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2008 Football Schedule
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October 4, 2008 --
 42 14
Casey Kacz threw for two touchdowns and ran for another as the Panthers jumped out to a big lead en route to a Class A North victory. Deshenaro Morris added a pair of rushing TDs for the Panthers (5-0 overall, 4-0 Class A North).
Despite the lopsided nature of the score, Starpoint defensive coordinator Tim Racey said the difference in total yardage was only about 100 but that turnovers were the Spartans’ downfall. Starpoint quarterback Joe Scibilia was 6-of-16 for 83 yards and two touchdowns, but all-league running back Brandon Bratek was held in check, running for only 47 yards on 10 carries. Joe Delelio had three catches for 42 yards and a TD and Denver Kopp, who led the team with 11 tackles, hauled in a six-yard TD pass in the fourth quarter for Starpoint (2-3, 2-2).
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GRAND ISLAND BLOWS OUT STARPOINT 42-20
 42 20 Vikings roll behind Oliverio's 4 TD passes Grand Island senior quarterback Joe Oliverio was nearly flawless Saturday in leading the Vikings to a convincing 42-20 Class A North road victory at Starpoint. Oliverio finished 9-of-12 passing for 165 yards and four touchdowns in GI’s fourth consecutive win. Senior wideout Alex Neutz also continued on his torrid pace, catching seven passes for 164 yards and three scores.
Running back Eddie Weiser added 17 carries for 148 yards and a touchdown, while Andy LaLonde had two carries for 62 yards and a score. Joel Klock, who was 3-of-4 passing for 47 yards, kicked a 23-yard field goal in the fourth quarter to round out the scoring for the Vikings (5-1 overall, 4-2 Class A North). Defensively, Weiser and Brett Dlugosz both had nine tackles. GI had a 32-0 lead at the half.
For Starpoint (2-4, 2-3), Joe Scibilia threw a pair of touchdown passes. Joe DeLelio and Derek Bongiovanni each caught one, while Brandon Bratek had a 13-yard touchdown run.
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STARPOINT ROLLS OVER THE LIONS 38-6
Spartans Shock Lions 38-6
By John D’Onofrio
E-mail JohnLockport Union-Sun & Journal 38 6 
PENDLETON — Starpoint head coach Al Cavagnaro doesn’t have the answer to today’s nationwide financial crisis, but his marketing strategy for success provided huge dividends Saturday for his Spartans football team.
Joe Scibilia did everything but hand out the “Senior Day” cookies, throwing two touchdown passes, rushing for another, and kicking not only five extra points, but a 41-yard field goal in Starpoint’s stunning 38-6 victory over visiting Lockport in the regular-season, non-league finale for both schools at Shirley Tudor Stadium.
“Package that up. That’s the first time I’ve seen you play that way all year,” Cavagnaro told his troops after the game.
“Bottle that emotion up that you gve us today and I’ll tell you what. You play this way next Friday night and we’re going to Grand Island.”
Cavaganro was referring to Starpoint’s Section VI Class A playoff game at Iroquois at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. At the same time, the Lions (3-4 overall) play at Lancaster in a Class AA playoff tilt.
The Spartans, who finished 3-4 overall in the 2008, got two first-half touchdowns from senior Brandon Bratek, who played another strong game with injuries. Bratek finished with 123 yards and two TDs on 23 carries. His 35 career TDs at Starpoint is a new school record. He’s also the Spartans’ all-time leading rusher.
“We were pumped up for this game,” said Scibilia, whose 41-yard field goal could easily have gone 51.
“I thought our line — Justin Graham, Mike Crage, Adam Giberson, Dalton Maska and Andrew Dadswell — played well today.”
There were four additional Starpoint school records set on Saturday. Scibilia’s 51 completions this year is a new single-season record, as is his 19 career TD passes.
Starpoint senior wide receiver Joe DeLelio, who finished with four catches for 25 yards, upped his reception total this season to 28, which is not only a Starpoint single-season record, but a career one as well. DeLelio also had an interception for Starpoint. Junior wide receiver Derek Bongiovanni added four catches for 73 yards and a TD.
“If you would have told me the final score before the game, I never would have believed you,” Cavagnaro said.
“I have to give all the credit to our offensive coordinator Bob Boudeman. He called just a great game and we ate the clock. They didn’t know what was coming.”
Starpoint finished with an incredible time-of possession advantage of 11:39 to 12 seconds in the first quarter and 19:39 to 4:21 in the first half.
Others grinding out huge chunks of yards for the garnet and gray were Brandon Kopp (34 yards, 7 carries), Scibilia (27 yards, five carries), junior Josh Elizalde (47 yards, 10 carries), senior Taylor Turpin (21 yards, five carries) and up from the junior varsity freshman Corey Regnet (16 yards, one carry; two receptions, 21 yards, TD).
Spartans senior Matt Allinson had a fumble recovery and mopped up for Scibilia at QB when Scibilia came out of the game midway through the fourth quarter.
Except for a 69-yard touchdown run by David Fluellen (13 carries, 106 yards, TD) on their first play from scrimmage, the Lions couldn’t muster much offense. Lions senior quarterback Justin Guyton had more passes dropped, finishing 2-for-7 for eight yards and an interception.
