Prep Talk

Football is obviously the big sport in the fall, but this opening weekend is even bigger when you consider the big events that are getting other seasons started.

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In today's paper we mentioned two boys soccer events, the Clarence Tournament and the Coaches V. Cancer ECIC-NFL Challenge at Sweet Home. The Clarence event speaks for itself with top teams East Aurora, Nichols and Kenmore East visiting.

The Sweet Home event has organizers wondering aloud if it is the largest boys soccer event to be held in Western New York. With five games on Friday and five on Saturday, I can't think of anything of that scope.

It's a great format and a great cause. Officials will wear a commemorative shirt to honor former longtime Western New York official Tom Mingle, who passed away on Sept. 5, 2008. The officials -- who are donating all of their game fees to cancer research -- will make a presentation to Tom's family during halftime of the Sweet Home/North Tonawanda game at 12:45 p.m. Saturday.

The format of the event is two points for a win and one point for a tie; if the two leagues are tied the tiebreaker is fewest goals allowed.

Here's the lineup:

Friday's games
Sweet Home vs. Kenmore West, 2 p.m.
Wmsv. East vs. North Tonawanda, 4 p.m.
Wmsv. North vs. Niagara Falls, 4 p.m.
Wmsv. South vs. Lew-Port, 6 p.m.
Hamburg vs. Niagara-Wheatfield, 6 p.m.
Saturday's games
Wmsv. North vs. Lew-Port, 10 a.m.
Wmsv. East vs. Niagara-Wheatfield, 10 a.m.
Sweet Home vs. North Tonawanda, noon
Hamburg vs. Kenmore West, noon
Wmsv. South vs. Niagara Falls, 2 p.m.

Also, this afternoon is the first round for the Eden Kickoff Classic, which features the hosts meeting Springville and Pioneer taking on Roy-Hart; the winners meet Friday.

Friday just isn't opening night for football at Orchard Park, Rochester boys soccer power Aquinas will visit OP at 5 p.m.

Speaking of Aquinas, on Saturday the Little Irish host Canisius while the girls team hosts East Aurora.

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Clarence also has a nice collection for its girls soccer tournament, held in conjunction with the boys. Friday's first-rounders are Nardin at Clarence and Nichols vs. Kenmore East.

Some nonleague girls soccer action Friday includes a great program showdown of Williamsville North at Grand Island as well as Williamsville South at North Tonawanda. 

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Clarence just leads the league in big opening events -- the 23rd annual Clarence Invitational in boys volleyball includes a who's who of top teams in its 16-team field. Orchard Park, Canisius, Eden and St. Francis will be there. The tournament starts at 8 a.m.

Speaking of volleyball, the boys get some serious bump-set-spiking in tonight as OP -- which went undefeated last year -- opens against St. Francis at home at 7 p.m.

On Friday, Catholic girls state champion St. Mary's opens up at Victor of Section V (Rochester area) while Williamsville North is at Starpoint.

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All that and even boys basketball (!) sneaking in with the Elia Tournament at Niagara Falls. 

---Keith McShea

WGR's Web site states it will be broadcasting the following games on Friday nights:

Friday: East Aurora at Iroquois
Sept. 11: Williamsville North at North Tonawanda
Sept. 18: Depew at Maryvale
Sept. 25: Sweet Home at West Seneca East
Oct. 2: Orchard Park at Lancaster
Oct. 9: Iroquois at Williamsville South
Oct. 17 (Saturday): Kenmore East at Kenmore West

A quality lineup of games, and it's definitely cool to see high schools going primetime -- especially on a station where they high school sports talk has been quarantined to one hour on Saturday mornings for years.

Iroquois is a big winner with two games, but both are good matchups. The Monsignor Martin Association is a big loser with zero games, but it's somewhat understandable since there aren't any Friday nighters screaming for coverage. If GR is still doing games on Oct. 30, it might not be a bad, spread-the-wealth idea to go with the Monsignor Martin championship rematch of Canisius at St. Francis rather than a Section VI semifinal.

