Upstate Football Weekly

SECTION 6 Sparking Upstate The Sparks South Park plays Football Hamburg in a huge W E E K L Y A South Game October 1, 2014 Issue No. 89 60 Pages INSIDE: Wilson leads Warriors into Big ‘B’ Battle Sophomore QB Starring for Orchard Park The Starpoint grad Leads Alfred Offensive Line Gold PLUS: State Records Team Reports NYS Rankings Crush Schedules ALSO: Senior linebacker Brad Zaffram leads Sideline Chatter Extra Point a suffocating defense at Canisius Section 6 Standings This Week’s Lineup: Contents OCTOBER 1, 2014 Junior Leads Lockport 4 ... WNY Notebook 10 5 ... Players of the Week Lockport beat Starpoint 38-35 in the 7 ... League Look-Ins school’s annual rivalry game last year. 13 ... 2010 Notebook Lockport junior Khalil James rushed for 205 yards and 4 TDs in the win. This is 16 ... Team Reports James’ first year of high school football. 40 ... Standings 41 ... Leader Board 42 ... Around The State 44 ... Campus News Sophomore Stars for OP 11 47 ... Extra Point Orchard Park beat Erie (Pa.) McDowell Upstate 44-14 last week to improve to 4-0 on the season. If Orchard Park is going to con- Football tend for the Class AA title this fall, they W E E K L Y Publisher will need to get big games from their Adair Publishing sophomore QB Dillon Janca. Editor-In-Chief Mark E. Adair Business Manager Catherine M. Rutkowski 12 Grand Island Stays in Race Statistician Paul Hutzler Grand Island beat Kenmore East 31-20 Photography last week and stayed in the race for the Jerome Davis, Tim Frank Class A division title. If the Vikings are The Upstate Football Weekly is published going to make the Class A playoffs they every Thursday throughout the high school football season (August-November) by will need big games from senior Adair Publishing. Contents copyright ©2011 by Adair Publishing. All rights reserved. Anthony Mosher. This volume may not be reproduced in whole or in part in any form without the prior written consent of the publisher. Address editorial and advertising corre- spondence to: Upstate Football Weekly, [email protected] Macks Rely on Keyon 13 To advertise in the Upstate Football Weekly or for information regarding ad rates and sizes call (716) 433-8393. McKinley beat Lake Shore 38-14 last week to improve to 2-2 and stay alive in the race for the Class A playoffs. In Football Weekly 86 Park Lane Circle the win, QB Keyon Johnson rushed for Lockport, N.Y. 14094 211 yards and scored a TD on a 71-yard run. (716) 433-8393 [email protected] Buffalo Bills & NY National Guard Coach of the Week Kraig Kurzanski Honored for Win Williamsville South coach Kraig Kurzanski was finish games. This time they did.” named the Buffalo Bills-National Guard Coach of the In addition to enjoying his team’s 4-0 start, Week after his team beat North Tonawanda 45-20 last Kurzanski is also overcoming a scare. weekend. On Labor Day, just 4 days before the season start- “That was a good win,” Kurzanski said. “I’m feeling ed, he was admitted to the hospital with a heart ail- real confident about our team. We have a lot of good ment. players and they are excited and focused.” “I was in the hospital for three days,” Kurzanski The Billies improved to 4-0 with the win as they said. “I’m blessed to have great assistant coaches and head into their annual Yom Kippur game that will be they really stepped up that week.” played this Thursday evening against crosstown rival Defensive coordinator Brian Swatland assumed the Williamsville East. role of head coach while Kurzanski was in the hospi- “The East game is a big thing in our community,” tal. Offensive coordinator Tom Woodruff and Line Kurzanski said. Coach Kevin “It’s the closest Lester also thing to a rivalry assumed part of that we have. All Kurzanski’s nor- the kids grow up mal duties. together and they “I think one of all know each the most under other.” appreciated peo- Kurzanski said ple in high school that playing on sports are the Thursday makes assistant coach- the week difficult. es,” Kurzanski “We have to be said. “I am fortu- careful that we nate to have good don’t wear our ones.” kids out,” he said. The Billies “It limits what we preparation for can put in that the season open- week. It can be er did not seem to difficult.” be affected. In the win over Photo by Buffalo Bills “Our kids were North Tonawanda, Williamsville South coach Kraig Kurzanski was named the Coach of the very good,” the Billies jumped Week by the Buffalo Bills and the National Guard. Kurzanski