The Buffalo Bills and ADPRO Sports have partnered to name Josh Brooks and Bobby Bates as the Coaches of the Week from the Buffalo and Rochester regions, respectively.
Each coach will receive $1,000 for their football programs and was selected for their commitment to their team and surrounding community. The Buffalo and Rochester Coaches of the Year will be named during the Bills-Patriots game in Week 17 at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Region Coach of the Week #6
Josh Brooks of Portville Central led the Panthers to a 21-13 win over Falconer over the weekend to improve to a 5-1 record on the season and clinching a playoff spot in the process.
Running back Kaedon Holcomb led the ground attack with 28 rushes for 183 yards and two touchdowns while Ethan Coleman added 110 rushing yards and a touchdown as well as a team-high nine tackles.
Brooks is in his sixth season as head coach at Portville, serving as an assistant coach for five seasons before being named head coach in 2018. Brooks and the Panthers won a Division title in 2020.
Brooks preaches being fast, physical, doing your job and embracing adversity. His varsity players go to the elementary school to read with students before every homecoming game. The football program is also active in the Colt 45 Cancer Program in honor of Colt Matz, a Portville child currently fighting leukemia.
Brooks' favorite aspect of coaching is reconnecting with former players after graduation and hearing how playing football has influenced them in their post-high school lives.
Rochester Region Coach of the Week #6
McQuaid Jesuit High School's Bobby Bates has been named Coach of the Week for the Rochester region after the Knights' 24-21 win over Hilton Friday night. McQuaid is now 6-0 and is tied for first place in AA. Running back John Harding rushed 12 times for 120 yards and two touchdowns and defensive end Nate Earl made 11 tackles, had two sacks and one pass breakup.
Bates has been the head coach at McQuaid Jesuit from 2009-12, 2015-current. Across 10 seasons, Bates holds a 79-22 career record, seven Divisional titles, four Section V titles and a Western Regional title.
His philosophy is centered around being one program, one team with one goal and trusting the process. He also employs the acronym FAMILY: Forget About Me, I Love You.
The Knights deliver gifts to a local elementary city school as part of their "Christmas Angels" program, spending the day going from classroom to classroom playing with the kids and giving out their gifts. The team also prepares meals for Youth Day at the Rochester Red Wings for over 500 kids attending the camp. Additionally, the McQuaid team puts on a youth football camp where players coach kids in football drills.
Bates' favorite football memory was coaching alongside the late Coach Gary Parisi, a longtime Section V and VI coach who served as the offensive line coach on the McQuaid staff for five years. Bates said it was his honor and privilege to coach with Coach Parisi.
