WHEATFIELD — Adam Donner doesn’t like what he’s seen in his two years with the Niagara-Wheatfield varsity football team. After a pair of sub-.500 seasons and his senior season approaching, the linebacker wanted to do his part to make the Falcons a team worth talking about this fall.

“In both of my years we haven’t really had the season we looked forward to,” said Donner, whose Falcons went 1-7 last season and 3-7 in 2008. “The most important thing is definitely getting the team to where we want it to be.”

If Niagara-Wheatfield wants to improve, their head coach says Donner is the right player to lead the charge.

“Adam’s been a great leader for us during the off-season with our conditioning and training,” said Falcons head coach Dave Hack. 

Niagara-Wheatfield had a number of training sessions over the summer to get their program back on track, with Donner leading the charge in the weight room.

“I got picked captain at the end of last year,” Donner said when asked about the summer sessions. “I was the only captain in the off-season so I just felt like I was the one that had to motivate everybody.

“We were going to have a better year if we got in the weight room and just keep working hard,” Donner said.

And his head coach agrees.

“Football is football,” Hack said when asked about any changes to their schemes this year. “You have to block, you have to tackle, you have to run.”

In other words, the changes Niagara-Wheatfield needs can come through working hard, something coach Hack said his players are willing to do.

“We’re trying to get kids to be fundamentally sound football players,” he said. “We’re trying to give the kids a better chance of seeing what they are going to see on Saturdays every week.”

Donner certainly knows what Section VI football looks like on Saturday afternoons, and the middle linebacker looks to have a big role in the Falcons defense this year.

“He’s got an explosiveness and a toughness that you really enjoy seeing from a player,” said Hack, who also plays Donner at left guard on offense. “He’s a tough, hard-nosed player who works hard.” 

Donner’s role in the middle of the defense means he has plenty of responsibility on the field, but that’s right where he wants to be.

“I think it gives me a better chance to make more plays,” Donner said. “I feel like I can cover a lot of the field that way.”

With Niagara-Wheatfield opening their season tomorrow at 2 p.m. against Grand Island, the Falcons know they have a lot to prove to other teams throughout Section VI. Both coach Hack and Donner feel the sqaud is ready to turn some heads.

“If we play on Saturday the way we’ve played in training camp, I’ll be happy,” Hack said, but his star linebacker was even more confident.

“I think they’re going to try and overlook us because of our bad season last year and I think we’re going to surprise them,” Donner said. “I think we’re going to take it to them on Saturday.”