“We weren’t well prepared and Starpoint played like they had something to prove,” said Lions head coach Greg Bronson.
“We played today like double-A can just show up to play an A team, but we found out that the game isn’t played on paper. If you don’t respect your opponent, any team can beat you.”
Junior Sean Mulvey had a fumble recovery for the Lions. Senior Colton Balcerzak and junior Rashad Brown caught passes.
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STARPOINT LOSES A HEART-BREAKER 42-41
Spartans come close in Iroquois By Nate Beutel E-mail NateELMA — Veteran Starpoint coach Al Cavagnaro slept easy last night after watching his team go toe-to-toe with one of Western New York’s best, Iroquois.
This evening’s rest might be different, though, as he may be tossing and turning over his decision to go for a 2-point conversion and a win in Friday’s Class A quarterfinal.
“I got a little greedy,” Cavagnaro admitted after watching his Spartans fail on the conversion attempt and fall 42-41 to the host Chiefs at Latimer Field. “I don’t regret going for it, but I’m sure I’ll be thinking about it for a while.”
The ending was fitting for a game that displayed offensive outbursts and poor defense from both teams. Iroquois star tailback Brandon Murie got the show rolling with a two-yard run less than five minutes in. Starpoint’s Brandon Bratek, the school’s all-time leading rusher, responded on the ensuing drive when he plunged in from a yard out. The 13-play scoring drive took almost six minutes off the clock and tied the game.
Then after recovering the first of two onside kicks, the Spartans marched down the field for a go-ahead touchdown. Josh Elizalde capped the 10-play drive with a one-yard TD surge. Murie and the Chiefs again responded, though, with a 62-yard drive that saw Murie score from three yards out. Starpoint would come right back with another clock-controlling drive that saw Elizalde score from a yard out and give his team a 21-13 lead.
Still, it wouldn’t be enough for a Starpoint halftime advantage because Iroquois immediately marched down the field and scored with less than a second remaining in the second quarter. Quarterback Aaron Huber (9-of-14, 109 yards, 2 TDs) found Dan Parker for a 15-yard slant that found the end zone. The two-point conversion pass was tipped but caught by Chiefs’ fullback Billy Desiderio to tie the game at 21.
Iroquois then began the third quarter with a bang as it scored twice and forced the lone Starpoint punt within the first 11 minutes of the period. Murie scored on a 13-yard sweep, while Huber and Parker hooked up for the second time, this time from 23 yards out. That put the Chiefs lead at 14 with one minute remaining in the third quarter.
But the Spartans would battle back, beginning with a 43-yard kick return from Brandon Kopp. Bratek (25 carries, 160 yards) then ran 37 yards for a touchdown on the very next play. On the Chiefs’ first possession of the fourth quarter, though, Murie would run to paydirt again. His seven-yard touchdown was his fourth of the game. He finished with 222 yards on 31 carries.
And just when you thought the Spartans had enough, they came right back with a 76-yard scoring drive that ended with Elizalde diving in from two yards out to close the gap to seven points with just over six minutes remaining.
With their defense struggling to contain Murie, the Spartans went for the onside kick and were successful. Ten plays later with only 49 seconds remaining, Bratek rushed in from five yards out to pull Starpoint within one. Cavagnaro decided to send his extra-point team out, but after an offsides penalty on the Chiefs, he changed his mind and decided to go for the lead on the road.
“I saw a chance to win it and not have to play defense anymore (in overtime),” Cavagnaro explained.
Even with the extra few feet, Bratek was unable to get past a swarming Iroquois defense and was stopped inches short of the goal-line. Another onside kick was attempted, but this time Iroquois was ready.
Then after Starpoint used its remaining two timeouts and the Chiefs took a delay of game, Iroquois decided to punt the ball away with six seconds left. The kick was fair caught at Starpoint’s 45-yard line, but an illegal formation penalty complicated the situation. With less than one second remaining, Starpoint declined the penalty and decided to take the opportunity to free kick the ball from 55 yards out. Senior Joe Scibilia, who was a solid 11-of-15 passing from 114 yards, booted the ball with all his might, but it was wide left and fell short.
“The kids played fantastic and I’m so proud of them,” Cavagnaro said. “It’s too bad it had to end like that.”
Iroquois will host the winner of today’s Grand Island vs. Cheektowaga game on Friday, while Starpoint will enter the Consolation Bowl playoffs next week.
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STARPOINT BEATS CHEEKTOWAGA 35-28
Class A Consolation Semifinals
Starpoint 35, Cheektowaga 28
Brandon Bratek had scoring runs of 61, 56, 59 and 11 yards to push the Spartans over the Warriors in Saturday’s Class A consolation semifinal. He finished with 268 yards on 26 carries en route to his third-consecutive 1,000-yard season. Also for Starpoint (4-5), quarterback Joe Scibilia threw a scoring pass to Joe DeLelio, and had two interceptions, a fumble recovery and six tackles on the defensive end. His crucial first down run on a 4th-and-16 fake punt with 1:51 to go in the fourth sealed the game for the Spartans, who will play for their third Bowl championship in four years against Williamsville South at a date to be determined this week at Medina. Jaleel Harris led Cheektowaga (4-5) with nine rushes for 108 yards and a score
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2008 CONSOLATION BOWL
Spartans Get Clubbed by Billies By Nate Beutel
E-mail Nate
MEDINA — During Al Cavagnaro’s tenure as head coach at Starpoint he’s never lost his final game of the season, whether postseason or regular season.
