It's going to be a night of nostalgia at Williamsport High School as alumni from both the 1980s and 90s, along with a team featuring players of the 2000 era reunite for a contest against Loyalsock grads from the same time spans.
The event will even feature a select group of cheerleader alumnae from both schools to cheer on the teams.
The brainchild of the event is 1994 Williamsport graduate, Raymond Truitt, the event will also raise money for the local AIDs Resource Alliance, Lycoming County United Way, the American Cancer Society, and Bethune Douglas Community Center.
The younger 2000 squad will square off in the early game, slated for a 6:30 p.m. tip on Saturday with the 80s and 90s stars set to start at 8 p.m.
Truitt, with the help of Loyalsock athletic director Ron Insinger, has spent the last few months recruiting former Williamsport players for the game. Insinger, obviously, has helped with getting Loyalsock players to fill in his school's team.
Loyalsock graduate, and middle school basketball coach, Ryan Cioffi has played an intricate part in getting the Loyalsock team fixed for players. His brother, Chris Cioffi, will be among the participants along with Will Kelly and Kory Datres.
"We are excited to get back together for such a great cause," Cioffi said. "And to see if we have any gas still left in the tank."
"We've had to turn players down," Truitt said of the responses to the game. "It was easy getting players for the game. Once we connected through Facebook or texting, letting everyone know what the game was for, they were right on board."
Some notable players will be Williamsport girls coach Derek Slaugher and boys assistant Jeremiah Washington along with Leroy Joiner. Former All-state player Darrell Blackmon will play in the 2000s game along with 1999 state title team member Ryan Brown.
"The closer the event gets the more people are contacting me," Truitt said. "We've sold a ton of tickets and are expecting it to be sold out."
Truitt has designed a t-shirt for the event, selling nearly 1,000 tickets in advance, meaning there might not be much left for the door Saturday night.
Shahara Walker, also a Williamsport graduate, has been instrumental in organizing the event with Truitt. Walker, a former girl's basketball player, who graduated in 1995, help setup the game's PayPal site along with getting the t-shirt orders sent out.
"I don't know what I would do without her," Truitt said of Walker. "She has been an important part of this process. She setup the Facebook page and the PayPal account for tickets and the t-shirts. We connected through Facebook on the Williamsport Alumni page."
ALUMNI GAME ROSTERS:
Williamsport (as provided by Truit):
First Team--Derek Slaughter, Ryan Brown, Jeremiah Washington, Leroy Joiner, Darrell Blackmon, Dwayne Blackmon, Jared Kinley, Justin Holt.
Second Team--Michael Adams, Terrell Seward, Ivan Valentine, William Jones, Rasheed Campbell, Cliff Sweeting, Bryheem Justice, Omar Little, Tobias Gray, Ray Truitt, Rasheed Green, Jamie Spencer.
Loyalsock(as provided by Cioffi):
Chris Cioffi, Ryan Cioffi, Jacob Golbitz, Kory Datres, Lance Stopper, Will Kelly, Kyle Van Fleet, Greg Wheeland, Adam Tate
