The 74th annual “Dream Game” football classic will take place on Wednesday, July 30 at Scranton Memorial Stadium. Kick-off is set for 8 p.m. Sponsored by the Scranton Lions Club, the “Dream Game” is the longest continuously held all-star football game held in the country, said chairman John Mesko.

Over the nearly three quarters of a century that the “Dream Game” has been played between City and County teams, the win-loss record has been pretty much nip-and-tuck even, and was dead-even in 2006 at 34-34 (plus four ties) when the contest came to a close with a City win. But last year, the County team forged ahead to win the crown with a 49-7 victory, breaking the 34-34 deadlock as well as snapping the City’s four-year winning streak (2003 through ’06). Chairman Mesko notes that this year’s County team coach will be George Howanitz, head coach of the Valley View High School Cougars, while Dr. Mark Watson, head football coach of the Wallenpaupack Area High School Buckhorns, will be the City team’s coach. The “Dream Game” is an all-star game for players who graduated from their respective high schools in June. The event has been held at Scranton Memorial Stadium since 2000; from 1991 to 2004 at Lackawanna County Stadium, and prior to that time was at Memorial Stadium for 38 years (1950-88). Previously the game was staged at its original site, Athletic Park, from 1935-39 and from 1941 to ’49, but in that in-between year, in 1940, the event took place at Dunmore High School Stadium. During halftime, the Scranton Lions Club traditionally names its “Man of the Year.” This year’s honoree will be Louis Costanzo, former coach at Dunmore High School. Guy Valvano, who assists the Dream Game committee with sports research, was a a sports writer for the former Scrantonian-Tribune for 40 years and commented that Costanzo was “one of the most talented athletes I’ve ever seen” during his journalistic career. A 1953 graduate of Dunmore High School, Costanzo was only the second player in Bucks’ history to be starter in all four years of his scholastic career. “That’s a distinction was held by only one other player at DHS, and that was the late Tom Silvano, who coached Costanzo at Dunmore for a couple of years. Costanzo was also coached by V.J. Gatto,” said Mr. Valvano. He was also named Most Outstanding Player in his freshman year. During the 41 games in which he was a starter, Costanzo made 263 points, 43 touchdowns and five extra points. And during those four years on the squad, the Bucks achieved 29 wins, sustained nine losses and saw three tied games. In the 1952 Dream Game, Costanzo led the County team to a 6-0 victory and made the sole touchdown in the contest. Playing the positions of running back and defensive back, Costanzo was named to the former Scrantonian’s All Scholastic football team for three years. Said Valvano, “He received that honor as a sophomore, junior and senior. That’s something that only a handful of players has ever achieved.” In addition, during his senior year Costanzo was the first football player from the Scranton area to be chosen to the All-American Team by “Scholastic Coach” magazine, and was also named to the All-State team. Costanzo also played baseball and basketball for Dunmore Upon graduation from DHS, Costanzo earned a football scholarship to Michigan State University, where he played football as well as baseball for two years and earned his degree in 1957. Following graduation from Michigan State, he was a teacher at Nutley( N.J.) High School for nine years and also served as assistant football coach and head baseball coach. Come 1961, he returned to his hometown where he became a teacher at Dunmore High School and served as head football coach for five seasons. In 1969, he coached the Dream Game and led the City team to a 23-13 win. Retiring from his teaching career in 1990. Mr. Costanzo continues to operate Costanzo Driving School, which he founded in 1966.