Wednesday that streak came to an end thanks in large part to Dae’Shaune Clark and Yahs Williams, who accounted for all four of Williamsville South’s touchdowns in a 28-25 win over the Spartans in the Section VI Class A Consolation Bowl Championship at Medina’s Vets Park. Starpoint was seeking its third Bowl title in the past four seasons.
“We had a great season, I love this group of kids and they played hard… but this game was ours,” a disappointed Cavagnaro said afterwards. “We gave it away and that’s a shame.”
Starpoint (4-6 overall) seemingly had all the momentum after Brandon Bratek took a toss from quarterback Joe Scibilia and ran to paydirt from 12 yards out with just under three minutes left to give the Spartans a 25-20 lead.
But Clark and the Billies would not die. After Clark, who finished 16-of-26 for 233 yards, missed wide-open receivers on consecutive plays, he took things into his own hands. The senior, who was filling in for injured starter Joe Licata, scampered nine yards on a fourth-down play with just under a minute left to keep the drive alive.
Then two plays later he dodged a handful of tacklers on his way to an 18-yard touchdown run. Clark added a two-point conversion run to give South a 28-25 lead with 28 seconds left. On Starpoint’s first play of the next drive, Clark picked off Scibilia to seal the win.
“We didn’t make enough plays,” Cavagnaro said. “We didn’t tackle on defense and we didn’t score enough on offense.”
Bratek, the school’s all-time leading rusher, rushed 17 times for 118 yards and two scores, including a 61-yard burst on the first play from scrimmage. Scibilia, who booted a pair of field goals, was 8-of-14 passing for 180 yards and a touchdown — a 66-yard strike to freshman Cory Regnet with only 10 seconds left in the first half.
For South (6-4), Yahs Williams had 16 carries for 123 yards and three touchdowns before leaving with an injury late in the third quarter.
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CRUNCH: Coaches are Starpoint's heart and soul By Nate Beutel
E-mail Nate
PENDLETON — One is a local coaching legend that walks with a cane. The other is a jokester that can motivate kids with the best of them.
“I just think they’re the best,” Starpoint head coach Al Cavagnaro said of his assistants, Bob Boudeman and Tim Racey. “They’re both great teachers. They spend a lot of time at what they do and they really care about the kids.”
Assistant coaches are often the lifeblood of a program. That’s especially been the case at Starpoint where the assistants coordinate the offense and defense, a rarity at the high school level.
“When I brought Bob in five years ago it was so I could give my school the best chance to win,” said Cavagnaro, the former offensive coordinator. “After calling something, whether offense or defense for so many years, I didn’t know how it would turn out, but it’s actually been great. Now I get to see a little bit of everything and make suggestions where I see fit.”
Those suggestions have been few and far between because of the coordinators’ successes over the past five years. The once-dormant program has won a pair of Consolation Bowl championships and asserted itself as an annual contender in Class A North.
Boudeman has re-energized the Starpoint offense with his constant film study and varying formations. The veteran has also played a big part in the development of individual players, especially senior running back Brandon Bratek — the school’s all-time leading rusher.
“He’s helped me mature,” Bratek said. “During games after we score and the defense is on the field, we’ll go over plays on the sidelines and he’ll tell me little things to look for.”
Three-year starting quarterback Joe Scibilia, also a senior, said Boudeman has been like a personal coach to him over the last few seasons.
Racey, meanwhile, has been a confidant for players during tough times while displaying tough love at other times. He’s also developed a number of new defensive schemes that have made the Spartans defense more dangerous than in past years.
“He brings a lot of unique strategies to our defense, like this wide seven that we used to stop (Lockport running back David) Fluellen,” Bratek said.
Cavagnaro added that Racey, also the varsity baseball coach at Starpoint, will be a good fit to take over the program once he decides to step aside.
“I’m confident he can take it higher than where we are now,” Cavagnaro said.
For now, though, the Spartans are focused on winning their third Class A Bowl Championship in four years when they face league-rival Williamsville South today.
And with Boudeman’s health ailing a bit, you can bet the Spartans have some extra motivation to add another trophy to the awards case at the school.
“We wanted to win at Iroquois so badly for him, but we can still make this season special with one more win,” Bratek said. “It would be a real big accomplishment.”
