Buffalo Bills recognize these WNY high school football coaches | Week 2 2026

Sep 16, 2026 at 10:00 AM

The Buffalo Bills, in partnership with Visa, have announced the Week 2 High School Tackle Football Coaches of the Week for 2026. This week's recipients are Buffalo region Coach of the Week Nate Armella (Randolph High School) and Rochester region Coach of the Week Dennis Pynn (Churchville-Chili).

Aimed at highlighting tackle football coaches' efforts on and off the field, coaches from both the Buffalo and Rochester regions will be recognized over the course of the next 11 weeks for their team's excellence on the field and their service to their communities. As part of the program, each winning coach's football program will receive $1,000 from the Buffalo Bills and Visa, and each region's Coach of the Year will receive an additional $1,000 and be celebrated on the field at Highmark Stadium prior to the Bills vs. Jets game in January.

Check back each week for updates on the Buffalo and Rochester Coach of the Week winners, and good luck to all the teams in our community the rest of the season!

Buffalo Region Coach of the Week

Randolph head coach Nate Armella was named the Buffalo region Coach of the Week for the week ending Sunday, September 13, after leading the Cardinals to a 34-0 win over Newfane, last season's Section VI Class D champions. In the season opener, the Cardinals upended the defending Class C champs Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brocton. Senior running back Alex Garland paced the ground attack for the Cardinals with 24 carries for 177 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Senior quarterback Davion Johnson finished 6-of-6 passing for 90 yards and a score, while rushing eight times for 74 yards and a touchdown. He has yet to throw an incompletion in two games.

"I'm really proud of the guys," said Armella. "We have played two good opponents, and we are playing physical football. "That was something we lacked last year," Armella said. "We had to get back to playing Randolph football. Traditionally, we have been a very physical program, and we needed to improve on that."

In his second season as Randolph's head coach, Slater is in his 19th season with the Cardinals. He began his tenure as junior varsity defensive coordinator for six years before spending twelve seasons as varsity defensive coordinator. Before Randolph, he spent the 2006 season as a volunteer assistant at Iroquois.

Armella graduated from Jamestown High School in 1999, where he played for legendary head coach Wally Huckno. After playing two seasons at Edinboro, he earned his degree in Physical Education from Brockport State. He later earned his Master's in Health Science from the University of Alabama. He and his wife, Jen, have two daughters: Avery (12) and Adalyn (8).

Armella said his team's motto is living up to the "Cardinal Standard," which is "doing everything right, on and off the field to help put us in position to succeed." This includes Randolph's players participating in "Make a Difference Day" each fall, as well as helping coach the Cardinal Football Kids Camp.

Rochester Region Coach of the Week

Churchville-Chili head coach Dennis Pynn was named the Rochester region Coach of the Week for the week ending Sunday, September 13. Last Thursday, sophomore kicker Austin Gefell kicked a 31-yard field goal with :07 remaining in the game to lead the Saints to a 23-21 victory over Webster Thomas. The Saints are now 2-0 on the young season and will play Vertus School on September 18.

Against Greece Athena in the season opener, junior running back Ocean Minor recorded 186 rushing yards and two touchdowns in a 36-31 comeback victory, while fellow running back Jayden Jager rushed 21 times for 208 yards and two touchdowns. Minor followed up his performance with 102 yards on 10 carries, including a 67-yard scoring scamper, against Webster Thomas.

Senior quarterback Mike McKeiver led the Saints in passing against Webster Thomas, completing 15-of-24 passes for 231 yards.

Pynn started his coaching career at Churchville-Chili in 1998. He has coached at the varsity, junior varsity and modified levels. In 2022, he took over as the head coach of the program. Before becoming head coach, he served as the varsity defensive coordinator from 2007 to 2021.

"I believe in 'Transformational Coaching' because our staff wants to build relationships with the athletes in our program through the sport," said Pynn. "Athletes need to know that you care before they care about what you know. Ultimately, our success will be measured in the good husbands and fathers these young men become."

The program participates in a "Salute to Service" project each season, collecting snacks, playing cards, and toiletries at a game and donating them to the local American Legion Post. The Legion, in turn, gives them to overseas service members who are away from home at the holidays.

In 2025, the Saints program received the Section V Class A Sportsmanship Award from the Rochester Chapter of the Football Officials Association.

2026 COTW Winners

Week 1: Mark Benton (Springville-Griffith Institute), Mike Humphrey (Le Roy/Cal-Mum)
Week 2: Nate Armella (Randolph), Dennis Pynn (Churchville-Chili)