By Nate Beutel
Are you ready for some football? Section VI certainly is. The Lockport Passing League is set to kick off Tuesday, the Kensington Lions Club All-Star Classic rosters will be released soon, the game itself is slated for July 29, training camp begins Aug. 17 and the games get going Sept. 4.
To whet your appetite the section recently released its master schedule.
So, here’s an early breakdown of the seven area team’s schedules for the 2009 season:
Niagara Falls
The annual question arises: Is this finally the year Western New York’s largest school breaks through? The first three weeks — St. Joe’s, Kenmore West and Clarence — will go a long way in answering that question. Meanwhile, crucial games await in week four and five against Williamsville North and Niagara-Wheatfield.
Niagara-Wheatfield
The Falcons and their unknown new head coach start the year with a pair of non-league games, which should be a good barometer for the Class AA North slate. Winning home games against Niagara Falls (week four) and Williamsville North (week seven) is vital to N-W’s playoff push this fall.
North Tonawanda
There is probably not a bigger division favorite this fall than the Lumberjacks in Class AA North. The season begins with a a lengthy trip to Jamestown and ends with the 100th T-NT battle. Division foes are sandwiched in between, but barring unforeseen circumstances I see NT unbeaten heading into the playoffs.
Grand Island
The Vikings are seemingly always contenders in Class A and a pair of early-season matchups against Williamsville South (week one) and Sweet Home (week three) will determine if that is the case again this season. GI will play former Class A rival Lewiston-Porter in its regular-season finale.
Starpoint
The youthful Spartans will be learning on the fly this fall and the schedule does them no favors. A late-season three-week stretch of road games against Lake Shore, Williamsville South and Sweet Home will likely determine whether or not the garnet and gray will return to the postseason.
Lewiston-Porter
Class B North appears to be pretty wide open, so with six league games to start the year, a strong start is a must for the Lancers. Winning on its home turf, literally, against Maryvale (week two), Newfane (week five) and Depew (week six) is crucial if Lew-Port wants to return to the playoffs.
Wilson
New head coach Al Scarpine leads a strong core of returnees into this fall’s Class C North slate, which begins with a pair of near must-win home games against Akron and JFK. A week six matchup at Royalton-Hartland could also loom large. The Lakemen wrap up the year by hosting rival Newfane.
Contact reporter Nate Beutel at nate.beutel@niagara-gazette.com or 282-2311, ext. 2262.