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Class "A" North All_League Selections
2008 CLASS A NORTH ALL LEAGUE
1ST OFFENSE
JOE OLIVERIO QB 12 GI
CASEY KACZ QB 12 SH
EDDIE WEISER RB 12 GI
BRANDON BRATEK RB 12 STAR
ALEX NEUTZ WR 12 GI
DAE’SHAUNE CLARK WR 12 WMS
MIKE DOHERTY WR 12 KE
WILL REESE WR 12 SH
JOE DELEIO TE 12 STAR
CHRIS PODLUCKY TE 12 GI
DILLON GALLAGHER OL 11 WMS
KEVIN GERLACH OL 11 WMS
RYAN WILSON OL 12 SH
CHRIS AKROMAS OL 12 SH
MIKE LAWANDUS K 12 SH
BEN KECHEN OL 11 WME
1ST DEFENSE
STEVE SPENCER LB 11 SH
YAHS WILLIAMS LB 12 WMS
M.T. JOSEPH LB 11 WME
KEVIN WAGNER LB 11 KE
DESHANARO MORRIS LB 11 SH
GREG FEATHERS DE 12 GI
MIKE CRAGE DE 12 STAR
STEVE PHILLIPS DL 12 SH
LANCE ROBINSON DB 12 GI
JOE SCIBILIA DB 12 STAR
MIKE SILVESTRI DB 12 WME
J. A. WILTBERGER DB 12 KE
ADAM HEIMAN P 12 GI
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF YEAR
ALEX NEUTZ GI
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF YEAR
DESHANARO MORRIS SH
COACH OF YEAR
KRAIG KURZANSKI WMS
2ND TEAM OFFENSE
JOE LICATA QB 10 WMS
PAUL CHIARAVALLE RB 12 GI
MANNY REED WR 12 SH
NOAH NWACHUKWU WR 12 SH
D.J. NETTLES WR 11 SH
MARK COPPOLA WR 11 WMS
DEREK BONGIOVANNI WR 12 STAR
MATT ZON OL 12 SH
JOHN KELLEY OL 12 WMS
DOM FRATTERIGO OL 12 KE
JUSTIN GRAHAM OL 12 STAR
PAT ANTONELLI OL 11 GI
MIKE LANGFELDER RB 12 WME
2ND TEAM DEFENSE
BRETT DLUGOSZ 11 LB GI
COREY EGGERT 12 LB STAR
DAN RICH 12 LB KE
J.P.CARROLL 11 LB WME
TYLER KREMPA 11 LB WMS
RYAN HARNDEN 12 DL GI
ADAM GIBERSON 12 DL STAR
IBRAHIM RAMADAN 11 DE SH
ANDY LALONDE 11 DB GI
MATT ALLINSON 12 DB STAR
RYAN DUGGAN 12 DB WME
VIC CACHO 12 DB KE
JOSH BLANGO 12 DB SH
SPORTSMANSHIP AWARDS
TEAM STARPOINT
PLAYER JOE DELELIO
HONORABLE MENTION
SWEET HOME-MIKAL COLEMAN,JAMES CORNELIUS,NICK TERHAAR, BRANDON HUDSON,PAT MCMAHON,
GRAND ISLAND-MATT KRUPCZYK, KEITH SKELLY
STARPOINT- DENVER KOPP, BRANDON KOPP, CORY REGNET, JOSH ELIZALDE
WMSV EAST- JOSH ROETZER, JORDAN DIBERNARDO, WILL KELLY
WMSV. SOUTH- CHRIS HAUSER, MIKE LANG, CHARLES MUNSCHAUER, ANTHONY GLIECO, DAN ERBACHER, TOM LISACCHI
KENMORE EAST- JOHN TIEDEMAN, LUCAS GERMANO, MIKE ROEDER, LEWIS PIZZA, JOSH ORTA
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ALL-WNY DEFENSE
Kyle Hoppy School: Orchard Park Position: QB/P Height: 6-1 Weight: 195 Year: Senior Connolly Cup finalist. Rushed for 135 yards and scored two TDs to earn MVP of the state title game. Placed two punts inside the 5-yard line in sectional final against North Tonawanda. At QB, had 1,309 yards becoming the first player since Dave Hollins to surpass 1,000. Rushed for 928 yards. Had 12 rushing TDs and 13 passing. Also All-WNY in baseball.
12/13/08 06:40 AM
DOMINATING DEFENSE
Canisius, St. Francis duos part of multi-faceted unit
First team defense
POS. PLAYER SCHOOL HT. WT. YR.
DL Pat Wilson Canisius 6-5 270 12
DLCurtis Hairston Cleveland Hill 6-1 210 12
DL John Urschel Canisius 6-5 275 12
LB Brendan Nuessle Orchard Park 6-0 210 12
LB Deshanaro Morris Sweet Home 5-11 215 11
LB Tim Hersey Kenmore West 5-10 210 12
LB Trent Alls Riverside 5-11 205 12 LB
DB Delano Fabor St. Francis 6-0 185 12
DB Luke Tasker St. Francis 6-0 170 12
DB Rhakeem Wiggins Cleveland Hill 5-11 170 12
DB Dewayne Bennett Lackawanna 6-2 195 12
P Kyle Hoppy Orchard Park 6-1 195 12
Second team defense
DL Nate Longbine Orchard Park 5-11 195 12
DL Kevin Kieliszek Lancaster 5-10 186 12
DL Andrew Zdrojewski Canisius 6-5 230 12
LB Jack Vogel Clarence 5-11 185
LB Mike Doherty Kenmore East 6-3 185 12
LB Matt Schwartz Alden 6-0 185 12
LB Shaquille Dudley Cardinal O’Hara 6-4 215 12
DB Cameron Hicks Orchard Park 5-10 185 12
DB Adam Redden St. Francis 6-1 174 11
DB D. J. Nettles Sweet Home 6-2 185 11
DB Damour Bailey Kenmore West 6-2 180 12
P Mike Lewandus Sweet Home 5-9 155 12
Third team defense
Defensive line: Jerome Fields (Williamsville North), Mikal Coleman-10 (Sweet Home), Corey Gens (Maple Grove).