The list is a good mix of games, teams and areas, and it shouldn't be a surprise that the lineup consists of all Erie County teams other than just-across-the-bridge North Tonawanda. Randolph-Maple Grove is a great game for high school football fans, but GR wants to move the ratings needle, especially in a first-time venture like this.

---Keith McShea

The actual poll starts next week, so this, just like everything in high school football the past two weeks, is just practice. That's right, we're talkin bout practice.

So much so that -- hours after we submitted a top 10 list for publication in the paper -- we have second thoughts about a bunch of this top 10, particularly the large schools. If most polls should be taken with a grain of salt, this one should be taken with 1/10th of a grain. 

One final look back is here with the 2008 final poll, and here's our 2009 look forward:

1. Orchard Park (13-0 last year) [last year's final poll: 1] - A no-brainer to end last year, a no-brainer to start this year. 

2. Sweet Home (13-0) [2] - They might not be the state championship-caliber team they were a year ago (last year's depth was phenomenal), but we still like them here.

3. North Tonawanda (9-1) [3] - A lot back from a team that gave OP a tough test. You could argue they could be No. 2. Preseason-wise, we clearly see the top three, then a bunch of more teams.

4. Iroquois (8-2) [9] - Call it scrimmage bias after being fairly impressed with them on their Field of Dreams. After how low I voted them last year, they shouldn't be up this high. But certainly a great year-after-year program that should be in the top 10.

5. Lancaster (6-3) [7] - Speaking of great year-after-year, here's another top 10 team. We eagerly await the battles of AA South.

6. St. Francis (4-6) [4] - They beat Canisius when it counted last year, so we gave them a slight edge here, as we did in last year's final poll. Yet another top program which should be in the mix. Another murderous schedule this year.

7. Canisius (6-4) [5] - On paper they lost a lot, but so did they teams ahead of them. Proof that Nos. 4-7 in this poll could be interchangable. This year their schedule might be just as murderous as Frannies' (both play Ohio's St. Ignatius, Rochester's Aquinas and Pennsylvania's Cathedral Prep).

8. Riverside (10-1) [6] - The Harvard Cup champions kept a lot of talent and welcomed top lineman Sean Mulhern of Canisius. With no nonleague games for Harvard Cup teams this year, it's pure guesswork how they stack up against the rest of Western New York. Talk about a poll headache. 

9. Kenmore West (6-3) [8] - Here's a nod to the Blue Devils playing OP tough in the postseason (two losses at OP, one at NT). We err on the side of what you did last year, rather than offseason hype, and we reserve the right to change our mind once the teams hit the field :-).

10. Williamsville South (6-4) [NR] - A whole lot back from last year's team, so we'll throw the Billies in this spot, slightly edging out Grand Island, a top 10 team that's not in the top 10 (I have Frontier right after that at 12, for what it's worth). And well, would you look at this: Saturday afternoon -- Williamsville South at Grand Island.

Small schools

1. Southwestern (13-0) [2] - Too many weapons back to not be in this spot.

2. Maple Grove (13-0) [1] - All signs point to these two being atop the poll for a while. But I guess that's why they play the games.

3. Lackawanna (10-1) [3] - We'll keep the Steelers up high despite the loss of Capone Smith. Like Iroquois, this might be a case of seeing Lackawanna scrimmage (and scrimmage well). 

4. Fredonia (8-2) [4] - Another slot-them-in-from-last-year, although this year's schedule (C) might hurt them in the polls (to the bunch at B).

5. Cleveland Hill (8-1) [7] - A bunch back from a team that was a top three program last year until losing to Silver Creek in last year's semis.

6. Depew (6-3) [9] - When in doubt, rank the teams that are usually ranked.

7. Alden (8-1) [5] - Might be generous considering what they lost in graduation.

8. Cardinal O'Hara (6-4) [10] - Four Monsignor Martin small school titles in a row make them one of the best small schools. They looked it on Scrimmage Saturday, too.

9. Randolph (6-3) [NR] - Could make some noise Friday night at Maple Grove.

10. Cheektowaga (4-5) [NR] - You'd think these guys will be in the top 10 after dropping down from Class A. We shall see -- starting Friday when the Warriors host high-powered Medina. 