led his Kurzanski said. out to an early Billies to a 45-20 win over North Tonawanda last week. “They understand 14-0 lead. that I’m just one “We started out pretty good,” Kurzanski said, “but of the coaches, not the whole program.” NT is a pretty good program and they fought back.” Kurzanski’s players stayed in contact with him The Lumberjacks had scored to pull within 14-7. But throughout the week. South’s Matt Foster returned the kickoff 99 yards for a “They called and texted me,” he said. “That meant a touchdown and a 21-7 lead. lot to me.” “We never really looked back after that,” Kurzanski Kurzanski rejoined his team on Thursday. said. “They worked hard to score and cut into our lead “I got out of the hospital and my wife took me to and within 13 seconds we scored again. It’s like a practice,” Kurzanski said. “The kids were waiting for punch in the belly when that happens. It’s pretty huge.” me. The doctor says that I am allowed to coach so Williamsville South had won their previous three that’s what I’m going to do.” games by a total of 13 points - something that critics Kurzanski says he will have to change a few things had pointed to as a sign that the Billies weren’t that in order to continue coaching. good. “I have to change my eating and stay off of caf- “We had opportunities to score but didn’t,” feine,” he said. “But, other than that, we’re back and Kurzanski said. “We sold our kids that we needed to we are working on winning the next game.” 4 Cheektowaga faces HB FB QB WR OT OG C OG OT TE DE DT DT DE tough two weeks CB LB LB Cheektowaga improved to 3-1 with a 46-23 win over LB Amherst last week. The Warriors led 20-17 in the third quar- SS ter before pulling away. FS “The meat of our schedule is in front of us,” coach Mike Fatta said. “We’ve won our first two league games, so we For the promotion of amateur football in WNY! like what we are doing so far. We are just trying to improve our own team because the next two weeks will dictate our 2013-2014 Activities season.” Cheektowaga is 2-0 in B Central games and has two The WNY Amateur Football Alliance crucial contests sponsors the following programs: coming up. The Warriors will play at Senior College Night Depew this Friday A College Recruiter Night in December before playing which gives High School Seniors the Alden at home. opportunity to meet with many of the “Depew is the college recruiters from throughout the defending champi- North-East. ons in Class B,” Junior Combine Fatta said, “and we A Junior Class Combine in May which know Alden is a gives High School Juniors an opportuni- good team. We’re ty to demonstrate their abilities to trying to make the College recruiters while participating in playoffs so these football skill drills. next two weeks are pretty big.” Youth Coaching Academy Fatta says that A Coaching Academy in March to train his team has been volunteer youth Coaches the proper inconsistent this technique to teach the game of football season. to young players. “We have a Photo by Nick Loverde young team this Scholar-Athlete Award Dinner year,” he said. “We Cheektowaga senior Robert Wilson #56. A Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet in have just one December to Honor High School and returning starter from last year on defense. Getting the kids College Students for their accomplish- to play consistently for four quarters of football has been a ments both on the football field and in challenge.” the classroom. If the Warriors are going to emerge as the best team in the B Central Division, they will be relying on senior center High School All-Star Game Robert Wilson to lead the offense. The Alliance will support amateur “He’s an intense kid who never takes a play off,” Fatta football activities such as the Annual said. “He plays at a high level and is physically dominant.” Lions/Ad Pro Sports High School Wilson, a 3-year starter at center, is a team captain. Football All-Star Classic. “He’s our true captain, the team leader,” Fatta said. “Most of the time, the spotlight gets shown on all the offensive weapons we have. But he is a dominant center and definitely one of the team leaders.” Wilson (6-0, 215) has an academic average in the high 90s. “We do a lot of zone blocking and he understands it,” WNY Amateur Football Alliance Fatta said. “He’s an intelligent kid.” Wilson also plays baseball at Cheektowaga. 3772 Dartmouth St. “He’s a driven kid,” Fatta said.

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