Linebackers: Billy Desiderio (Iroquois), Eddie Weiser (Grand Island), Travis Sipos (Frontier), Kenny Betts (Fredonia).
Defensive backs: Bert Smith (Amherst), Andy Pangallo (West Seneca East), Matt Speyer (Lancaster), Luke Rankie (Lockport).
Punter: Oraine Allen (Niagara Falls).
Honorable Mention
Quarterback: Corey Tyger (Frontier).
Running backs: Jake Larsen (Maple Grove), Dan Gorski (Depew), Brandon Bratek (Starpoint).
Wide receivers: Kyle Robinson (Orchard Park), Will Reese (Sweet Home).
Offensive line: Zach Roberts-11 (Silver Creek), Ben Bunker (North Tonawanda), Reggie Green (Lackawanna), Ryan Harnden (Grand Island), Brandon Potyok (Lancaster).
Kicker: Kevin Schwartz (St. Joe’s).
Defensive line: Nick Lombardozzi (Clymer), J. C. Tretter (Akron), Tyler Phillips (Cardinal O’Hara).
Linebackers: Edwin Vega (Riverside), Brett Dlugosz (Grand Island), Keith Vogel (Clarence), Andy Breen (West Seneca
East). Defensive backs: Kyle Perla (Orchard Park), Chris Holland-10 (Grover Cleveland), Joe Licata-10 (Williamsville South), Levi Pace-11 (Medina).
Punter: Keith Stoerr (Lancaster).
Capsules by MARY JO MONNIN
NEWS SPORTS REPORTER
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ALL-WNY OFFENSE
Ryan Wilson School: Sweet Home Position: OL Height: 6-3 Weight: 245 Year: Senior Made pinpoint center snaps out of the shotgun. Also team’s long snapper for three years. One of four captains. Coach John Faller said he was one of the team’s hardest workers in the weightroom. Made all the offensive line calls. Three-year starter. Very adept at adjusting to blocking assignments. Opened holes for RB Deshanaro Morris to gain 1,503 yards.
Updated: 12/13/08 07:02 AM
Outstanding Offense
POS. PLAYER SCHOOL HT. WT. YR.
QB Casey Kacz Sweet Home 6-2 180 12
RB Brandon Murie Iroquois 5-10 175 12
RB Capone Smith Lackawanna 5-10 180 12
RB Jeff Tundo Orchard Park 5-10 205 12
WR Alex Neutz Grand Island 6-3 190 12
WR Joe Caporale Maple Grove 5-11 165 12
OL Steve Phillips Sweet Home 6-2 220 12
OL Boomer Brock Iroquois 6-0 265 12
OL Ryan Wilson Sweet Home 6-3 245 12
OL Justin Mesi Orchard Park 5-10 220 12
OL Jasen Carlson Southwestern 6-3 295 11
K Chris Secky Maple Grove 6-2 170 11
U Aaron Davis North Tonawanda 6-3 180 11
Second team offense
QB Sean Brady Canisius 6-1 180 12
RB Brandon McClinsey North Tonawanda 5-10 165 12
RB Brooks Estarfaa Maryvale 5-11 189 12
RB Kevin Chillis McKinley 5-9 160 12
WR Nick Peterson Medina 6-3 185 12
WR Deshaune Clark Wmsv. South 6-0 200 12
OL Sean Mulhern St. Joe’s 6’5 250 11
OL Jordon Smith Riverside 6-0 230 12
OL Nick Bonaquisti Orchard Park 6-3 275 12
OL Mike Smith Grover Cleveland 6-3 255 12
OL Justin Love St. Francis 6-3 200 12
K Dominic Torrelli Akron 5-8 145 12
U Joe Scibilia Starpoint 6-1 200 12
Third team offense
Quarterback: Zack Sopak-11 (Southwestern)
Running backs: Eric Ippolito (Fredonia), David Fluellen-11, (Lockport), Levi Bursch-11 (Southwestern).
Wide receivers: Anthony Fulham (Canisius), Andrew Mrozek (Lancaster).
Offensive line: Chris Buck (Frontier), Blair Bell (Cheektowaga), Corey King (Fredonia), Don Rohauer (Alden), Matt Fox-11 (Maple Grove). Kicker: Ryan Sweet (East Aurora).
Utility: Dan Imfeld (Southwestern).
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2008 ALL-WNY FOOTBALL BANQUET
About 500 Western New York football coaches, players and their families met at Classics Five Banquet Hall to hand awards. All-WNY and Academic All-WNY awards were given out to those that excelled on the gridiron as well as in the classroom. Starpoint was well represented as seniors Joe Scibilia received the Jerry Butler Award for his service to Starpoint, its football program and its community. Brandon Bratek received Academic All-WNY recognition as he has a greater then 90% average in school.
Former Spartan lineman and recipient of an Academic All-WNY award Nate Beutel was also honored. Beutel who covers high school sports for the Niagara Gazette and WGR 550 received the Stan Barron Award for his tremendous contributions for reporting on high school sports.
