WNY High School Football: Class A Preview

Beginning Friday Aug. 31st, 18 teams in Class A will be vying for 8 playoff spots. Among them are Jamestown, who last year played up in AA and the Maritime Charter/Health Sciences team, which is making their Section VI debut under the guidance of head coach Charlie Comerford.

Class A is split into three divisions with 6 teams in each.

Jamestown was placed in A1 along with Kenmore West, Niagara-Wheatfield, West Seneca West (the 2017 State Champion), Frontier and Hamburg.

Last season the Red Raiders finished at 5-4 and defeated Clarence in the playoffs. They return senior QB Drew Boggs and sophomore phenom Savon VanSickle who is a dual threat on offense and also a key component on the defensive side of the ball. They will host West Seneca East (A3) in the opening week of play.

Frontier will be led by new head coach Chuck Tilley, no stranger to the sidelines. The Falcons have won three games since 2015. They, along with Lackawanna kickoff the season with a 3pm start Friday afternoon. With 17 seniors returning Frontier will have to feed off of that experience in 2018. Watch for senior Tyler Bailey (LB/RB), he can do it all. Max Flemming (FB/LB) and Jacob Stromboulis (NG/DT) are also key players on the Falcons.

Kenmore West will put sophomore Zach Boyes under center this season as the Blue Devils begin year two in Class A. Kenmore West finished up 4-5 overall in 2017, winning the last three. Senior Joe Stewart is poised to have another good season out of the backfield. Kenmore West opens up at home versus Clarence (AA) and will visit West Seneca West the following Friday night.

Niagara Wheatfield is looking to senior QB Jordan Parks to lead the offense. Parks, a dual-threat QB is more than thankful just to be on the field after going through an offseason medical scare last February. In 2017 Parks rushed for over 1,000 yards and 13 touchdowns. Along with fellow senior Jake DeWulf (RB) the Falcons have the athleticism and experience that could surprise some people up in Class A1.

Hamburg looks to improve on 2017’s 1-7 overall record. Three games last season were decided by a touchdown or less, while five were blowouts. The Bulldogs are going to be young this year. Seniors Matt Fumerelle (RB/LB), Josh Skelley (QB) and Jack Schinzel (OL/DL) are just a few returning that will be counted on for leadership.

West Seneca West is coming off of a dream season. They went 13-0 and won a NYSPHSAA title. Not much more could be said about how well the team performed under head coach Mike Vastola. The 2018 Indians have a lot of the same parts, such as senior Juston Johnson (WR/CB) who is one of the premier athletes in the area. Senior Adrian Baugh (WR/CB), senior Bryan Ball (RB/WR/FS), junior Mike Glinski (LB/TE) and junior Liam Scheuer (QB/DE) are hungrier than ever to repeat. They also have Maurice Robertson (QB/CB/FS) who transferred in from Sweet Home, an explosive player in his own right. West Seneca West has all the tools to have another successful season.

A2 is filled with question marks. There’s been coaching changes, transfers and new turf fields installed. The biggest story is the return of Eric Jantzi to Lumberjack nation. It’s been eight years since he left the program but he is back and he brought all of his former assistants with him. North Tonawanda will have an aggressive defense and will be a tough team to play against. The division is wide open for the taking.

Sweet Home has Jeremy Zimmer at the helm, two years after John Farrell hung up his whistle. The former Kenmore West Blue Devil and Canisius College Golden Griffin has been with the program for over a dozen years and was there for the state championships. A week into the season their best player transferred leaving a void that will take a group to fill. The Panthers will have some youth at QB in junior Jamel Lucas but the kid is a playmaker. Senior tailback Sam Roby along with DE Robert Giancarlo (senior) give Sweet Home some juice to stay competitive in this division and could sneak into the playoffs.

Williamsville East is coming off a playoff berth in 2017, the first since 2012. Senior QB Colson Skorka had a breakout year last season. Junior Cal Shifflet (WR) is up on varsity this season and could have an impact. The Flames open up against Will North in week one before games against division opponents Kenmore East, McKinley and Sweet Home.

McKinley has yet to name a full-time replacement for Brian Hillery who resigned as head coach earlier this month. Senior tailback Kaiyer Fields is an explosive runner that can take over a game. The Macks welcome back senior Taivon Martin (WR) back into the program as well. This could be the surprise team in A2.

Grand Island graduated a number of solid athletes in 2017. Senior QB Cam Sionko is still a threat whenever under center. He has senior TE Jeremiah Wilkes as a solid target. Week one versus Starpoint will be a huge test so we’ll see what the Vikings have for 2018 early.

Kenmore East has always struggled with depth and 2018 is no different. This could be a very dangerous team if the Bulldogs stay healthy. Coach Pat Veltri has senior QB Nate Murdie back who played well last year. Senior Danzo Young (RB) and junior Dom Ferguson (RB) is an interesting combination out of the backfield. Nick Coburn (’19), Mike Haynes (’20) and Jacob Butkowski (’19) are a few [players to keep an eye on as well in 2018.

A3 could be the toughest of the bunch do too all the unknowns. Maritime Charter/Health Sciences could be the doormat, being that this is the first year the schools have had football. However, head coach Charlie Comerford will not allow any of his players to roll over. This might not be the most talented team but they will be up there with the most physical of teams.

Starpoint is led by senior QB Aaron Chase. One of the top players in the area. The Spartans have looked really good this past offseason in 7-on-7 work outs but that is not the measuring stick for how well a team will play during the season. Still, Starpoint is always a physical squad especially with seniors Justin Mott (FB), Dan Bongiovanni (OL/DL) and Brendan Gawel (RB/CB). The Spartans open up at Grand Island in week one. Last year the Vikings rolled Starpoint 33-7 in week   five.

Jemelle Jones is the real deal. The senior tailback and nose guard has been impressive this offseason and gives the Billies hope. Senior Joe Battaglia (QB) will have his chance to lead and is a tough kid. Additionally, there are juniors on this team that missed all or most of last season with injuries just itching to get out on the field. This is a team that you should not sleep on.

West Seneca East lost a lot of players to graduation in 2017. Returning however is senior Shaun Dolac (MLB/RB) who gives the Trojans their identity. Head coach Jim Maurino came back for another year, which means he sees something in this squad. Over a dozen seniors return as well.

Amherst has a nice new turf this season. The Tigers need senior Jakye Womack (QB) to have an exceptional year if Amherst plans on making a go of it. He has quality athletes around him in D’shaun Barefield, Sean Murphy and Deadrea Tyson that will create some excitement.

South Park has been beating up on this division the past few years and that does not appear (at least on paper) to change in 2018. Coach Tim Delaney and his Sparks are just three seasons removed from their state title. Clarence Thomas (RB), Dabeyon Humphrey (QB), Greg Braswell (DT) and Jayon Renfro (LB) have not forgotten about last year’s loss at New Era Field to West Seneca West, a game in which they were leading by two scored. I’m sure they are not looking past anyone this season but it will be hard to find another team in Class A more determined than South Park.