It's playoff time for high school football teams throughout the Western New York region and there's a lot to be excited about. This week, the Bills and ADPRO Sports are recognizing Brian Davis, head coach of McKinley High School, and Derek Annechino, head coach of Aquinas Institute, for their hard work both on and off the field through the High School Coach of the Week program.
Davis, the Buffalo Region Coach of the Week, helped his team put together a convincing 7-0 victory over West Seneca West in the Section VI Class A semifinals. The victory not only propelled the Macks to a perfect 9-0 record, it marks the first time the school has ever advanced to the Section VI title game, which will be played at New Era Field! A hard-fought defensive battle, the game's only score came on defense as well. The touchdown happened in the third quarter when senior safety Patrick Mootry intercepted a West Seneca West throw and took it 82 yards to the house.
A true Cinderella story, the victory also comes during Davis' first year as sideline boss. The Macks will square off against South Park in the championship game this Saturday, Nov. 9 at 3 p.m.
The Rochester Region Coach of the Week, Derek Annechino, also had quite the win over the weekend. Up against the Hilton Cadets in the Section V Class AA playoffs, the Aquinas Li'l Irish pulled off a big 35-19 win. It was a close game, with Aquinas nursing a one-point lead in the third quarter. Junior wide receiver Zach Kelsey connected with fellow junior quarterback Tyler Szalkowski to put the Li'l Irish farther ahead at 21-13. Despite a valiant fourth quarter effort by the Cadets, Aquinas found the end zone two more times to seal the deal.
Szalkowski finished the game with 343 yards passing and four touchdowns. On defense, defensive end Joe DeBonis recorded 12 tackles, five of which for a loss of yards, and had two QB hits. With the win, 8-1 Aquinas will take on rival McQuaid on Saturday, Nov. 9 at SUNY Brockport at 8 p.m.
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 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.
