The Buffalo Bills are once again proudly partnering with ADPRO Sports in 2018, 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. Throughout the 2018 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.
Winning coaches will receive a $1,000 grant for their school's football program, a framed certificate recognizing their accomplishment and an invitation to join the Bills on-field Dec. 16, for a pregame ceremony prior to kickoff against the Detroit Lions. At the game, a High School Coach of the Year will be honored from each region, with those winners receiving an additional $1,000 for their football program.
The Buffalo region Coach of the Week for Week 5 is Steve McDuffie, head coach of the Bennett High School Tigers. McDuffie, who has been head coach since 2012, led his team to a bigtime 42-35 win over the Lancaster Legends on Thursday, Sept. 27. The victory marks the first time a Buffalo Public School has defeated Lancaster, who came into the contest ranked No. 1 in New York State by the NYS Sportswriters Association.
The Tigers and Legends were neck and neck for most of the game. At the start of the third quarter, the Tigers found themselves trailing 35-30 but came together to score two touchdowns, which was good enough to secure the victory. On offense for the Tigers, D'Jae Perry paved the way on the ground rushing for 275 yards on just 12 carries for two touchdowns. On defense, Jakari Nettles was a standout, compiling seven tackles and two sacks.
With the win, the Tigers have advanced to 4-1 on the season and will take on Orchard Park next. The matchup is scheduled for Friday, Oct. 5 at 7:30 p.m.
The Rochester region Coach of the Week for Week 5 is John Russ, head coach of the Honeoye Falls-Lima (HFL) Cougars. On Friday, Sept. 28, Russ led the Cougars to a narrow 20-19 victory over Watkins Glen/ Odessa-Montour. Going into the half, HFL found themselves down a score at 13-7 and trailed the majority of the third and fourth quarters. Behind 19-7 with only three minutes left in the game, the Cougars rallied to find the end zone.
Leading the way on offense was junior quarterback Turner Wilson and senior wide out Derek Childs. Going no huddle, the Cougars drove down the field 80 yards for a touchdown. The drive was capped by a 35-yard touchdown pass from Wilson to Childs. With no timeouts, HFL got the ball back on their own 20-yard line and once again found the end zone for the game-winning touchdown. Wilson finished the game 12-of-19 for 151 yards and two touchdowns. On defense, linebacker Josh Kosciol led the way with 11 tackles.
Next up, the Cougars, who are now 4-1 on the campaign, will take on Greece Arcadia at home. The game is slated for Friday, Oct. 5 at 7 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 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!