Our small-school poll regret? Probably not making room for Burgard. We'll call them the small school version of Grand Island (the 11th top 10 team).

Don't like what you're reading? The comment space is below.

Also, visit here Wednesday for a live chat with yours truly at 7 p.m.

---Keith McShea

It's a warm one this morning as football teams get started with the first day of practice permitted in the state.

We'll be taking a tour around Western New York on Day One as teams prepare for the season-opening weekend of Sept. 4-5 -- just 18 days away. 

9:55 a.m. Football teams have been at it for a while this morning as I get started. My first stop brings the sound of whistles and the sight of different practice stations being rotated around by the Marauders of St. Joe's (hey, I live in the Northtowns).

I do a quick drive-by (photo) shoot just to get things started.

10:12 a.m. A quick drive up Colvin Ave. brings me to Crosby Field, where a field full of royal blue T-shirts are doing various drills. It's Kenmore West.

Bonus: I pull over next to the field and don't have to use my wireless card -- thanks to some nice Kenmore resident.

Not a bonus: I realize I don't have my News identification, which I don't feel quite comfortable not having as I'm about to go on the field and take some pictures.

10:38 a.m. A quick ride home and I'm back at West watching assistant coaches J.J. Tutwiler and Mike Panepinto work with the offense. Tutwiler was a standout Grand Island quarterback in my first year covering high schools -- somebody is feeling a little old.

"It's a hot one," says Panepinto as we lament where this summery weather has been all summer. "You knew it was going to happen," he says with a smile.

11:02 a.m. Just posted a link from the home page of buffalonews.com.

Also noticed that today there is an ozone advisory. 

11:10 a.m. Just got some sad news after a call from the office. Lou Reuter has passed away after his lengthy battle with cancer. Reuter was a longtime Kenmore East coach and supporter, a Ken-Ton school board member and I worked with him very closely through the Empire State Games -- he was the Western regional director for about the last decade. I'm not sure I've met anyone more committed to his community than Lou.

My next stop was actually going to be Kenmore East. I'm still headed there but now I'll unfortunately be talking to some Bulldog folks about Lou's passing.

11:55 a.m. Definitely a tough day for Bulldog football. I just spoke with Ken East head coach Matt Chimera, who coached with and against Reuter, as well as Ken East assistant Jeff Martin, who played for him. 

They spoke about "Lou's words," the sayings that he would always use while coaching. He'd say "Holy Mackerel" from time to time, especially when a player wasn't doing what he was supposed to. "There are two seasons -- football season, and waiting for football season," was a big one. 

He might not have invented "Once a Bulldog, always a Bulldog," but he sure said it a lot. That's why Chimera and Martin got the magic marker out to add coach Reuter's name to that saying in the East locker room.

When East got word of Reuter's passing during its morning practice, the coaches and the team knelt down in prayer on Sparky Adams Field.

With the heat so bad, the team decided not to practice outside in the afternoon. It was holding a offensive meeting in the locker room when I stopped by.

1:11 p.m. After some phone calls and some lunch, it's off to Orchard Park. The goal is to get to the two state champions in Erie County today. Sweet Home will follow since they go until 3 p.m.

2:02 p.m. Had a nice chat with OP coach Gene Tundo as he walked to the parking lot -- I lucked out and caught him as he was walking to his car. I thought practice went until 2 (that's what the OP Web site said) but it went until about 1. 

"Awesome," was how he described the first practice. "The guys are optimistic and are having some fun. The players have worked hard the last four months. It's a lot easier when you have kids who want to excel."

He said he mentioned last year's state championship once -- and that was it.

The Quakers stayed off the turf due to the heat and had regular water breaks built in to the schedule.

2:53 p.m. Arrive at Sweet Home and see noone on the football field -- but a few steps toward the locker room and I can see the team running through drills on the fields behind the bleacher. 

"Didn't we just finish this up?" Sweet Home coach John Faller says of the season already being upon us. "It seems that way to me."

His approach to Day One of being a defending state champion?

