SECTION 6 Bulldogs Upstate Shoot For 3-Peat Alden QB Brian Stoldt Football hoping to lead Alden W E E K L Y past Section 5 Champs August 29, 2012 Issue No. 61 56 Pages INSIDE: Chambers Leads Lockport against OP Clarence will rely on ‘D’ this season State to the E-8: Casey Kacz Leads Bengals Year into New Era PLUS: Of The State Records Team Reports NYS Rankings Goat? Schedules ALSO: QB Trent Ferguson will try and lead Sideline Chatter Extra Point Williamsville South back to The Ralph Section 6 Standings This Week’s Lineup: Contents SEPTEMBER 15, 2011 Nigel The Nightmare 4 ... WNY Notebook 4 5 ... Players of the Week Nigel Davis will lead St. Joe’s this season. 7 ... League Look-Ins Davis, a junior, has started at St. Joe’s 13 ... 2010 Notebook since his freshman season. St. Joe’s lost the Msgr. Martin championship game in 16 ... Team Reports Ralph Wikson Stadium in 2011. 40 ... Standings 41 ... Leader Board 42 ... Around The State 44 ... Campus News Locked and Loaded 7 47 ... Extra Point Lockport finished 5-4 in 2011 and was Upstate eliminated in the first round of the Class AA playoffs. The Lions will be following Football the running attack of James Chambers W E E K L Y Publisher when they open the season against Adair Publishing Orchard Park this weekend. Editor-In-Chief Mark E. Adair Business Manager Catherine M. Rutkowski 9 Panther Power Statistician Paul Hutzler Mike Torrillo will try and become the Photography 5th consecutive Sweet Home to QB to Jerome Davis, Tim Frank win a Section 6 title. Sweet Home has The Upstate Football Weekly is published won 5 straight Class A titles and has a every Thursday throughout the high school football season (August-November) by current 50-game winning streak against Adair Publishing. Contents copyright ©2011 by Adair Publishing. All rights reserved. WNY teams. 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] 14 Soar With Eagles To advertise in the Upstate Football Weekly or for information regarding ad rates and sizes call (716) 433-8393. Cleve Hill finished 8-2 last season and lost the Class C title game in Ralph Wilson Stadium. TB Brandon Thomas Football Weekly 86 Park Lane Circle will try and lead the Eagles back to Lockport, N.Y. 14094 Ralph Wilson Stadium this fall. (716) 433-8393 [email protected] Buffalo Bills Coach of the Week Tundo was 2011 Coach of the Year Orchard Park head football coach Gene Tundo was State title game. With Orchard Park leading 7-0, named the Buffalo Bills and National Guard Coach of Fitzgerald moved to quarterback and the Quakers the Year after he led his Quakers to the New York began to pound the ball. OP stretched the lead to 21-0 State Class AA championship in 2011. Orchard Park before holding off a Newburgh rally. beat Newburgh Free 21-13 in the NYS title game. “It was a crucial part of our attack,” Tundo said. “It’s “I just think it’s a great honor,” Tundo said. “I’m like a change-up. The other team is ready for a proud of our program Spread Offense and all and proud of what our of a sudden we come kids have done, all the straight at you. It can be way from Little Loop to tough to stop.” the high school team,” Entering this season, In 2011, the Quakers Tundo has led Orchard were the favorite to win Park to 10 Section VI the Section VI Class AA titles, more than any title before pre-season other school in Western practice had even start- New York. The Quakers ed. It was also no have played at Ralph secret that the Quakers Wilson Stadium 13 were legitimate con- times in his 17 years as tenders for a state title. OP’s head coach. “The Bills are a great In 2012, the Buffalo organization,” Tundo Bills will continue to said. “They have been sponsor the Coach of good for the community the Week in conjunction and being awarded by with the United States them is really an honor.” National Guard. It was Orchard Park’s Each week during the second New York State 11-week high school championship. Tundo football season a com- also led the Quakers to mittee appointed by the a title in 2008. Buffalo Bills will once “It’s just an incredible again select a high feeling,” he said. school football head “Anytime you win a coach as the Buffalo state championship it’s Bills & National Guard awesome.” Photo by Tim Frank Coach of the Week. The Quakers’ 3-game Orchard Park coach Gene Tundo was named the 2011 Each honoree will run through the NYS Coach of the Year