah
By TRICIA LAFFERTY
Bucks County Courier Times

 STATE COLLEGE - His Under Armour drenched in sweat and the grimace on his face spoke just as loud as the occasional grunts Kevin Kelly let out as he carried two 100-pound weights 200 yards.

It was tough. It was painful. The event was part of a grueling, 11-station workout session that raised money for charity. It was also one of those "welcome to college football" moments for Penn State's freshman kicker.

"Preseason camp is gonna be tough, but not as tough as this I don't think," Kelly said.

The 5-foot-9, 175-pound former Neshaminy kicker was working out with the big boys at Penn State's third annual Lift For Life at the University Park campus. Kelly competed against the likes of Nittany Lions hard-hitting junior linebacker Paul Posluzny, super-fit senior quarterback Michael Robinson and feisty senior cornerback Alan Zemaitis, among others, for a fundraiser that brought in about $30,000 for kidney cancer research.

On Saturday, Kelly again will be linked with some of college football's finest - this time with the best high school seniors hailing from Pennsylvania and Ohio - in the Big 33 Classic, which will take place at 7:30 p.m. at Hersheypark Stadium.

"I'm really excited about the game," Kelly said. "And also, my buddy [Matt Jones] is from my school, so that's neat."

The Big 33 game is not only one of the premier high school all-star football games in the country, but it also is a week-long affair that gives athletes a chance to mingle with one another and interact within the community. The Big 33 organization pairs the athletes with a "buddy" from a group of kids with exceptional needs. The duos share lunch, attend a banquet and will be introduced together at the game.

The main attraction, of course, is a bunch of college-bound recruits headed, for the most part, to highly touted NCAA Division I football programs. After a senior campaign in which he converted all of 58 extra point attempts and 10 of 17 field goal attempts for the Redskins, Kelly was selected as the sole kicker on the Pennsylvania squad.

"He did it phenomenal job for us," Neshaminy coach Mark Schmidt said. "He's been the man ever since he started his freshman year. He is one of the most dedicated kids I've been around and he has a terrific frame of mind."

Kelly was the only player in PIAA history to score a point in every game played throughout his four-year high school career. He also owns an area record 54-yard field goal, and set the District One playoff record with a

53-yard field goal. Fifty of his 80 kickoffs were returned for touchbacks.

With the graduation of Penn State kicker Robbie Gould, a four-year letterman, Kelly will have an opportunity to serve as the Lions' new full-time kicker.

"I think I am [the leading contender]," Kelly said. "All of the coaches said it's open competition, so whoever comes out of camp that's doing better is gonna play. I hope to start off kicking field goals and kickoffs and help the team as much as I can."

Since Kelly moved into Pollack Halls at Penn State three weeks ago, he's grown accustomed to college life and has been working out with the team, but the kinesiology major will wait until the fall semester to enroll in classes.

Kelly will be joined in the Big 33 game by Penn State teammates Knowledge Timmons and Sean Lee. Fairless Hills native and Conwell Egan-Catholic standout Steve Slaton was selected to the Big 33 team, but is unable to participate because of a newly implemented NCAA rule.

Players who have enrolled in summer classes are unable to compete in the Big 33 Classic and since the running back is currently taking classes at West Virginia, he was removed from the Pennsylvania roster.

Tricia Lafferty can be reached at tlafferty@phillyBurbs.com.