My Personal Blog

The most recent post talked about how Jackson Pryts and the Nittany Lions defeated Notre Dame at Jerry World to win the national championship, a moment Cassie saw in person.  This post talks about Cassie being declared cancer free in time for her tenth birthday, where she would be surprised by Jackson and the stately Nittany Lion mascot. The winter chill had melted away in western Pennsylvania, and for the first time in nearly a year, the Day family home felt whole again.  It had been nearly two months since Jackson and the Nittany Lions carried her to the national championship at Jerry World in Texas. Just weeks before her tenth birthday, Cassie Day received the news everyone had been praying for — she was cancer free. Doctors at Sharon Regional Medical Center declared it official after her latest scans came back clear. The staff cheered. Her parents cried. Cassie just smiled softly and whispered the words that had carried her through the hardest days: “Small battles… big vic...

The previous post talked about Penn State defeating Arizona in the Rose Bowl.  This chapter talks about Jackson Pryts and the Nittany Lions playing Notre Dame for the national championship at Jerry World in Texas. The confetti from Pasadena had barely settled before college football’s ultimate stage came calling. The College Football Playoff National Championship — Penn State versus Notre Dame — two proud programs bound by legacy and faith. The game was set under the bright lights of AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, a cathedral of football where history awaited. For most players, this was the pinnacle of their careers. For Jackson Pryts, it was something deeper. He wasn’t just playing for himself — he was playing for Cassie Day, the nine-year-old girl who’d become his greatest fan and friend who thought of him as her big brother. This time around, Cassie would be there in person to cheer him on. After months of treatments and countless hospital days, her doctors finally cleare...

The last post talked about how Jackson Pryts and the Nittany Lions defeated Washington to win the Big Ten Championship.  This post talks about Penn State playing Arizona in the Rose Bowl for the opportunity to play for the national championship. The blue skies of Pasadena, California stretched endlessly over the San Gabriel Mountains, a perfect backdrop for the Rose Bowl on the evening of New Year’s Day. The air smelled of flowers, barbecue, and destiny. The Rose Bowl is a part of what is called the New Year’s Six, along with the Peach, Sugar, Orange, Fiesta and Cotton Bowls.  It is the oldest of all college football bowl games, hence its nickname, “The Granddaddy of Them All”. This particular Rose Bowl was part of the College Football Playoff, where the four best teams selected by a committee would play for the national championship.  In this particular season, Penn State, Arizona, Notre Dame and Alabama were selected for the playoff. For the first time in over a decade,...

My most recent post told about how Jackson Pryts, inspired by his young fan Cassie, battling cancer at Sharon Regional Medical Center, capped a perfect regular season and earned its trip to the Big Ten Championship at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis against the Washington Huskies.  This post tells the story of the conference championship with a spot in the College Football Playoff up for grabs. The air inside Lucas Oil Stadium crackled with anticipation. Blue and white flags waved in every corner of the stands, and the massive video board above midfield glowed with one word: CHAMPIONSHIP. The matchup was set — Penn State vs. Washington — the Big Ten Championship. Two powerhouses, two elite defenses, one dream on the line. As the broadcast opened on FOX, the familiar voices of Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt filled the air. “It’s championship night in the Big Ten!” Gus thundered. “And Penn State, led by linebacker Jackson Pryts - they call him the Hermitage Hammer - has been nothing sh...

In the earlier post today I talked about Jackson and the Nittany Lions picking up momentum during the month of October.  As November begins, the story continues. The cool November air swept across Beaver Stadium as the band’s final notes echoed through the night sky. The Land Grant Trophy was already safely back in Happy Valley — a memento of the hard-fought Homecoming win over Michigan State. But now, the mission was clear: finish the job. Penn State had clawed through every test — from a narrow road win at Iowa to the monumental upset at evil Ohio State — and now stood undefeated. Jackson Pryts and the defense had become the story of the season, stifling opponents, while the offense found its rhythm behind a balanced attack that seemed unstoppable. Cassie Day, still in and out of the hospital but showing remarkable strength, followed every moment. Nurses at Sharon Regional made sure the games were always on. Her room had become a sea of blue and white — jerseys, pom-poms, and pos...

It was in the last post I talked about Military Appreciation Day at Beaver Stadium against the Air Force Falcons.  Now in this post, Big Ten conference play begins.  Jackson Pryts and the Nittany Lions are about to pick up steam, and Cassie is watching from her hospital bed at Sharon Regional Medical Center. The leaves in Happy Valley were turning, deep golds and fiery reds blanketing the hills beyond Beaver Stadium. The first chill of autumn carried with it the scent of tailgates, grilled food, and anticipation. Penn State was hitting its stride — and Cassie Day, watching from her hospital room at Sharon Regional Medical Center, felt that same pulse of energy beating in her own fragile heart. The Hawkeyes of Iowa were first. It was a night game at Kinnick Stadium — one of those places where sound seems to press down on you, where every snap feels like a battle of will. Under the ABC lights, Bob Wischusen’s voice crackled through Cassie’s hospital television speakers. “Penn St...

