Another week of high school football has gone by in Western New York and the Buffalo Bills and Legends Global Merchandising are happy to partner to recognize the top coaches in the region through the 2024 High School Football Coach of the Week program.
Aimed at highlighting varsity head tackle football coaches' efforts on and off the field, coaches from both the Buffalo and Rochester regions will be honored over the next 10 weeks and will receive $1,000 for their teams. 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.
Rochester Region Coach of the Week
Fairport High School's Mike Wayne has been named Coach of the Week for the Rochester region after leading his Raiders to a narrow 21-20 victory over Aquinas.
The Raiders led the entire game, and an interception returned for a touchdown led to a 14-6 halftime lead. Bailey Frank returned the interception 20 yards for a TD.
Fairport led 21-20 with 1:15 left but Marques Garret and Joe Roselli combined for a strip sack and Garret fell on the fumble to seal the win.
QB Sam Roselli completed 9 of 11 passes for 100 yards and 1 TD. John Russell caught 6 passes for 80 yards and a TD. Bailey Frank rushed 17 times for 60 yards and a TD. Dan Russell led the defense with 10 tackles. Marques Garrett made 7 tackles with 1 QB sack.
Before arriving at Fairport, Wayne was a Varsity assistant for eight seasons with the Brighton Central School District. His team currently sits at 3-0.
His coaching philosophy is, "The most important play is the next one,' and his team plays by the mantra, "Chase your best," which means that they are striving to be the best versions of themselves every day.
Outside of the field of play, the Raiders participate in the pirate toy fund.
His biggest accomplishment off the field is that he was a special education teacher in the Brighton Central School District and organizing the transition program for students with disabilities 18-21 at St. John Fisher University. In addition to that, creating and establishing relationships within the Brighton and Fairport communities is another one of his accomplishments.
Buffalo Region Coach of the Week
Falconer Central High School's Curt Fischer has been named Coach of the Week for the Buffalo region after leading the Herd to a 34-14 over Portville in a key Class C South contest.
The Falconer defense intercepted a pass on the game's first possession and the Herd quickly took advantage. Mathis Baher capped a drive when he ran nine yards for a TD and 7-0 lead.
Portville drove deep into Falconer territory, but the defense stiffened and made a stand. Falconer took over and, on 3rd-and-short, QB Jake Roth hit Skylar Carlson with an 83-yard TD bomb for a 13-0 lead. The Herd pushed the lead to 20-0 before the half as Baher ran 13 yards for a TD.
Baher finished the night with 143 yards and three TDs on 19 carries. He also caught 3 passes for 86 yards and another TD.
The Herd are now 3-0 and tied for the division lead with Salamanca.
Prior to his tenure at Falconer, Fischer coached at Maple Grove for 26 years and Chautauqua Lake for one year. In that time, he has a career record of 239-57, has captured 11 section championships and is 2-2 in state championships.
His coaching philosophy is that the lessons learned from football often compare to life experiences.
"I love to see players grow into responsible individuals who then become great parents and future mentors," he said.
With that in mind, his mantra for his team is "Families win championships, individuals don't."
Off the field, the Herd participate and support youth programs and pride themselves on their interactions with young players.
