EBENSBURG – First Commonwealth Bank, the Heritage Conference and the WestPAC Conference Tuesday announced a multi-year presenting sponsorship of the Appalachian Bowl. The announcement took place at First Commonwealth Financial Corporation’s Ebensburg office of First First Commonwealth Bank.
The Appalachian Bowl will be played between the champions of the two conferences on Oct. 28 at the home site of the Heritage Conference team. The Bowl is the premiere local high school football championship. It began in 1970s, discontinued when the Appalachian Conference dissolved in the late 1990s and was reinstated in 2016. Ligonier Valley won that championship.
This three-year deal also includes sponsorship of the Appalachian Bowl Championship Luncheon. The presenting sponsorship commitment is for $15,000.
Hear the official announcement here from Executive Vice President of Corporate Banking for First Commonwealth Bank Greg Sipos.
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Standing, left to right, Cullen Stokes, United High School Athletic Director and Secretary/Treasurer of the Heritage Conference; Michael Worthington, Principal of United High School and Vice President of the Heritage Conference; Craig Gindlesperger, Meyerdale High School Athletic Director and Secretary of the WestPAC Conference; Jarod Feathers, Conemaugh Township Athletic Director and President of the WestPAC Conference. Seated, Jody Rainey, Principal of Homer-Center High School and President of Heritage Conference; Greg Sipos; Jim Foster, Principal of Conemaugh Township High School and President of the WestPAC Conference.
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| Interviews with Rainey and Sipos | |
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The two conferences in 2016 also formed the WestPAC-Heritage Conference Challenge, which features crossover games the night before the Bowl game to help connect all of the schools of both conferences. The crossover games feature the WestPAC second-place team versus the Heritage Conference second-place team, third versus third and so on, all the way through the 10th versus 10th matchup. First Commonwealth Bank is also a sponsor of the WestPAC-Heritage Conference Challenge.
The WestPAC is comprised of Berlin, Blacklick Valley, Conemaugh Township, Conemaugh Valley, Ferndale, Meyersdale, North Star, Portage, Rockwood, Salisbury, Shade, Shanksville, Turkeyfoot Valley and Windber.
The Heritage Conference is comprised of Blairsville, Homer-Center, Ligonier Valley, Marion Center, Northern Cambria, Penns Manor, Purchase Line, Saltburg, United and West Shamokin.
