LIONS CLASSIC: Weiser leads North to 30-10 victory
By Nate Beutel Niagara Gazette
NORTH TONAWANDA —Eddie Weiser displayed his toughness as an accomplished amateur boxer in his younger years.
On Wednesday, the recent Grand Island High School graduate showed a new level of toughness scoring a touchdown just seconds after receiving stitches in his right hand on the sidelines.
Weiser’s eight-yard scamper to paydirt on the first play of the fourth quarter sewed up a 30-10 victory for the North squad in the 34th annual Kensington Lions Club All-Star High School Football Classic at the Lumberjacks Athletic Complex Wednesday night.
“Scoring that touchdown was pretty awesome,” the Buffalo State-bound tailback said as he grinned from ear to ear after the game. “I told them to hurry up with the stitches. I said ‘tie it up real fast,’ so I could get back out there and help the team. I knew that was probably my last couple plays.”
Weiser got plenty of help from teammates as well. Most notably his high school teammate, Alex Neutz, the Niagara Gazette Player of the Year. The 6-foot-3 University at Buffalo-bound wideout made two incredible catches on the game’s opening drive. The second one, a one-handed snag, was for a 16-yard touchdown.
“I saw (quarterback) Casey (Kacz) was in trouble… so I tried to post up my defender in the back of the end zone,” Neutz explained. “When I saw the ball in the air, my eyes just lit up. I jumped up and the ball stuck to my glove. It was pretty crazy.”
The North continued with its aerial attack on its second drive as quarterback Joe Scibilia (Starpoint) found former Class A North rival Dae’Shaune Clark (Williamsville South) for a 40-yard touchdown strike. Despite a failed extra point, the North still led 13-0.
“Alex’s catch was very good motivation for us and then when Dae’Shaune caught that ball that pumped us up even more,” Weiser said.
The South would get on the board the following possession when Maryvale’s Brooks Estarfaa took a toss around the right side four yards for a score, capping a 10-play drive that included three North penalties and a key fourth-down conversion.
The North would respond, though, as Kacz found Mike Doherty (Kenmore East) on fourth down for a 15-yard scoring hook-up. Weiser set up the touchdown with a key 15-yard run.
As time expired in the first half, Scott Drosendahl (East Aurora) kicked a 25-yard field goal to cut the lead in half, 20-10. Midway through the third quarter, though, Scibilia countered with a field goal of his own and Weiser’s score sealed the deal on the North’s third consecutive victory in the series.
“This is just a great feeling,” Weiser said. “Now I can go on vacation happy.”
EXTRA POINTS: The North awards went to Casey Kacz (QB, Sweet Home, MVP Offense), Shaquille Dudley (OLB, Cardinal O’Hara, MVP Defense) and Zach Weiland (OL, North Tonawanda, MVP Lineman)… The South awards went to Brooks Estarfaa (RB, Maryvale, MVP Offense), Blair Bell (DL, Cheektowaga, MVP Defense) and Jordan Sisti (OL, St. Francis, MVP Lineman)… At Tuesday’s player’s banquet, Mike Doherty (Kenmore East) and Bell were given the Spirit Awards for their respective teams. The award honors a player that impresses his coaching staff during the team’s training camp… Legendary North Tonawanda announcer Dick Grapes was on the mic in the press box that was named in his honor last fall… Niagara Falls resident Victoria Spanbauer sang the national anthem for the sixth time… Tonawanda resident Milt Dickerson is the chairman of the Classic.
North Wins Best All- Star in Over a Decade July 29, 2008 --
HS FOOTBALL: North wins shootout at Kensington Lions all-star contest
NORTH TONAWANDA — Dean Santorio wasn’t expecting a shootout. But that’s exactly what the North head coach got in the 33rd annual Kensington Lions Club All-Star Football Classic at North Tonawanda’s Lumberjacks Sports Complex on Wednesday night.
