Each is a couple inches and maybe a pound or two, short of being afforded the opportunity of playing college football at its highest level.

But there was nothing short about the performances North Allegheny High School graduates Corey Watts and Austin Fedell gave when given the chance to see how they stacked up against football players heading to the Big East and the Big Ten conferences.

Playing in the Big 33 Football Classic Saturday at Hersheypark Stadium against some of the best high school seniors from Pennsylvania and Ohio, Watts and Fedell proved they fit in.

"I think those guys walked out of there [Saturday] night feeling real good about themselves, knowing they did a good job against the best team Ohio could bring," said North Allegheny coach Art Walker, who was the Pennsylvania team's offensive coordinator.

Fedell, a lineman who played right guard in the Big 33, and Watts, a linebacker, each was a three-year starter at North Allegheny and a team captain this past season as seniors.

Each will play college football, and Walker left no doubt he believes each will excel with his new team. Watts is heading to Lafayette, Fedell to Slippery Rock University.

They will play in the Division I-AA Patriot League and Division II Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference, respectively. Both acquitted themselves nicely in Hershey.

"It was a good experience to be going up against guys who are going to big-time schools to see how you stack up against them," Fedell said. "Everybody was playing at such a high level of competition. It was a lot of fun."

Fedell played virtually every offensive play for a Pennsylvania team that cruised to a 31-16 victory and had its way on offense all evening.

Fedell was a Post-Gazette Fabulous 22 selection, quite an honor considering it covers all players in the WPIAL and City League. But at 6-feet-2 and 265 pounds, he doesn't have the mammoth size big-time colleges covet.

He sure played big against the Ohio All-Stars. Walker said the Pennsylvania coaching staff had enough faith in him to run plays in his direction and looked to him to be the "pulling" guard on certain sets.

"I think Austin went up there with something to prove," Walker said. "He's somebody that a lot of us felt would be a full scholarship D-I player, go to somewhere in the [Mid-American Conference], something like that. He kind of got overlooked because of his size, not being tall enough -- at least from what people will tell you.

"He went up [to Hershey] with a little chip on his shoulder. Guys on the D-line were guys going to big schools. He was blocking linebackers that were going to Penn State and Ohio State. I think if there was any doubt he could play on that level or not, he put that to rest. He did fantastic. Slippery Rock is really getting a gold mine with him."

Watts was talented enough to be on the field as a freshman at the Class AAAA level and was a three-year, all-conference pick as well as PG North Fabulous 22 selection this past season.

Still, every Super Bowl ever played has had Big 33 alumnus representation, so the prospect of competing at that level left Watts a little apprehensive in the weeks leading up to the game.

"I was a little nervous whether I could compete with most of the kids," he said. "But by the end of the game, I felt like I did."

Watts was on the field for much of the Big 33 and had a fumble recovery.

"I definitely feel like I can play with anybody," he added. "I feel real good about all my skills, real confident about the way I played in the game, I felt like I showed I could play at a [Division I-A] school. I was happy with my performance."

Walker agreed, saying that "Lafayette is going to get a phenomenal linebacker."

"The great thing about Corey is Corey is always coming, and Corey's going to hit you," Fedell said.

"Corey has a big heart, and he'll be a great player for Lafayette, there's no doubt about that."