The Buffalo Bills have announced the Week 7 high school girls flag football Coaches of the Week.
Aimed at highlighting varsity girls' flag football coaches' efforts on and off the field, coaches from the Buffalo, Rochester, and Syracuse regions will be honored over seven weeks and receive $1,000 for their teams. Each region's Coach of the Week will be eligible to be selected for the Coach of the Year.
Buffalo Region (Section VI) Coach of the Week
Williamsville South head coach Joe Licata was named the Buffalo region Coach of the Week for the week ending Sunday, May 24.
"I want to develop strong, confident young women who understand that through hard work, clear communication, accountability, and genuine relationships, they can shape their own future," explained Licata when asked why he coaches. "We will build young women who lead, who lift others, and who step boldly into the world knowing they belong in every room they enter."
Both the Billies' Football and Flag Football teams volunteer for Forest Family Fun Night, Run Forest Run, Forest/Maple West Reading Day, Elementary Football Night at South and youth football camps at elementary schools in their district.
Coach Licata's favorite flag football memory is when their leader and captain scored a touchdown on the very first play of our first flag football season.
Rochester Region (Section V) Coach of the Week
Penfield head coach Cody Foster was named the Rochester region Coach of the Week for the week ending Sunday, May 24. Coach Foster and team won their fourth straight sectional title this past weekend. He has been part of the flag football coaching staff for the past four seasons and has officially served as head coach for the past two.
"I coach to help young ladies have a positive experience and compete at the highest level, but also always return to the love of the game," said Foster. "I dream of being a positive influence for our athletes by helping them to aspire to be great athletes but even better people."
Penfield Flag Football gives back to the community by supporting local businesses throughout the season, as well as helping with local veteran outreach.
Foster's favorite flag football memory is the team's win at regionals at Highmark Stadium in 2025.
Syracuse Region (Section III) Coach of the Week
Fayetteville-Manlius head coach Ryan Aldrich was named the Syracuse region Coach of the Week for the week ending Sunday, May 24. This year, FM won the Class B sectional title and will play in regionals on Friday, May 29.
Coach Aldrich has been a teacher at Fayetteville-Manlius High School for 10 years. In that time, he has been an assistant coach for tackle football for seven years, a modified wrestling coach for two years and started the flag football program in 2025, where he has been the head coach for the past two seasons.
"My coaching philosophy is to build a fast, aggressive, and resilient flag football program," said Aldrich. "I emphasize teamwork and trust, skill development, a relentless pursuit of excellence on and off the field, playing fast with an aggressive mindset on both sides of the ball, and a positive, competitive culture that athletes can carry into all areas of life."
The Fayetteville-Manlius Flag Football team helped local food pantries and raised awareness about breast cancer to further support their team motto, "leaving a legacy."
Coach Aldrich's favorite flag football memory is winning the Section III Championship in the team's inaugural year.
2026 COTW Winners
Week 1: Chris Edwards (Pioneer), Eric Thurley (Webster Thomas), Brad Keysor (ESM)
Week 2: Nick Bertrando (Fredonia), Mike Wilkinson (Hornell), Jeff Petties (Syracuse East)
Week 3: Henry Carney (Grand Island), David Marean (Hilton), Tom Rose (Oneida)
Week 4: Jeff Weiss (Orchard Park), Chris Urban (Aquinas), Tim Moore (Westmoreland)
Week 5: Dan Hannon (Kenmore), Dennis Thomas (Padilla), Dan Scicchitano (Central Square)
Week 6: Mike Torrillo (Williamsville East), Dan Corrado (Churchville-Chile), Heaven Lewis (OnTECH Charter),
Week 7: Joe Licata (Williamsville South), Cody Foster (Penfield), Ryan Aldrich (Fayetteville-Manlius)
