The Buffalo Bills and Legends Global Merchandising have named Chuck Nagel and Ryan Kramer as the Coaches of the Week for the Buffalo and Rochester regions, respectively.
Each coach will receive $1,000 for their teams. Coaches were selected for their work in their school community and the impact that they have on their student athletes. Each region's Coach of the Year will be named during the Week 17 game against the New York Jets and will receive an additional $1,000 for their programs.
Buffalo Region Coach of the Week
Newfane High School's Chuck Nagel has been named Coach of the Week for the Buffalo region after his Panthers upset Medina 23-6.
The Panthers led the whole game, and the Mustangs did not score until the fourth quarter after recovering a muffed punt at the Newfane 10-yard line.
"That was the best week of football practice I have ever had as a coach," Nagel said. "Our boys competed, they listened, they were extremely coachable, and they are hungry."
Medina, who has won three Section 6 titles in the last five seasons, entered the game ranked #3 in NYS according to some polls. This was the first league-loss for the Mustangs since 2019.
"This is huge for a small-town program like us," Nagel said. "Medina has run this division for the last five years. It's a huge steppingstone to get that off our backs."
The Newfane defense intercepted four passes and recovered a fumble in the win. The defense also added a score of their own when Ayden Buttery returned an interception 35 yards for a touchdown.
"A lot of credit goes to our defensive coordinator," Nagel said. "He had these kids dialed in time and time again."
Nagel is an alum of Newfane, graduating in 1994 and has been a physical education teacher at the high school since 2005. He started as the JV assistant coach for Barker High School, before becoming the JV head coach and offensive coordinator of Newfane from 2006-2011. He became the varsity head coach in 2012.
Under his guidance, Newfane High School has won the Chuck Funke Class "B" championship in 2018 and a Class B-4 division title in 2019.
Nagel's coaching philosophy is consistency. He says giving his athletes a consistent coaching staff that spreads the same message everyday gives them unlimited opportunities to be better in the off-season.
"I chose to be a coach because it allows me to be a part of the game I love, but can no longer play," Nagel said. "It satisfies the competitive fire I have and allows me to help young people from my hometown learn and love the game as much as I do."
He also uses the motto "11 Helmets, 1 POOR Soul." This means that each player should be doing their 1/11th each down because it encourages them to be team players and have a team approach.
Off the field, Nagel and his team participate in community service. Over the summer after a weight training day, they volunteered to help a single mom clear all the debris from a tree that had fallen in her yard.
Rochester Region Coach of the Week
Geneseo High School's Ryan Kramer has been named Coach of the Week for the Rochester region after his Blue Devils beat the Notre Dame (Batavia) Knights 48-15.
This is Kramer's second season in charge of the Geneseo program. The team is now 1-0 after going 0-9 in the 2023 season.
The Blue Devils led 28-8 at the half and pulled away in the second half.
The Knights scored first when QB Reece Byrnes tossed a 34-yard TD pass to Jackson Willis. Byrnes tossed a 20-yard TD pass to Bryce Patterson for a 14-0 lead in the first quarter.
Byrnes finished the game by completing 8 of 12 passes for 178 yards and 3 TDs. He also returned a kickoff 86 yards for a TD in the second quarter.
Teddy Linsner led the ground game as he rushed eight times for 72 yards and a TD. Aiden Bark added 68 yards on seven carries.
Patterson scored his second TD of the game when he returned an interception 37 yards for a TD in the third quarter.
"Our line dominated throughout the game," Kramer said. "They played really well."
In his second season, Kramer's coaching philosophy is building positive relationships with student athletes in and out of football.
"The sport of football does more than just what people watch on Friday nights. It is the relationships built in the hallways, classrooms, and the community that make football programs most successful."
His team plays be the "Blue Devil Code": C= Character, O= Opportunity, D= Discipline, E= Effort.
Off the field, his team participates in youth football big/little brothers programs and they are rotary volunteers. They have shown significant improvement of student-athletes in school and the community in the amount of time and effort spent with youth programs.
