Falcons take control of AA-North

by Eric Keppeler
Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, October 5, 2006

N-W quarterback Jon Smith

The Niagara-Wheatfield football team made a giant statement with last weekend’s 15-13 win at North Tonawanda.

Not only did the Falcons humble the defending Class AA-North champs on their own field, but they remained the only team in the league with an unbeaten division record and just three games left in the regular season.

N-W has the inside track on landing the division crown and the playoff berth that goes with it, but Falcons coach Al Pogel is making sure that his team’s attention is focused entirely on Saturday’s home game against Kenmore West.

“This is just the end of the beginning,” Pogel said. “We still have the meat of our league schedule ahead of us. We’re not looking at the playoffs, we’re looking at Ken-West. They beat NT handily and they also have quality athletes. Especially this year, it seems that anybody in this league can win on any given day.”

The Falcons are 3-2 overall but 2-0 in the division, with wins over league rivals Lockport and North Tonawanda. After Kenmore West, they have division games against Niagara Falls and Williamsville North.

Kenmore West lost this week to Niagara Falls, 38-13.

“It’s good for us, obviously, but we still have to take one game at a time,” said Falcons quarterback Jon Smith. “Nothing is guaranteed. We’ve got Ken West next week and we know we have to keep working hard every week.”

The Falcons and Lumberjacks were tied at 7 after the first half. Kurt Williams scored on a 24-yard run early in the second quarter for the Falcons and NT quarterback Scott Gregson answered for the Lumberjacks with a 1-yard plunge with 2:22 left in the half.

The turning point came on NT’s second possession of the half, when the Lumberjacks elected to go for it and were stuffed on fourth and one at their own 44-yard line.

“We always have confidence in our kids and we thought that they could get half a yard,” NT coach Eric Jantzi said. “But we messed up the snap and it didn’t work out. They got the momentum back after that. If we make it, it’s a good call. If we don’t, then it’s not a good call.”

The Falcons answered with an eight-play drive that Smith capped off when he found Tom Piciulo with a 24-yard touchdown pass. Smith then ran in the two-point conversion for a 15-7 lead in the final minute of the third quarter.

“One of the guys told me to fake it because they were sending everyone to try and block it,” Smith said. “So I just took off with it. I thought I could beat them into the end zone.”

The Lumberjacks answered on a halfback option touchdown with 1:49 left to play to make it a two-point game, but Gregson’s conversion pass fell incomplete.

“Beating a quality program like NT means a lot by itself, regardless of the situation,” Pogel said. “We have the utmost respect for what NT has done, and I’m telling you they’ll be there at the end. They have quality kids and quality coaching.”