In the last post I talked about the bye week that Jackson Pryts, aka The Hermitage Hammer, spent with his little fan Cassie.  This one is about Military Appreciation Day against the Air Force Falcons. The September air over Beaver Stadium carried a crisp chill and a hum of pride.  It wasn’t just another Saturday in Happy Valley — it was Military Appreciation Day, the kind of day where the colors ran deeper and the crowd stood a little taller. Red, white, and blue ribbons waved beside the sea of navy and white.  Veterans filled the front rows, saluted by tens of thousands as the Blue Band struck up a stirring rendition of “America the Beautiful.”  Fighter jets thundered overhead in perfect formation — three silver streaks carving across a flawless blue sky.  The crowd roared, and the vibrations seemed to shake the very hills around Mount Nittany. In the locker room below, Jackson Pryts laced up his cleats and tightened his gloves.  The memory of his visit ho...

In the most recent post I talked about All U Day against former traditional rival Syracuse.  In this fourth chapter of Small Battles, Big Victories, it's the bye week and Jackson heads home to the Shenango Valley to spend some time with his young fan Cassie. The Monday after the Syracuse win, the sun rose gently over Mount Nittany.  In the Lasch Building, the locker room felt different—lighter, easier.  Coaches smiled more, players joked in the hallways.  Coach Terry Smith was yucking it up with the media in his weekly press conference, knowing he and his assistants would soon hit the recruiting trail.  Two games in, two wins.  Momentum was building, but the grind never stopped. For Jackson Pryts, though, the timing of the Week Three bye was a blessing.  The bruises on his shoulders ached, but something else tugged at him stronger—the thought of home.  He hadn’t seen Cassie since July, before camp began.  He’d promised her he’d come back as s...

In an earlier post I talked about Penn State football's home opener against in-state rival Bucknell.  This chapter is about All U Day against former traditional rival Syracuse at Beaver Stadium. The second Saturday of September dawned clear and blue over Happy Valley.  A crispness hinted at autumn, but the air still carried the warmth of summer.  On Curtin Road, students painted their faces in navy and white, banners waved from tailgates, and chants of “We Are… Penn State!” rolled like thunder across campus. This game against former traditional rival Syracuse wasn’t just another home game.  It was All U Day, the celebration that brought together Penn Staters from every campus and community across the commonwealth of Pennsylvania.  Families filed into Beaver Stadium from Altoona, Scranton, Erie, Harrisburg—wearing their colors, their pride, their traditions stitched into every jersey and hat. Inside Beaver Stadium, the broadcast crew prepared to go on the air at ...

In the first chapter of Small Battles, Big Victories, I introduced you to the two main characters in the story:  Jackson Pryts, a linebacker for Penn State and Cassie Day, the nine-year-old Ionta Elementary School student battling cancer.  This second chapter is about the home opener at Beaver Stadium against in-state rival Bucknell. Labor Day weekend arrived warm and golden in Happy Valley.  The smell of grilled burgers and sausages filled the air outside Beaver Stadium, mingling with the sound of the Blue Band warming up.  Penn State fans who had traveled thousands of miles, streamed through the gates, children clutching pom-poms, parents balancing stacks of hot dogs and sodas. For Jackson Pryts, redshirt junior linebacker, the day felt like destiny unfolding.  The roar when he ran through the tunnel was thunder itself—107,000 voices lifting the team toward September glory. Inside the stadium press box, Lisa Byington of the Big Ten Network adjusted her headset...

Yesterday I introduced a story called Small Battles, Big Victories: The Cassie & Jackson Story. Today I begin with chapter 1, titled The Promise. April sunlight filtered through the pale curtains of Room 407 at Sharon Regional Medical Center, casting long stripes across the bed where Cassie Day, nine years old, lay surrounded by cards, flowers, balloons and stuffed animals.  A steady hum of machines filled the quiet, joined now and then by the soft beeping of her monitor. She hadn’t been to Ionta Elementary in weeks.  The classroom she loved, her friends she missed, even the smell of fresh crayons—all of it had been replaced by antiseptic air and the click of nurses’ shoes on tile floors. Cassie had cancer. The word had scared her at first, but now she treated it like a challenge—something to outsmart.  She kept her sketchpad nearby, drawing clouds and lightning bolts, imagining herself someday announcing the weather on TV.  Cassie Day, meteorologist.  She w...

After the first loss of the 2025 season back on September 27, I was sitting down at my desk at about four in the morning and I thought, what if there would be a story that would teach the populace about small battles leading to big victories and also have connections with Penn State and the Shenango Valley?  That's where a story about a former Hickory Hornet and Penn State linebacker named Jackson Pryts, known as "The Hermitage Hammer", forming a bond with a nine-year-old student at Ionta Elementary School named Cassie Day, in the hospital at Sharon Regional Medical Center battling cancer.  Their bond led to a vow Jackson made one Sunday before the altar at the Sue Paterno Catholic Student Center that he would play for her, and it leads to the Penn State Nittany Lions winning a national championship, eventually leading to Cassie being declared cancer free and bringing her story full circle to Happy Valley to study meteorology, and Jackson being drafted by the Pittsburgh S...

For many years I have held the belief that if your community event does not have anyone handing out helium balloons to the children, then you don’t really have a community event. You will never see me playing hardball with event committees who have had me handing out helium balloons for many years.  I am too invaluable to the success of the Hermitage Arts Festival because whenever the dates are announced, I am always one of the first to commit to it.  The Buhl Day committee always pays me money to hand out helium balloons to the children every year in Buhl Park on Buhl Day. Even with this, there is just one event committee I continue to play hardball with because my beliefs on community events do not align with theirs:  Waterfire in Sharon.  In 2014 I made an attempt to have the opportunity to hand out helium balloons to the children at Waterfire, even going as far to suggest it during the Jeopardy! Tournament of Champions I emceed in July 2014.   However, even ...