Football's national signing day is here, and it's a pretty solid day for Western New York.
James Gaines of Canisius signed with Miami, David Fluellen of Lockport signed with Toledo and, as has been the case in recent years, several players signed with the University at Buffalo.
Jasen Carlson of Southwestern, Adam Redden of St. Francis and Andre Davis of Maryvale are headed to UB. The entire recruiting class for UB can be discussed at the Campus Watch blog. Delano Fabor of St. Francis, who was a high school senior last year, is on the list after enrolling at UB in January.
Also today, D.J. Nettles of Sweet Home signed with Rhode Island of Division I-AA (now the Football Championship Subdivision). Interesting note: the Rams open their season at UB on Thursday, Sept. 2.
After six teams survived sectional, regional and state championship
playoffs to win state titles, we at The News are honoring each champion
with a poster page. They are similar to the pages we produced last year
for the four football state champions.
The commemorative posters include photos, rosters, complete
schedules and results and a summary of each team's road to the finals.
The pages started Saturday. There will be a team championship poster
page in each day following, except for Wednesday (Bills poster day).
Also definitely check out the online end of things, where we have produced some awesome audio slideshows detailing the teams' run to the championships.
Here's the schedule:
Saturday: City Honors girls volleyball. Sunday: Eden girls volleyball. Monday: Randolph football. Tuesday: Southwestern football. Thursday: Sweet Home football. Friday: North Tonawanda football.
All of the pages will also available for purchase at our buffalonews.mycapture.com site (which can also be accessed via the link to the audio slideshows above).
For a special 25 percent discount online, enter the code: preptalk. (cool code huh?)
This
championship week also includes the boys basketball preview on Tuesday
and the All-Western New York football issue on Saturday, Dec. 12. The
All-WNY football issue will include not only the team, but the final
polls, coach of the year award and all of the all-league teams.
High school fans, make sure you check out The Buffalo News over the next week.
After six teams survived sectional, regional and state championship playoffs to win state titles, we at The News are honoring each champion with a poster page. They are similar to the pages we produced last year for the four football state champions.
The commemorative posters include photos, rosters, complete schedules and results and a summary of each team's road to the finals.
The pages start Saturday. There will be a team championship poster page in each day following, except for Wednesday (Bills poster day).
Also definitely check out the online end of things, where we have produced some awesome audio slideshows detailing the teams' run to the championships.
Here's the schedule:
Saturday: City Honors girls volleyball. Sunday: Eden girls volleyball. Monday: Randolph football. Tuesday: Southwestern football. Thursday: Sweet Home football. Friday: North Tonawanda football.
All of the pages will also available for purchase at our buffalonews.mycapture.com site (which can also be accessed via the link to the audio slideshows above).
For a special 25 percent discount online, enter the code: preptalk. (cool code huh?)
This championship week also includes the boys basketball preview on Tuesday and the All-Western New York football issue on Saturday, Dec. 12. The All-WNY football issue will include not only the team, but the final polls, coach of the year award and all of the all-league teams.
Photographer Mark Mulville compiled some great photos, sounds of some of the voices that helped teams win state championships (and one of the voices that covered them) in some awesome audio slideshows about our state champions. There will be slideshows for all six state champions, corresponding with the six state championship pages we are producing.
Lockport sr. RB David Fluellen, Lancaster sr. QB Justin Juda, Grand Island sr. RB Andy LaLonde, Williamsville South jr. QB Joe Licata, Sweet Home sr. QB Pat McMahon, Cassadaga Valley sr. RB/DB B.J. Monacelli, St. Joe's sr. QB/DB Matt Rosenhahn, Maple Grove sr. QB Chris Secky, Iroquois sr. RB/DB Calvin Sluberski and Southwestern sr. QB Zack Sopak.
Tell us why you voted the way you did in the comments section below. Also, what do you think of the list? Who's not on the list that should be?
Remember to be RESPECTFUL of ALL of the players because they all had a great seasons.
I'll be keeping my thoughts to myself for now since we are deliberating the All-Western New York team.
The winner will be announced Wednesday, Dec. 9 at the Lancaster Elks Lodge No. 1478, which is the sponsor of the award. It is located at 33 Legion Parkway, Lancaster.
Reserve tickets are available by calling
the Lancaster Elks at 685-1478 or by calling Carl Kuras at 698-1893.
Doors open at 6 p.m. and dinner will follow at approximately 6:30 p.m.
The cost per ticket is $20.
As always, another great job by the Trench Trophy committee to honor high school athletes. This award is a result of a lot of people doing a lot of hard work and they should be commended for adding another tradition to high school football in Western New York.
John Moriello of the state sportswriters association breaks it down for all of this weekend's five football finals at the Carrier Dome. Of course, four of those games feature Section VI teams.
Check out the fact-filled previews here. There are predictions, too: North Tonawanda loses, Sweet Home, Southwestern and Randolph win.
Keith McShea has covered high school sports at The News since his hiring in 1999. The 1995 University at Buffalo graduate and Long Island native (North Babylon Bulldogs) covers — and live blogs — everything from scrimmages to state championships & helps head The News' All-Western New York selections.
Lauren Nicole Mariacher joined The News in 2009 after graduating from the Columbia University School of Journalism. The Elma native and Iroquois graduate can usually be found on a sideline, capturing highlights for PrepTalkTV. She also hosts Prep Talk's weekly live show, with Keith McShea, as well as The News' live postgame Bills show — [BN]TheHuddle.
