Jerry Sullivan

Akron High boys head basketball coach Justin Gerstung said he doesn’t have his team shout “Family!” coming out of team huddles, like a lot of teams. Family is too personal, too messy. It would seem presumptuous to assume that sort of relationship. But Akron does seem to be getting there. The Tigers have a palpable bond, one born out of shared striving and consistent success. Last Thursday, in a first-round game at the Jack Silvernail Classic, Gerstung looked at his team during a timeout and...

Last March, Ty Harper held his first meeting with the team as the new head football coach of the Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brocton Eagles. They had barely started when Walter Lukasiak, a junior two-way lineman, said, “What are you going to do to get us over the hump?” Harper laughed at the memory. It wasn’t the first time he’d heard it. He’d heard the whispers around a small town. He knew the expectations would be sky high for a man with three state championships on his resume. “I heard some...

BUFFALO — They’re back! After losing in the sectional semifinals a year ago, Bennett High is returning to the New York State football semifinals for the fourth time in the last five seasons. Senior Jimmy Valentine rushed for 144 yards and three touchdowns as Bennett, playing on its home field at All-High Stadium, knocked off Penfield in the Class AA regionals, 26-14. The Tigers, now 10-1, will face Christian Brothers Academy of Syracuse next in the state semifinals at Cicero-North Cicero....