Glen Graham of Cleveland Hill High School has been named the Buffalo Bills High School Football Coach of the Week after the tenth weekend of the 2007 football season (November 2-3).
In an exciting finish at Ralph Wilson Stadium Friday night, Coach Glen Graham and Cleveland Hill High School defeated defending champion Falconer High School 16-14, in the Class C Championship game. As both teams' defenses were dominant for most of the game, it was the offenses that lead their teams to an exciting fourth quarter finish. Starting on its own 34 yard line, the Falconer offense scored on a nine-play drive to put their team up by six with just over a minute left in the fourth quarter. With time running out and 70 yards of field in front of them, QB Rhakeem Wiggins and the Cleveland Hill offense took control. After a 33-yard completion from Wiggins to Darius Stallworth and a roughing the quarterback penalty, RB Peter Westbrooks took an option pitch seven yards for a touchdown. With the score tied and the game on the line, Coach Glen Graham looked to quarterback Rhakeem Wiggins who scrambled in for the game winning two-point conversion in front of over 1,000 fans at Ralph Wilson Stadium. The victory gave the Cleveland Hill Eagles their third title at Ralph Wilson Stadium. Cleveland Hill (8-2) will meet undefeated Leroy (10-0) in Saturday's Far West Regional game at PAETEC Park in Rochester.
This is the eleventh consecutive year of the Buffalo Bills Coach of the Week program. Each week during the 11-week high school football season, a committee appointed by the Buffalo Bills selects a head football coach as Coach of the Week. The honorees will receive a certificate signed by the Buffalo Bills Head Coach Dick Jauron, Buffalo Bills General Manager Marv Levy and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, plus a Buffalo Bills Coach of the Week cap and $1,000 donation to the school's football program from the Buffalo Bills Youth Foundation. Recognition of the winning coach will be shown on the Buffalo Bills official website (www.buffalobills.com).
At the end of the season, one of the weekly award winners will be named Coach of the Year and will receive an additional $1,000 donation to the school's football program. All of the 2007 "Coach of the Week" winners will be honored during halftime of the Buffalo Bills / Miami Dolphins game on December 9th as part of the Bills Salute to High School Football Ceremony. All head football coaches in Western New York are eligible, regardless of their high school's division or affiliation.
2007 Buffalo Bills Coach of the Week Winners:
Week #1: Nick Benedetti – Medina High School
Week #2: Gene Tundo – Orchard Park High School
Week #3: Eric Jantzi – North Tonawanda High School
Week #4: Len Jankiewicz – Lancaster High School
Week #5: Sgt. William Johnson – McKinley High School
Week #6: Dan McGrath – Depew High School
Week #7: Dick Diminuco – Albion High School
Week #8: Scott Zipp – Cheektowaga High School
Week #9: John Faller – Sweet Home High School
Week #10: Glen Graham – Cleveland Hill High School