NATE BEUTEL
BRANDON BRATEK & COACH CAVAGNARO
JOE SCIBILIA & COACH CAVAGNARO
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SWEET HOME STAR
Paralyzed Sweet Home football star determined to walk again
A month after SUV crash, Morris back home to heal from ‘incomplete injury’
By Lou Michel
NEWS STAFF REPORTER
The Sweet Home High School football star was a passenger in a sport utility vehicle that spun out of control on snow-slicked North Forest Road, slammed head-on into a utility pole and slid into a ditch.
That was the last time he was able to move his legs, but there is hope he will again walk because doctors, he said, have told him that the battering to his spine was an “incomplete injury.” They base the diagnosis on the fact that he has feeling in his legs.
“If I had a complete injury, I wouldn’t be able to recover and walk again, and I am going to walk again,” the determined 16-year-old said Thursday, a day after his release from Erie County Medical Center. “The doctors say seven months, eight months, a year. It depends on when my nerves heal.”
DeShanaro says the injury is only a temporary setback, though he acknowledges he will probably never again play football.
And, what a football player he was. Last season, the 6-foot-1, 220-pound running back rushed for a record-breaking 1,503 yards and scored 25 touchdowns, helping to lead Sweet Home to a 13-0 record and its first state football championship, in Class A. On defense, he was a bruising All- Western New York linebacker, with 127 tackles.
Now in a wheelchair, DeShanaro said he sees life from a different angle. Instead of mere passing thoughts for others struggling with physical disabilities, he says, he feels a deeper sense of compassion.
“A few months ago, I’d look at people in wheelchairs and say that’s messed up that they wound up in wheelchairs,” DeShanaro said. “Now, I feel bad for them. They can do stuff like regular people, but there is a limit.”
He says he can’t get used to the fact that his legs have stopped working.
At the hospital, he said, he would wheel himself out of his room and go to an area with couches beside a window on the eighth floor and gaze outside for hours.
“I’d ask my mom to get me some pillows so I could sit on the couch, and then I’d lift myself out of the wheelchair,” he said, grateful for the assistance from his mother, Andrea Morris.
He said his thoughts often rambled from wondering how someone in a wheelchair would never know the thrill of riding a roller coaster at an amusement park to why this accident happened to him.
“I thought, ‘Why me?’ Out of the four people in the car, I had the worst injury,” DeShanaro said.
The accident occurred on North Forest, near Main Street, as he and his friends were heading home in a snowstorm from a teen night at a Clarence nightclub.
DeShanaro said he was on his cell phone in the back seat talking with his girlfriend when the SUV began swerving.
“The car fishtailed a little,” he said. “I blinked once, and all I knew was it was spinning. My friends were yelling, but I was shocked. I thought to myself, ‘Please, don’t let it hit anything major.’
“I saw a mailbox, then a telephone pole came out of nowhere, I said, ‘Please, just nick the car,’ but we hit it front-on, right in the middle. When we hit, my head went up and hit the roof, then my chest hit the back of the driver’s seat. All the impact was on my back.”
The impact, he said, caused damage to vertebrae in the middle and top of his spine. Surgeons implanted a steel rod to help stabilize his spine, and he now wears a neck brace.
Despite the setback, DeShanaro says, he is grateful the injuries were not worse.
“God was willing to bless me,” he said, adding that he is eager to begin physical therapy on an outpatient basis at ECMC.
Both his father, Eric Morris, and Sweet Home varsity football coach John Faller say his enthusiasm is not unexpected.
“There ain’t no quit in him,” said Morris, who added proudly that his son took three Regents exams last week — in science, math and global studies — and passed them.
Faller said that while DeShanaro was in the hospital, he lifted weights and did other exercises to maintain his upper-body strength.
“That’s why he’s been released from the hospital. He’s working hard every day. He does a lot of upper-body exercises. He’s a strong kid,” said Faller, who is organizing a fundraiser to assist with paying expenses DeShanaro and his family will face during the long journey of rehabilitation.
The benefit is set for 2 to 6 p. m. March 29 in Classics V restaurant, 2425 Niagara Falls Blvd., Amherst. More details about the event are expected to be released next week.
DeShanaro said he has every intention of attending the event, and plans to return to school before it lets out in June.
But for now, it’s just good to be home. When his mother asked him Wednesday evening what he wanted for his first home-cooked meal in more than a month, he said she would have made him anything, but he picked tacos.
Two friends also showed up and they played video games. One of them involved DeShanaro’s favorite sport — football.
“I won a couple of times,” he said.
But the high school junior said he has now set his heart on a much bigger win — walking.
lmichel@buffnews.com
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2008 FOOTBALL BANQUET
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GARNET WINS OVER GREY IN FIRST ANNUAL GARNET AND GREY GAME
The defense was able to walk away from Wednesday nights scrimmage on a positive note as they were able to hold off a late surging offense to win the first annual Garnet and Grey Game 42-34. Spectacular plays by free safety Joe Delelio with hard nosed hitting by Tucker Smith and Mike Crage allowed the defense to rally after giving up some early points to teh offense. Quarterback Joe Scibilia opened the scoring on a 35 yard run to take the lead 11-0. Kodiak Allan was pressed into the starting tailback spot, did well gaining 8 and 11 yards on runs up the middle only to fumble before the 1st quarter ended.
