Monaca, PA - Cornell High School football had one of its most memorable seasons this year. Starting out with beating Rochester for the first time in 40-plus years, to winning its first-ever playoff game in school history. Everyone in Coraopolis has been astonished by these recognizable accomplishments. With all this being said, it was capped off by a truly remarkable get-together with teams from all over Allegheny and Beaver County. Cornell has six players being named to the all-conference team, with some players getting named all-conference on offense and defense, and with a surprise to us all, an all-conference punter. The six Cornell students included Isaiah Langston, Kaden DiVito, Zaier Harrison, Tylor Godfrey, Blaine Sams, and the Nazareth Prep students who Co-op with Cornell: William Dank and Savon Wilson. They all gathered at Monaca Brothers in Monaca, PA on a fairly rainy Saturday on December 14th.

The banquet was listed to start at 12 P.M. but didn't really get rolling until about 12:30 P.M. with food and time to enjoy with your family, coaches, and teammates. The food selection ranged from pasta, chicken, to any type of salad, with limitless drinks for everyone to enjoy. Soon after everyone was finished with their food, the all-conference players were soon to be called up and recognized for not only their unbelievable seasons on the field but also for those who were amazing scholar-athletes with a GPA above a 3.0. Cornell is in the WPIAL 1A classification which meant that those were the athletes to be called up first. With athletes from Rochester, Laurel, OLSH, and Cornell to be called up and recognized. They called everyone up by school in order, and as it turned out Cornell was one of the most decorated teams present due to the amount of recognition they received. Zaier Harrison led the bunch with four trophies including; Offensive Player of the Year, Quarterback, Defensive Back, and to his much surprise, Punter. Next up, Kaden DiVito and Isaiah Langston who were both named all-conference wide receivers for their section. Next, Blaine Sams and Tylor Godfrey who were one of the most dominant forces at the middle linebacker position where they both received all-conference line-backers. Savon Wilson came home with two trophies which included an all-conference running back, as well as a defensive back. William Dank took home the only lineman award of the night for the Raiders. 

While Cornell was one of the most recognized teams there, it was no small event. Ranging from 20-30 teams at the banquet, each athlete brought their parents which filled up the whole banquet hall by the time it all began. Teams from all around were present including the 2019 WPIAL champions, the Central Valley Warriors who had at least 13 athletes named to the all-conference team.

This is an annual banquet that the athletes will remember for the rest of their lives. Being in a room with all these talented scholar-athletes is a very special place to be, and to enjoy this time with family, friends, and coaches is a very special time and should be cherished by all. Cornell has been on the rise within the past two years and plans to continue to grow on these all-conference players to make Cornell football a better place to play and to gain more recognition for our student-athletes. 

Although the banquet only lasts a maximum of two hours each year, it's very exciting to be able to meet other athletes from other schools who maybe you've heard about in the newspaper or on TV. For all you know, one of these kids could make it big time, and then you have to tell the stories to tell your kids about how you were able to meet that athlete before he made it big. This is an amazing event and should continue to recognize the outstanding student-athletes in our area.