It's week 4 of the high school football season 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.
Buffalo Region Coach of the Week
Chautauqua Lake Central's Ryan Gibbs has been named Coach of the Week for the Buffalo region after leading the Eagles to a 44-7 victory over Falconer last week. Falconer was 3-0 and tied for first place in the Class C South Division.
"We're at the halfway point of the season," Gibbs said. "It's not early anymore. We needed to make a statement in our league."
Chautauqua Lake raced out to a 37-7 lead at the half and coasted home in the second half.
Falconer scored first on a 71-yard punt return for a touchdown giving the Herd a 7-0 lead. The Eagles answered immediately as QB Brayden Gibbs tossed a 23-yard touchdown pass to Devin Hewes. Gibbs ran in a two-point conversion for an 8-7 lead.
On the next series, DT Mason Maring recovered a Falconer fumble giving the Eagles possession in Falconer territory. One play later, Gibbs tossed another TD pass to Hewes, this one from 20 yards, to increase the lead to 15-7.
Shortly after that, Chautauqua Lake's Thandon Bensink scooped a fumble and returned it to the Falconer three-yard line. On the next play, Gibbs ran three yards for a TD and then ran a successful two-point conversion and giving the Eagles a 23-7 lead after one quarter.
Gibbs completed 11 of 18 passes for 208 yards and 3 touchdowns in the win. He also rushed for 20 yards and a touchdown. Bensink rushed for 111 yards on 22 carries and 2 touchdowns. Nick Jacobson caught 6 passes for 155 yards, including a 66-yard touchdown.
The Eagles are 3-1 on the season and in second place in the Class C South.
Gibbs is in his fifth season as head coach of Chautauqua Lake, serving as the defensive coordinator for one season before being named head coach.
His coaching philosophy is simple - he wants to help the young men on his team grow and develop to be successful long after their playing careers are over.
Coaching plays a significant part in his life, as he coaches youth and high school sports all year long. His team also works hand in hand with the youth football teams and volunteers for many local events.
Rochester Region Coach of the Week
East Rochester-Gananda's Tim Rose has been named coach of the week for the Rochester region after leading the Bombers to a 36-6 win over Livonia to improve to 3-1 on the season.
East Rochester fell behind 6-0 early, but the Bombers scored the next 36 points unanswered. The Bombers tied the game when QB Ben Newman tossed a 30-yard TD pass to Justice Allen.
East Rochester took the lead in the 2nd quarter when Newman hit Noah Mather with a 45-yard TD pass to increase the lead to 14-6. Later in the 2nd quarter, Ray Allen capped a drive by running five yards for a TD, giving the Bombers a 22-6 lead at the half.
Newman completed 14 of 20 passes for 200 yards and three TDs. He also rushed for a TD. Noah Mather caught seven passes for 138 yards and two TDs. Justice Allen caught five passes for 57 yards and a TD. Ray Allen ran seven times for 50 yards and a TD. Bryce Panzanella led the defense as he made 9 tackles, 2 for lost yardage, intercepted a pass and recorded a QB sack.
East Rochester is now 3-1 and in first place in Class C.
Before joining the Bombers' football staff, Rose spent 10 years on Pittsford's football staff. He was the special teams coordinator for East Rochester in 2021-2022 and is in his third year as the head coach with a 16-5 record.
His team uses the mantra "family, accountability and toughness." The players and coaches are a family that work together for each other, they are accountable for their own actions and help to hold each other accountable and making sure that everyone is mentally tough and able to work through adversity is a life lesson they can use throughout the rest of their lives.
"My coaching philosophy is to help players grow into respectful, responsible young men through the great game of football," Rose said. "Football is the ultimate team sport that teaches the players life lessons about teamwork, hard work, perseverance, and overcoming adversity. My goal is to help these young men to grow and be able to use these lessons to help them become successful in whatever life path they choose. To show them support on and off the field during their high school career and beyond."
Off the gridiron, the team participates in a free youth camp for the East Rochester- Gananda community, PrimeTime 585 Thanksgiving family adoption and adopting a local family during Christmas.
