Section VI Football Finals: Class D Preview

For the first time in Section 6 football, a school from Niagara County will be crowned champion in Class D, and it will be against two rivals.

The No. 2 seed Wilson Lakemen (9-1, 7-1 Class D) and the No. 1 seed Newfane Panthers (10-0, 7-0 Class D) will square off this Thursday at 3 p.m. to kick off Section 6 championship football at Highmark Stadium for the final time. 

“I said in the last couple of weeks that the Southern Tier has had a monopoly on this game for a long time, just not a lot of north teams that are that small,” said Wilson head coach Bill Atlas. “But I think it is something pretty special, two north teams taking it to the stadium for the last time ever having games here.”

This is going to be a more intense matchup than the other four games on hand as both Newfane and Wilson are looking for their first section title in program history. Two rival school districts, separated by a 15-minute bus ride, are getting prepared for what should be a competitive game. 

“It’s awesome; it’s great for both communities,” said Newfane head coach Chuck Nagel.

“We're so close to each other geographically, and a lot of us are friends whether you're coaches, the players are buddies of each other, it's an awesome opportunity for both towns.”

Wilson is looking to get their revenge on Newfane; both teams faced off in Week 8 to end the regular season that had one major storyline at the time, getting the one seed in Class D. Newfane took care of business at Wilson High School, en route to a 46-25 win. 

Brock Lepsch/Wilson

Bill Atlas, who is in his 19th season as head coach for Wilson varsity football, was proud of his guys for executing the game plan on both sides of the ball. The main takeaway from that game was tackling. Wilson will need to do a better job at tackling on Thursday if they want to have a shot at winning a championship. 

As for the offense the running attack will have to stay strong; seniors Michael Ruble, Brock Lepsch, Vic Cusatis and junior Nick Lemke all have over 400 yards on the ground and more than five rushing touchdowns on the season. Against Newfane, Wilson put up 25 points, the most points Newfane’s defense has given up to an opponent. 

For Newfane, senior Mac Capen will need to be on his game as he has been able to do throughout the season. The five-time Connolly Cup Player of the Week comes into this

Mac Capen/Newfane QB

game with 1,640 rushing yards and 25 rushing touchdowns, both second in Section 6 in both categories. Capen rushed for five touchdowns in the last meeting with Wilson. 

Newfane’s defense has done well throughout the year, allowing just over 12 points per game and in the playoffs, they haven’t given up a point. The Panthers have also sacked the quarterback 16 times, recovered 13 fumbles and come away with 11 interceptions. 

Junior Jake Morello leads the team in tackles with 73 while junior Nasir Spencer has eight sacks on the year. Capen and seniors Isaiah Gerstung and Dominic Makuch each have two interceptions. 

Pics Courtesy of Bill Atlas/Wilson