Gowanda football head coach Sean Gabel had many firsts and lasts when it came to Saturday’s Big 30 Charity Football Game between his New York squad and Pennsylvania.

Gabel was the first Gowanda coach to lead New York’s team, which began back in 1974. However, the game between graduated seniors of this past June was the last game for some on both rosters.

The matchup, played at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford, ended in a Pennsylvania win, 48-30, over New York. But coach Gabel saw the jovial faces of the kids before kickoff and after the final horn as he knew that they got the most out of the experience.

“We walked off the same way we walked on, and that was together,” Gabel said. “There has to be a winner, there has to be a loser that is the down part about the game, but at the end, it’s about that charity and building relationships and having fun and I totally believe that our kids did that. That’s a win-win for us.”

For the teams, this was a ‘Super Bowl’ event. The massive crowd of the conglomerate player’s families and friends packed the field making it that much more unique. The teams showed up Friday and had more events to make it memorable.

“It was a big event, it was special. The parade and the kids all had their floats and you had pride in each other’s individual school. Everyone’s support that all showed up,” Gabel said. “It was a lot of fun for them. It was a joyful experience and that’s what the game is about; it’s a charity.”

There were some difficulties as well. The schools that made up New York’s roster included: Allegany-Limestone, Bolivar-Richburg, Cattaraugus-Little Valley, Cuba-Rushford, Ellicottville-Franklinville, Frewsburg, Gowanda-Pine Valley, Olean, Pioneer, Portville, Randolph, Salamanca, Southwestern and Wellsville.

With the variety of players and different plays they learned from their coaches, Gabel was in a situation where he had to mold them into one.

“Well, it was pretty much the players learning on the fly,” the coach said. “You got a bunch of kids that never played with each other and you got to put them on a team and you got to get them to play together. But hats off to the kids, they were patient to begin with us and we ended up having a lot of fun. They built a lot of great relationships with each other and it was special to watch that.”

The proceeds of the game went to a multitude of charities with a focus of that going towards special needs. RJ Bastito is an assistant coach under Gabel, who was born with Down Syndrome. He was given the honor to lead the team out of the tunnel for the big game. Alongside that came the moments of being in the parade and much more like being a part of the team.

“He enjoyed every minute of it,” Gabel said. “He was smiling ear-to-ear and it was nice to see that and it was nice to see ours kids accept him. He was part of the family.”

For Gabel, it was the final four quarters he could coach Gowanda alumni Kameron Alexander, Ethan Francis, Charlie “Chuck” Valone and Marcus Jones.

“So special. To watch them go one more time and coach them one more time, it was a pleasure for me to see that,” Gabel said. “… There was a lot of emotions and that’s what the game is for.”

The scoreboard had New York on the losing end, but from Gabel’s understanding, it was nothing but a win.

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