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September 5, 2008 --
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The Starpoint Spartans opened their 2008 season with a lackluster loss to the West Seneca East Trojans 21-9. The Trojans opened the scoring in the first quarter as Starpoint couldn't convert on their opening offensive drive. WSE QB Andy Pangallo ran in the first score from one yard out. Starpoint's defense stiffened after a series of WSE first downs, then Denver Kopp recoverd a fumble as the rain came down to thwart a WSE drive. Starpoint marched down the field and Joe Scibilia put Starpoint's first points of the season on the board with a 33 yard FG. The score at halftime was 7-3.
WSE then took the opening kickoff and drove down the field and scored what would end up being the game winning TD. Bradon Bratek finished off the scoring with less then a minute left in the game, running it in from nine yards out. Bratek finished with 100 yards on 22 carries. Joe Scibilia led teh defense with 8 tackles. Joe Delelio and Matt Allinson finished with 6 tackles apiece.
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SPARTANS SHUT-OUT THE FLAMES 29-0 IN A RECORD SETTING FASHION
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The Starpoint Spartans got their first win of the year as they beat the Williamsville East Flames 29-0 on Saturday. Running back Brandon Bratek has 100 yards on 17 carries and scored two touchdowns. During the game Bratek set the school career rushing record by eclipaing John Cappello's mark of 2515 set in 1970 to 1971. Joe Scibilia tied a Starpoint record by kicking 2 field goals. Scibilia also threw a touchdown pass to Brendan Reinert in the first half. The defense swared around the East offense all day and was rewarded when Nick Stenzel recorded a safety by tackling the East running back in the end zone. Joe DeLelio had an interception, while Scibilia and Michael Crage led the team in tackles. Bratek broke the school record when he took of the right hand side of the offense and raced 38 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter. Next week the Spartans will face the Billies from Williamsville South.
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STARPOINT'S RALLY FALLS SHORT, LOSE TO THE BILLES 28-26
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WEEK #3 - September 20, 2008
Williamsville South’s first score came courtesy of a 30-yard pass early in the second quarter to Stasiak from sophomore starting quarterback Joseph Licata 14 of 34, 179 yards, 2 TDs), who is the son of Starpoint principal Gil Licata.
Starpoint (1-2 overall, 1-1 league) trailed, 22-7, late in the third quarter and for a time was without its starting quarterback. Joseph Scibilia (7-for-19 passing, 85 yards; 10 rushes, 38 yards, TD) was knocked out with cramping after his 2-yard run gave the Spartans a third-and-goal from the 6.
Not to worry, Joe Delelio stepped in and fired a scoring pass over the middle to Starpoint career rushing leader Brandon Bratek, making it 22-13 with 1:06 left in the third. But just 38 seconds later, Clark fired a 35-yard scoring pass to sophomore Kevin O’Connell to put the Billies up by 15 entering the final 12 minutes.
After taking a series off, Scibilia returned and nearly tied it up for the Spartans. Denver Kopp’s 10-yard run with 3:18 left made it 28-20 following Scibilia’s PAT kick and capped a 10-play, 85-yard march highlighted by Scibilia’s 20-yard scamper and runs of 11 and 12 yards by Bratek (20 carries, 93 yards).
The Spartans’ defense held and Starpoint got the ball back at its own 44 with 1:58 left. Bratek rumbled for gains of 11 and 6 yards, Scibilia hit Josh Elizalde for 14 yards, then an interference call set up the Spartans with first-and-goal at the 9 with 26.6 seconds remaining.
After two incompletions, Scibilia rolled out right and gained 8 yards to the 1, bringing up fourth-and-1 with 8.4 seconds left. Scibilia again rolled right, this time into the end zone following a Starpoint timeout, leaving the Spartans two points away with 4.8 seconds left.
Williamsville South called a timeout prior to the two-point attempt, and then Billies senior linebacker Chris Hauser met Scibilia short of the goal line as the QB rolled to his left this time. "I was expecting them to throw it in the end zone but they had been doing rollouts all day," Hauser said. "Once I read the rollout, I got to the ball and just took him down. I had to make up for a tackle I’d missed earlier."
That was the last in a day filled with big plays. Though Starpoint was outgained, 383-227, they stayed in the game thanks to a 77-yard kickoff return for a touchdown midway through the second quarter by Brandon Kopp. He and Bratek were back as the deep men and collided as both attempted to field the boot. Kopp picked the ball off the ground as was sprung free along the left sideline thanks to a punishing, open-field block by Bratek.
“We gave up a score on the first drive of the second half, but after that our defense played great,” Cavagnaro said.
Defensively, Corey Eggert’s 11 tackles led the Spartans; including three for a loss and one pass batted down. Starpoint junior linebacker Kodiak Allen forced a fumble for Williamsville South’s lone turnover and also blocked a PAT kick. South’s 245-pound John Kelley registered a sack on a Starpoint PAT pass attempt and three others that counted in the statistics, while junior teammate Dillon Gallagher’s name was called out over the public address system so frequently for tackles that seemed like every Billies defender was wearing jersey No. 55.