"All I told the kids was: We have that state championship, and noone will ever take it away from us," Faller said, "but the teams that we're playing this year have to beat this year's team, not last year's team. That team is gone.

"It's a case of -- this is your team, your identity: what are you going to be known for this year? They have to get their own identity."

The Panthers were running through offensive plays, with quarterbacks checking with Faller on what to call. There were a few nice completions downfield -- as nice as you could do in a drill with no pads and no defense out there. 

"It's a tough day -- we did testing in the morning, and we're just going through some basics today because you can't do anything with equipment and such. But that's OK. It gives us three days to get our kids adjusted to the terminology. We have a chalk talk to go over things. They'll catch on pretty quick."

It seems that state championship seasons are long -- and offseasons short. And that's a good thing. 

"There was so much carryover after the actual championship game, between celebrations and recognitions, people calling you and telling you, because you did as much as you possibly could -- it can be equaled but it can never be beaten," said Faller. "And that goes for all four of our Western New York championship teams. There's nothing wrong with it, but it did seem like the season kept going. There was always somebody calling you to talk about the season and this and this.

"But now, it's like, OK: This is this year. Let's get focused on this."

3:12 p.m. Headed to the home office (in a car which says it is 91 degrees out), then the real office to write up a story for tomorrow's paper on opening day.

Football season has officially begun.

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Be sure to check out Miguel Rodriguez's report from a notable first practice day up in Wilson.

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If you watched -- or participated in -- practice today, of course, let us know what you saw.

---Keith McShea

The Gus Macker was great fun. Even though we at The News were oh-for-2, two-and-done, doubly eliminated.

The squad that competed in the Friday-only corporate challenge was myself, sales intern and current University at Buffalo student Holly Pryzbysz (a name I hopefully spelled right when she was a standout at Kenmore West) and buffalo.com's Dave Jarka and Ben and Tom Kirst.

The first game pitted us against West Herr Honda, which apparently has very tall people selling cars or working on cars. They had a duo that was just too big for us. We hung in there early on but ended up falling by like 8-1 or something. (The one basket will be the one I'll be telling everyone about, however -- a drive from the left side finished with an up-and-under move and a layup. Booyah.)

We were headed to the loser's bracket, where our opponent would be either Coca-Cola or Athleticare. Coke was leading, and they had a dude in skinny dreads who looked very familiar. Sure enough, it was East High grad (and 2008 All-Western New York first-teamer) Jamal Webb. Luckily for me, there was no chance for Webb to posterize me -- Coke beat Athleticare.

At Athleticare, they take care of people, which apparently means they are very adept at hurting people as well. Hey, we kid because we care -- and because we lost to them. :-)

More big, physical dudes. This was the first game I received an armbar on a drive to the hole. Early on I went baseline and ended up with a contact lens dislodged (but I got some great help from -- no joke -- the trainers' trainer, who hooked me up with some solution).

I haven't gotten my Macker on in about 10 years, but at the end of the game a ref said, "They shouldn't call it the Macker, they should call it the Mauler."

Even Athleticare's female (every team must have one) was about a head-and-a-half on Holly (who gets my vote as our MVP). I think we managed a few more points in this one, but the score was similar to the first. Athleticare ran some pretty give-and-go's late to settle things, and the biggest dude among the big dudes posted me up and played Dwight Howard to my Anderson Varejao.

Despite me knowing every referee in the joint on a first-name basis, our Macker was over.

But it was a great time with some co-workers, a nice chance to see some coaches, officials and players I see in high school gyms all winter -- even if I showed why I write about the hoops instead of play the hoops. I might check out the action of what should be a great hoop festival on Saturday.

As I walked out, I got the ultimate cutdown from Dick Gallagher, the guru of Western New York high school football. He was smiling his devilish smile, the one he usually reserves for trash talking to Yankee fans about how they are living in the decade of the Boston Red Sox.

"We'll call you if we're doing a story," he said, "on how not to play basketball."

I got one thing for Mr. Gallagher and the Macker. In the words of Timmy Lupus, "Just wait til next year!"

---Keith McShea