For Pitman star, all-star football game leaves indelible memories

Pitman tight end Dylan Colgate had to have his final say. Before his all-star teammates broke the postgame huddle, Colgate addressed them one final time.

"I just want to say that this is one of the greatest times I ever had," he said after helping his White team beat the Blue, 24-20, in the Adam Taliaferro All-Star Classic at Rowan University. "I am never going to forget this and forget you guys."

Then the team broke the huddle one final time.

If anybody thinks competitiveness isn't part of the package in all-star games, then they weren't among the huge crowd that attended the game on Thursday in Glassboro.

This was the final time many of South Jersey's best seniors had a chance to suit up, and even though they had met as a team for the first time on Monday, by the conclusion they had bonded as teammates and friends.

"I made friends that I will have for life," Colgate said.

So it was more than the winning that made things so memorable for Colgate, although that surely put everything over the top.

The 6-foot-4, 240-pounder, who is headed to Lehigh, was right in the middle of his team's second-half offensive surge.

Colgate caught a 19-yard scoring pass from Washington Township's Nick Valori to give his team a 17-13 lead with 11 minutes, 41 seconds left in the game.

He also had a key 6-yard reception from Kingsway's Rondell Gilmore-Lane on the final scoring drive, a 10-play, 83-yard gem that was accomplished without any timeouts.

The White team would win the game on a 3-yard touchdown pass from Gilmore-Lane to Gloucester's Brandon Blackiston with 36 seconds remaining.

That is what is great about this game. The players from the small schools can emerge as giants. Blackiston and Colgate played for Group 1 schools.

"This atmosphere was so great and playing in front of so many people was really exciting," Colgate said.

Also he had the rare opportunity to go out a winner in an all-star game along with his high school coach.

Pitman head coach Sean Kahoun was the coach of the White, which consisted of players from Camden, Gloucester, and Salem Counties. Cumberland's Tom Lake coached the Blue, comprising seniors from Burlington, Cumberland, Cape May, and Atlantic Counties.

"I had the privilege of coaching Dylan in high school and coaching him here," Kahoun said. "It was great to go out a winner."

Kahoun had empathy for the opposing staff.

"Give Coach Lake credit. He did a great job with his team," Kahoun said.

The same could be said of the coaches of the White team, who showed such poise with no timeouts. The coaches and players stayed calm during a madcap fourth quarter.

Afterward, Colgate didn't want to leave the field, soaking in the atmosphere, celebrating one final time as a representative of Pitman.

"You could say this was the final game for high school or the first game for college," Colgate said.

Whether it was the first or last, being part of this game made a major impact on Colgate, who earned 11 varsity letters at Pitman. He also starred in basketball and baseball.

On a picture-perfect evening in Glassboro, Colgate closed out his high school career in style, earning a touchdown, a win, and memories that he insists will stay with him for the rest of his life.

Contact staff writer Marc Narducci at 856-779-3225, mnarducci@phillynews.com, or @sjnard on Twitter.