Drew Allar walked down the winding stairs of Penn State’s Morgan Academic Center into a quiet conference room. It was 9 a.m. on an early April morning. Allar woke up at 6 a.m., got to the Lasch Building an hour later and pored over practice tape before sitting down for an interview.

Allar answered questions for 30 minutes. He talked about the pressure of being Penn State’s quarterback. He talked about the expectations of being a five-star recruit. He talked about being “good, but not good enough” last season. And he talked about what he hoped was ahead for him and the program he’s dedicated himself to, the team he cares so much about.

Wadsworth’s Mitchell Evans, Medina’s Drew Allar take center stage at Orange Bowl

The oldest rivalry in Medina County plays out Thursday when Medina and Wadsworth play for a spot in the college football national championship.

Wait. What?

You read that correctly.

When Penn State and Notre Dame play in the Orange Bowl on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. former Bees quarterback Drew Allar will lead the Nittany Lions against former Grizzlies tight end Mitchell Evans and the Fighting Irish.

It’s a high school rivalry that spans 78 games and one that has some in the community buzzing.

“It is really cool when you have two high-profile guys like that,” Wadsworth coach Justin Todd said. “Looking at this game, you’ve got Wadsworth versus Medina, two of the main characters playing out.

“You really don’t get a lot of significant high-profile guys coming out of Medina County. And to have them on this national stage where the entire country’s going to be watching on Thursday night is incredible. Obviously, Drew is the focal point of Penn State’s offense and Mitch being from Tight End U is a major factor in the Notre Dame offense.

Penn State’s Drew Allar and Notre Dame’s Mitchell Evans bring high school football rivalry to CFP, Orange Bowl

The interesting twist in all of this is that while the high school rivalry is as old as it is, Allar and Evans just missed playing against each other.

Evans is a 2021 Wadsworth graduate. Allar is a 2022 Medina graduate, but the two were never really on the field at the same time when the Bees and Grizzlies played.

Allar didn’t win the starting job from Ryan Gillespie until later in 2019 during his sophomore season. The game in 2020 where Allar and Evans were both playing quarterback wasn’t played because of the COVID season.

That means, Thursday will be the first time both play each other as starters for their respective teams.

“I always viewed Medina as a rival growing up because in youth football, they always beat us,” Evans said. “I never really got a chance to kind of beat Medina growing up, so when that was the last opportunity to play and they kind got of us, I was really kind of frustrated, but playing the game was always fun.”

Fast forward to Thursday and Allar and the sixth-seeded Nittany Lions know what a handful the seventh-seeded Fighting Irish will be.

“They’re a very sound unit that also plays very hard and is very physical,” Allar said. “They’re obviously very detailed and very well coached. There’s not any (missed assignments) on film.

“… I think it kind of starts up front. I think they’re D-line is really good, but also their secondary is really good. Obviously, we’re down to the final four teams and there’s not going to be a weak link on any team.”

That’s not lost on Notre Dame as it prepares for a super-charged Allar offense.

“Just knowing him for the longest time, his growth and his work ethic (stand out),” Evans said. “He’s really good. He’s got a lot of heart. He loves the game of football. You can see that just with how he’s grown as a player. You can see his progression, how he throws the football, his footwork and his toughness.”

High school coaches take pride in each other’s Penn State, Notre Dame football stars

Numbers don’t lie, which is why Allar’s 2024 season could make him a top five pick in the NFL draft if he were to leave Penn State early.

Allar has completed 224 of 324 passes for 2,894 yards and 21 touchdowns this season.

Evans, who has 34 catches for 311 yards and three scores, is regarded undoubtedly as a top five tight end in the draft.

“Like Tyler Warren for Penn State, Mitch is very athletic,” Medina coach Larry Laird said. “I think they’re the two best tight ends in college football castmates. I mean, just because of their size and their athletic ability.

“They talk about Tyler Warren playing quarterback in high school. Well, Mitch did the same thing. Mitch is a very good player. I’m not saying that to stroke anybody’s ego or anything else. I think he’s a top two tight end in the country.”

Todd remembers when Allar completed 32 of 43 passes for 391 yards and four touchdowns in Medina’s 35-0 win over Wadsworth in 2021.

 

The veteran Grizzlies coach is not surprised to see that trend continuing at Penn State.

“I only coached against him one year and was certainly super impressed with his poise,” Todd said. “I was overly impressed with his arm strength and their wide-open offense with all the receivers. But after the game, I went up to him, shook his hand, said congratulations, and best of luck, and he was a really, polite young man. I was probably more impressed with his willingness to go up and have a conversation with me or the other people that were around him. He seemed like a really down-to-earth guy.”

Greater Akron has two other stars on College Football Playoff rosters

Eighth-seeded Ohio State plays fifth-seeded Texas in the Cotton Bowl on Friday at 7:30 p.m. Wide receivers Brennen Schramm (Medina) and Shawn Lodge (St. Vincent-St. Mary) are on the Buckeyes roster.