With all the scoring, it was easy to forget about the first-quarter play that ultimately provided the margin of victory. South junior linebacker Michael Lang forced Scibilia into a fumble that rolled through the Starpoint end zone for a safety and gave the Billies a lead they never relinquished.
Starpoint looks to bounce back into the playoff race next week with a win against Kenmore East.
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STARPOINT WINS A WILD ONE....
September 27, 2008 --
Doug Benz/Staff Photographer TOUGH YARDS: Starpoint’s Brandon Bratek (28) moves the ball Saturday during action against Kenmore East at Starpoint Field the Spartans won, 27-24.
Starpoint wins thriller over Kenmore East
By John D’Onofrio
PENDLETON — In case you missed Saturday’s Section VI Class A North football contest between Starpoint and Kenmore East, grab a sheet of paper and write down every sports cliché you can think of, then read them aloud.
“Mr. Clutch” was there, as were “two evenly-matched teams” in “a game of inches” in which you “hated to see someone lose,” the “see-saw battle” ended in a “Mother-of-All” “fantastic finish.”
And finally, emphatically, “It just doesn’t get any better than this.”
In one of the most exciting, electrifying local grid games of the season thus far, Starpoint’s Joe DeLelio hauled in a 4-yard touchdown pass from Joe Scibilia with 43 seconds to go, lifting the Spartans to a thrilling 27-24 victory over the visiting Bulldogs at Shirley Tudor Stadium.
“Wow. That was a great football game,” said Spartans defensive coordinator Tim Racey, after both teams combined for 858 yards of total offense. “Hats off to our kids. They persevered. And hats off to the Ken East team. Obviously, both teams played with a lot of heart today.”
The teams traded punches throughout with the Bulldogs taking the lead once in every quarter and the Spartans (2-2 overall, 2-1 Class A North) rebounding to take a slim lead. It went that way until the end, when time ran out on the Bulldogs (0-4 overall, 0-3 Class A North) at the Spartans’ 2-yard line.
“We got down to the red zone two more times. Once we fumbled and the other we threw an interception — woulda, shoulda, coulda, I guess,” said Ken East head coach Matt Chimera. “I asked my kids to play great today and leave it all on the field and they did that. Unfortunately we fell just a couple of yards short.”
The Bulldogs opened the scoring late in the first quarter when senior quarterback Jon Anthony Wiltberger tossed an 89-yard touchdown pass to wide-open senior wide receiver Victor Cacho (3 catches, 160 yards, 2 TDs). The two-point run failed and the visitors led 6-0.
That didn’t last long — 19 seconds to be exact. On their next play from scrimmage, Starpoint’s all-time leading rusher, senior Brandon Bratek (18 carries, 225 yards, 2 TDs), sprinted around the left side and down the sideline 84 yards for a touchdown. Joe Scibilia’s first of three extra points — which proved to be the difference — gave the hosts a 7-6 lead after one.
In the second quarter, Wiltberger (17-of-22 passing, 301 yards, 3 TDs), rolled right, double pumped then hit junior wide receiver Kevin Wagner in the endzone to give Ken East a 12-7 lead with under a minute to go in the half.
But once again, the Spartans marched right back to take the lead before intermission. Sophomore Brandon Kopp returned the kickoff 66 yards to the Bulldogs’ 19. Three plays later and Bratek plowed in from the 1 to give the Spartans a 14-12 lead at the mid-way point.
Ken East opened the second half with a six-play, 66-yard drive, capped by a 33-yard scoring pass from Wiltberger to Cacho. The two-point pass failed, but the Bulldogs led 18-14.
After the two teams traded fumbles, the Spartans regained the lead again. Bratek took a handoff and scampered down the right sideline for 86 yards to the Bulldogs’ 1. Three plays later and Taylor Turpin burst into the end zone. Scibilia’s PAT was blocked, but Starpoint held a slim 20-18 lead.
The Bulldogs, who finished with 489 yards on offense, marched 74 yards in 11 plays, capped by senior Mike Doherty’s 1-yard run, regaining the lead, 24-20, with three-and-a-half minutes left in the game. The drive included a fourth-and-10 pass from Wiltberger to Doherty (20 rushes, 129 yards, 1 TD; 5 receptions, 55 yards) on a well-designed play inside the 10.
“It’s called a jail break. We try to get the defense to look the other way, then Mike makes a cut across the middle — and he was open,” Wiltberger said.
It was “four-down territory” the rest of the way for both teams.
The Spartans started at their own 38 and moved swiftly on the ground. When the drive appeared to stall with a fourth-and-11 on the Bulldogs’ 33, Scibilia (10-of-17, 106 yards), calmly hit DeLelio (6 catches, 48 yards), a senior wide receiver, over the middle for a first down at the Ken East 18. Tack on an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty and the Spartans had it first and goal inside the 10.
Two plays later and Scibilia hit DeLelio with a four-yard scoring pass play that gave Starpoint a 27-24 lead with 43.1 seconds to go.
Game over? Not today.
The Bulldogs marched 63 yards in five plays. Wiltberger passed 13 yards to Wagner at the 2-yard line with three hundredths of a second left on the clock. With no time-outs, Wiltberger ran up to the line to spike the ball before the game clock was restarted, but the drive stalled about 100 inches short.
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