In celebration of the Bills and ADPRO Sports High School Coach of the Week program, Tim Sawyer, head coach of the Alexander Trojans, and Jason Beckman, head coach of the Amherst Tigers, were recently named the Week 5 winners.
The Buffalo Region Coach of the Week, Beckman led his team to a big 26-16 win over Sweet Home, marking Amherst's first win over the rival since 2001. The longtime opponents have been battling each other since 1959 and both were eager for a 'W.' While Sweet Home started out with an early 8-0 lead in the first quarter, it was Amherst that sealed the victory when they responded with four consecutive touchdowns.
Running back Anthony McCarley took it 27 yards to the house to give the Tigers their first score. The touchdown was followed by a two-point conversion when quarterback Nick Tiberi found wide receiver Nick O'Neil. Before the matchup was over, O'Neil found the end zone again. Junior Isaiah Okoro was also credited with a one-yard score early in the game's final quarter. With the victory, Amherst is now 2-3 on the season and will take on Albion at home on Friday, Oct. 12 at 7 p.m.
Sawyer, the Rochester Region Coach of the Week, helped his squad come away with a 11-8 win over Red Jacket on Saturday, Oct. 5. The big win elevated Alexander to a perfect 5-0 on the campaign. A defensive slugfest, the matchup was hard fought on both sides. Thanks to kicker Eric Kline, who completed a 28-yard field goal, the Trojans were first on the board. Nursing a three-point lead at the half, Alexander quickly found themselves down 8-3 when Red Jacket scored on a 68-yard TD pass. Alexander running back Ty Woods put his team back up 9-8, rushing for an eight-yard score.
In the end, Woods led the offensive effort, compiling 138 yards rushing and one TD on 29 carries. On defense, Ethan Heineman tallied five tackles and two sacks. Next up, Alexander will host Cuba-Rushford on Thursday, Oct. 11 for a 7:30 p.m. game.
Check back on buffalobills.com each week for the announcement of the Coach of the Week winners and tune in to "One Bills Live," presented by Kaleida Health, each Tuesday afternoon to hear the winners announced on the show. Good luck to all of the high school football coaches this season from the Buffalo Bills and ADPRO Sports!
About the program:
The Buffalo Bills are once again proudly partnering with ADPRO Sports in 2019 to recognize some of the best high school football coaches Western New York has to offer, through the High School Coach of the Week program. During the 2019 high school football season, the Bills and ADPRO Sports will recognize 11 coaches from both the Buffalo and Rochester regions on buffalobills.com. The winners will be selected by a committee of high school football experts from each region.