In a game that hung in the balance until the very last snap, the North squad used a late touchdown strike to sneak out a 23-20 win. It’s the second consecutive win for the North after three straight defeats.
“This is a great atmosphere. The kids worked and even though we made some mistakes we were able to come out on top,” the Grand Island coach said. “You always want to send these kids off with a win.”
After squandering an early first-half lead, North finally began to get its offense back in order late in the third quarter with a number of time-consuming drives. Then after a series of turnovers from both teams, North went on an eight-play, 60-yard drive to take the lead with just under five minutes remaining. Offensive MVP Reggie Garner had a key 20-yard burst on an option play to jump start the series and the drive was completed when quarterback Zach Stubbendeck (Williamsville East) found Josh Barrett (Williamsville North) in the back of the end zone for the score.
“Right at the last second I saw him alone in the end zone out of the corner of my eye and I said ‘please, please throw it,’” North most valuable offensive lineman Corey Balcerzak (Lockport) said.
Santorio added, “Honestly, in the air I thought the safety was going to get his hand on it, but Zach throws a hard ball and luckily it got through.”
South then got the ball back and was forced to punt before North picked up one first down, but came up just short of a second and turned the ball over on downs with 25 seconds left.
On its first play, South quarterback and offensive MVP Adam Piscatello (Cheektowaga) found Davon Rollins (Riverside) for a 30-yard strike. That play gave Piscatello three final shots at the end zone, the last of which barely sailed over the outstretched arms of Paul Evans (Iroquois).
“It went down to the wire and both teams played to the max,” Garner said. “(The finish) made the mark on just how good the game was.”
The North team quickly fell behind in the opening, as midway through the first quarter Piscatello found Jon Eric Banach (West Seneca West) for a six-yard touchdown pass.
Slowly but surely, though, the North would chip away as Chuck Savasta (Kenmore West) kicked a field goal, Garner powered in from 2 yards out and Kevin Ogiba (Niagara-Wheatfield) found Jackie Feggans (Cardinal O’Hara) for a 4-yard touchdown pass. That gave North a 16-7 lead before the South would briefly exploit the North’s weaknesses in the secondary on consecutive drives to end the half.
First, Mike Bartoszek (JFK) found Marquis Davis (McKinley) for a 46-yard touchdown pass and then Matt Thomas (Hamburg) hooked up with Shane Biggs (East Aurora) for a tight-rope 25-yard score.
The halftime deficit would not deter the North, though, as it’s defensive intensity stepped up to another level in the final 30 minutes. Defensive MVP Nick Christman (Sweet Home) made eight tackles alone in the second half.
“This felt great,” Balcerzak said. “This was out last football game of our high school career, so we all played real hard — both teams — right to the end.”
Greg Osika (Depew) was the defensive MVP for the South, while Josh Jesonowski picked up most valuable lineman accolades for the South.
