In the Times News area, it’s never too early or late in the year to talk about high school football.

Two area high school coaches were hard at work on the gridiron last Sunday, helping the East squad defeat the West, 19-14, in the annual Pennsylvania State Football Coaches Association East-West Small School All-Star Game held at Chapman Field in Mechanicsburg.

Northern Lehigh head Coach Joe Tout was chosen by his peers to serve as the head coach of the East team, while Marian head Coach Billy O’Gurek served as an assistant for the East.

Tout has been the head coach of the Northern Lehigh Bulldogs for the past 20 years, tallying 132 wins, three District 11 championships and an Eastern Conference title.

“You find out about a year ahead of time if you’re going to be coaching in the game. You need to be nominated by the coaches association, and then a committee picks the coaches from the list of nominees,” said Tout. “It was very humbling to be chosen, and it was an honor.

“I was surprised, I really was. I was an assistant in the game in 2012, which then qualifies you to be a candidate for head coach for the game, so I knew about the process and that I always had a chance. But the real reward in all of this is the testament to all the players and the coaches at Northern Lehigh that have helped us build a successful program, and put me in the position to be nominated in the first place.”

Both the East and West teams had the opportunity to practice four times before the game, with the setup being a two-a-day format on the two Sundays prior to Mother’s Day.

Getting to know the players, and building a connection with them was the top priority for Coach Tout and his staff.

“That’s probably the most difficult part of the process is trying to form a connection with the players in a really short time frame. We only had four practices together before the game. And then a lot of the practice time is spent on installing your offense and going over the rules for the defense,” said Tout.

“But I called each player and congratulated them on being chosen for the team. I really enjoyed making those calls. I thought our staff did a great job of bonding with the players. We really focused on that.”

O’Gurek, who was also nominated and chosen by the association coaches, enjoyed his experience as an assistant on Tout’s East winning staff.

O’Gurek was hired two seasons ago as the head coach for the Colts, and he’s brought the program back to prominence, helping them to reach back-to-back District 11 1A finals.

“It was a really great experience. It’s a very rewarding feeling to be picked by your peers to coach in a game like that. It was also great to coach with Coach Tout, who I’ve known for a long time,” said O’Gurek. “Getting to know all the kids was a really neat part of the process.

“We also had a ton of Schuylkill County kids on the team, so it was nice to be on the side where those kids are playing on your team and not against you, and you’re not prepping to play against them. And then the game itself was awesome. It was a really good game. And of course it’s nice to get a win, especially for a local guy in Coach Tout.”

The game was indeed exciting, with the East scoring a game-winning touchdown with just 30 seconds remaining on a 19-yard run from Lancaster Catholic’s Brandon Way.

The game also started off with a bang, with Notre Dame Green Pond signal caller Matt Bodnar hitting fellow Crusader Alex Clark with a 55-yard strike on the first play of the game. Bodnar also connected with Clark on a 35-yard score in the second quarter.

The lone TN area player on the East roster was Panther Valley’s Gavin Yuricheck.

“You’re obviously going to be more excited about the outcome of a game like that if you win, but win or lose it’s a great opportunity for everyone involved. But I think everyone was happy with how competitive the game was,” said Tout. “Our guys battled, and we were obviously able to take advantage of Clark’s speed in the game and the connection between Bodnar and him.

“That was a great run by Way at the end. He needed to break one tackle to take it in, and that’s what he did. And then our defensive came up big. They got us the stop we needed in the fourth before we were able to punch it in, and then they were able to hold off the West offense with 30 seconds left.”