By Nate Beutel<br><a href="mailto:beuteln@gnnewspaper.com">E-mail Nate</a>
WHEATFIELD — Chris Gruarin could have been thinking about basketball. Chris Wiseman’s mind could have been fixated on wrestling. But neither were and both players made sure their Niagara-Wheatfield teammates were not either.
“It was all about how we were going to finish the season,” Wiseman said. “We needed to stay focused.”
That was not an easy task, especially after taking a pair of beatings from perennial Section VI power Orchard Park. The second game, a Class AA quarterfinal, saw the Falcons surrender 70 points.
“I actually thought we played pretty tough even though the scores didn’t look like it,” Wiseman said of the losses. “The way you have to look at it is that quite possibly we lost to the state champions.”
Even on the bus ride home for OP, veteran N-W coach Al Pogel could tell his team was ready for another challenge.
“The nature of these young men is to not quit,” Pogel said. “They all showed a tremendous amount of competitive spirit in doing so.”
Pogel added that a matchup with Jamestown only added fuel to the Falcons’ burning desire to get back out on the field. N-W had begun its season with a loss at Jamestown.
“They wanted to go full circle and come all the way back,” the coach said.
Wiseman added, “we really wanted to beat someone from the South division because it’s all about respect. Everyone was saying our next-door neighbors to the south were a lot better, so we wanted to prove them wrong.”
That the Falcons did, using a late drive to nip the host Red Raiders, 18-13.
“The most impressive thing about that win was that we had opportunities to make it much easier on ourselves, but we didn’t and then we came all the way down the field to score the winning touchdown,” Pogel said. “That said a lot about these kids once again.”
Now the focus shifts to another Class AA South foe, Clarence, N-W’s opponent for today’s Class AA Consolation Bowl Championship.
“It’s all about how you finish,” Wiseman said. “We want to set a good example for the underclassmen.”
Junior Jim Donner agreed.
“A win will help everybody stay up and be even more excited for next year,” he said.
Contact reporter Nate Beutel at 282-2311, ext. 2262.
GAME NIGHT
• WHO: Niagara-Wheatfield (3-6) vs. Clarence (6-3)
• WHAT: Section VI Class AA Bowl Championship
• WHEN: 7:30 p.m. today
• WHERE: Vets Park at Medina High School
• KEY MATCHUP: N-W’s DL vs. Clarence’s OL: The Red Devils love to run the ball, so the Falcons defensive front must be up to the challenge.
• COACH’S QUOTE: “They want to run the ball and we have to do something about it. They’re big and physical. Our kids have seen them since a lot of kids were at the Lockport game. They don’t make many mistakes and they’re well-coached. It will be a tough test for us.”
— Al Pogel
