YAIAA/Mid-Penn football all-star game canceled
The proposed YAIAA/Mid-Penn football all-star game scheduled for Thanksgiving Day has been canceled. The Quarterback Club of York, the event's host, announced the cancellation on Wednesday. In a release, the club stated complications with the field setup at Sovereign Bank Stadium -- the game's desired site -- led the PIAA to refuse to sanction officials for the event. For the second straight year, there will be no YAIAA football all-star game. "We just hope to accomplish something in the future," said New Oxford coach Matt Muller, the president of the YAIAA football coaches. "I'm sure we'll put that back on the agenda and see where we want to be." Safety concerns torpedoed a planned October game between York Catholic and Eastern York at the complex, when it was ruled a concrete wall was too close to the field of play. All-star organizers proposed using a modified field with slightly shortened end zones, Muller said. But according to the release, the game's referees indicated the PIAA would not allow the officials' participation on a field that was not of PIAA dimensions. Playing at Sovereign Bank Stadium was necessary, because the York Revolution were offering financial backing for the event. "The Club has lost money in the past operating this game," Quarterback Club president Ed Bender said in the release. "In this economy, finding someone like the Revs to have a serious financial commitment was a godsend. The problem with the field was addressed and seemed under control. Unfortunately, the PIAA got involved and essentially killed it by refusing PIAA referees to work the game."