by the Buffalo Bills and the National receive a $2,000 dona- tournament wasn’t a Guard. Tundo led the Quakers to the NYS title. tion to their high school breeze. OP trailed football program from Rush-Henrietta (Rochester) 28-14 in the 4th quarter of the Buffalo Bills Youth Foundation and New York the Far West Regionals and were looking at an early National Guard. end to the season. But, Tundo switched the Quakers “Our partnership with the National Guard highlights from the Spread into the Big Cat offense. James two important groups - coaches that help shape our Fitzgerald stepped into the quarterback spot and the young student athletes, and the men and women who Quakers scored three touchdowns in the 4th quarter to serve our country,” read a statement on the Bills’ website. pull out a win. The eleven finalists will also be eligible for the “Rush-Henrietta had a ton of talent,” Tundo said. Buffalo Bills & National Guard High School Coach of “We came right at them and took control of the game. the Year Award where an additional $2,000 grant for We hadn’t used that offense so I don’t think they saw it their high school's football program is given. coming. They really had no idea what we were doing.” Each weekly winner will be announced on the The Quakers also used the Big Cat in the New York Buffalo Bills website during the week. 3 Western New York HB FB QB WR OT OG C OG OT TE DE DT DT DE NOTEBOOK CB 2012 LB LB LB Nigel Davis Back for Joe’s SS FS By Mark Adair St. Joe’s finished 8-3 in 2011 but lost the Msgr. Martin For the promotion of amateur football in WNY! Association title game to St. Francis at Ralph Wilson Stadium. It was the Marauders second straight trip to the 2012-2013 Activities ‘Ralph’ as they beat Canisius for the 2010 title. St. Joe’s suffered heavy graduation losses in June as The WNY Amateur Football Alliance All-Catholic WRs Kyle sponsors the following programs: Briggs and Yanni Zulia left. Zulia broke the school Senior College Night record with 56 catches. A College Recruiter Night in December The loss to St. Francis which gives High School Seniors the ended the high school opportunity to meet with many of the career of senior Chad Kelly, college recruiters from throughout the the Connolly Cup winner North-East. and one of the best QBs to ever play in WNY. Junior Combine St. Joe’s coach Dennis A Junior Class Combine in May which Gilbert says he feels confi- gives High School Juniors an opportuni- dant that the QB role can be ty to demonstrate their abilities to College recruiters while participating in adequately filled. football skill drills. “You can never replace a Chad Kelly,” St. Joe’s coach Youth Coaching Academy Dennis Gilbert said. “We Photo by Mark Adair A Coaching Academy in March to train Nigel Davis. don’t even talk about replac- volunteer youth Coaches the proper ing him. Players graduate technique to teach the game of football every year. We just need to move on.” to young players. Stepping into the QB role is junior Tyler Hill, who served as Kelly’s back-up in 2011. Scholar-Athlete Award Dinner “Tyler is a big strong kid,” Gilbert said. “He’s 6-2 and 225 A Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet in pounds. He’s been in the system. He has good skills and December to Honor High School and has been working hard.” College Students for their accomplish- Hill will be getting support as junior WR Nigel Davis ments both on the football field and in returns to the lineup. Davis has started for Gilbert since his the classroom. freshman season. “He’s quick as a cat,” Gilbert said. “He has tremendous High School All-Star Game athletic ability. He sees the whole field and is a playmaker.” The Alliance will support amateur Davis (5-9, 190) will start at DB for the third straight sea- football activities such as the Annual son and will also move to RB after to years as a wide out. Lions/Ad Pro Sports High School “He’s bigger and stronger than he was when he was just Football All-Star Classic. 14 years old,” Gilbert said. “He’s been working hard and he’s ready to run out of the backfield.” As a three-year starter, Davis is one of the most experi- enced players on the roster. “He will assume a lot of the leadership role this year,” Gilbert said. “He was All-Catholic as a freshman.” Gilbert was initially concerned about starting a freshman WNY Amateur Football Alliance on the varsity level.