Kraig Kurzanski, Williamsville South head football coach has been named the Buffalo Bills High School Football Coach of the Week after the first weekend of the 2009 high school football season.
Williamsville South quarterback Joe Licata was 26 of 47, threw for four touchdowns and a school-record 377 yards as the Billies defeated the Grand Island Vikings by a score of 32-29. The win was the first for South against Grand Island in more than a decade and gives Coach Kurzanski's Billies a great start to what could be a breakthrough season.
"It's awesome for us," said Kurzanski. "With the new alignment in A, we knew that every league game mattered even more than before."
Williamsville South's receivers played a significant role in the Billies victory with Phil Stasiak catching 7 passes for 137 yards, Kevin O'Connell hauling in 11 passes for 114 yards and two touchdowns, and Mark Coppola catching 3 passes for 97 yards.
South senior Coppola, who also plays defensive back, helped the Billies defense hold off Grand Island with a fourth down pass deflection at the end of the game to preserve the victory.
Coach Kurzanski is entering his third season as the Head Football Coach at Williamsville South.
This is the 13th consecutive year of the Buffalo Bills Coach of the Week program. Each week during the 11-week high school football season, a committee appointed by the Buffalo Bills selects a head football coach as Coach of the Week.
The honorees will receive a certificate signed by Dick Jauron, Buffalo Bills head coach, Russ Brandon, Bills chief operating officer /general manager and Roger Goodell, NFL commissioner, plus a Bills Coach of the Week cap and a $1,000 donation to the school's football program from the Buffalo Bills Youth Foundation.
Recognition of the winning coach will be shown on the Buffalo Bills official website (www.buffalobills.com). At the end of the season, one of the weekly award winners will be named Coach of the Year and will receive an additional $1,000 donation to the school's football program.
2009 Buffalo Bills Coach of the Week Winners:
Week 1 – Kraig Kurzanski (Williamsville South Billies)