Three Spartans Help North Beat the South In All-Star Game July 26, 2007 --
FOOTBALL: NT's Gregson caps career with MVP, North teams wins Kensington game By Jay Skurski skurskij@gnnewspaper.com Scott Gregson made the most of his one last chance to play at the Lumberjacks Sports Complex. Gregson, the North Tonawanda High School graduate plagued by injury problems in his senior season, showed what he can do when healthy Wednesday night, directing three scoring drives for the North team in a 17-12 victory over the South in the 32nd annual Kensington Lions Club All-Star Football Classic. Gregson earned offensive MVP honors for his efforts, which included 27 yards rushing on six carries. “I never thought I’d get the chance to play here again,” he said. “It was a great experience.” The North squad opened a 14-0 lead in the first half behind a solid rushing attack. Andre Hakeem (Amherst) got the North on the board at the 5:44 mark of the first quarter, taking an option pitch from Gregson in from 10 yards out. That capped an 11-play, 82-yard drive. Kevin Dukes (Medina) scored the North’s next touchdown, diving in for a 1-yard score with 1:17 to go in the first half. That capped a 16-play, 64-yard drive that took 10:13 off the clock. “It all started with our offensive line,” Gregson said. “I just told them, ‘this is the last high school game you’re ever going to play, so let’s make it count.’ ” South’s best chance to score in the first half actually came on defense. Orchard Park’s Greg Michael intercepted Eric Dahlman (Williamsville North) and was headed for the goal line, but Hakeem hustled back to force a fumble that went through the back of the end zone for a North touchback. “The way I look at it, we were our own worst enemy,” said South coach Jim Maurino (West Seneca East). “It was just a couple bad breaks.” The South would close to within 14-6 in the second half, as quarterback Jeremy Mountain found his high school teammate, wide receiver Matt Mohr, for a touchdown. The extra-point try failed. Mountain, who finished the game 14-of-21 for 155 yards and two touchdowns, would have had a couple more completions if it weren’t for the play of John Greer (St. Joe’s). “It’s been a while since I put the pads on, but I did a lot to get ready for this game,” said Greer, who’s headed to the University of New Hampshire to play free safety. “I was just glad to be a part of it.” After Mohr’s score, momentum appeared to have shifted to the South, but a questionable call slowed the comeback. With just under 10 minutes to go in the game, South punt returner Jamal Norward was hit fielding a kick, resulting in a fumble that was recovered by Gregson. Replays showed the contact was early, but the play stood, giving North the ball. On the ensuing possession, North got down to the South 23-yard line, setting up a 40-yard field goal try from Chris Monaco (Starpoint). South wasn’t finished, though, as Dan Simon (West Seneca West) flew around left end for a block. South’s next possession failed, however, giving Monaco another chance. He buried a 28-yard field goal to make the score 17-6 with about three minutes to play. “We changed our protection on the second field goal, which was important,” said North coach Kraig Kurzanski (Williamsville South). South added a late touchdown with less than a minute to play, as Mountain found Dustin Raynor (Maple Grove) with a 10-yard touchdown pass. South’s try at an onside kick, however, went out of bounds, giving the North the ball and the victory. “What we tried to tell our kids is we only had four guys who won their last high school game. So this was a way we could give everybody a final high school victory, and I’m glad we did that,” Kurzanski said. NOTES: Other MVPs for the North squad went to Greer (St. Joe’s, defense) and Chris Skubis (Clarence, offensive line) ... South MVPs went to Carlton Byrum (Depew, offensive line), Mike Leavell (Orchard Park, defense) and Matt Mohr (Maryvale, offense) ... Cardinal O’Hara had the most players with three in offensive linemen Stewart Fonville and Anthony Crispo and defensive lineman Andrew Amato ... Mohr finished with eight receptions for 131 yards and a TD ... The South team had won three straight games and six of the past seven contests.
Three Spartans Chosen to Play in All-Star Game July 14, 2007 --
Chris Monaco, Kyle Gibas and Darren Vukovic were chosen to represent Starpoint in the Annual WNY-Lion's Club All-Star Game. Jason Robichaud was also chosen, but declined to participate. The game will feature WNY's best graduating football players. The game will take place on July 25 at North Tonawanda's Lumberjack Sports Complex.
Kensington Lions WNY High School All-Star Classic
2009- JOE SCIBILIA & BRANDON BRATEK 2008- Mike Regnet and Andy Mullen 2007- Kyle Gibas, Chris Monaco and Darren Vukovic
2006- Jacob Brant (Tom Mueller-Selected to play, but did not due to injury) 2005-Kevin Kearney 2003-Andrew Carroll 1993-Craig Burns 1992-Aaron Class 1990-Mike Wasik 1989-Rob Fraass 1988-Dave Buono & Steve Clare 1987-Keith Sargent 1985-Rob Housler-MVP & Mark Palumbo 1984-Doug Barney 1983-Bob Wray 1980-Mike Wendt 1979-Troy Beutel
