The excitement for this year’s Save an Eye All-Star football game kicked off early with a special moment at the All-Star Banquet held last night at the Ambassador Banquet & Conference Center.

In a surprise announcement, Tobias Vahey of Harbor Creek and Nolan Carey of Corry were named recipients of the Tyco V. Swick Memorial Scholarship.

Each player was awarded a $1,000 scholarship, presented as part of the fourth annual tradition honoring both athletic excellence and academic potential.

The award came as an unexpected moment of recognition for both student-athletes, who will take the field Friday night in one of Erie’s most cherished summer sports events.

The Tyco V. Swick Scholarship was created to honor the late Tyco Swick and support local student-athletes pursuing higher education.