Eric Jantzi, North Tonawanda High School head football coach, has been named the Buffalo Bills High School Football Coach of the Week after the eighth weekend of the 2008 high school football season. On Friday, October 24th, the North Tonawanda Lumberjacks defeated the Clarence Red Devils 37-0 in the Section VI Class AA sectional quarterfinals. Brandon McClinsey ran 13 times for 106 yards, including an 11-yard touchdown in the third quarter that gave him the NT record for touchdowns in a season with 19, surpassing the mark set by Andrew Davis in 2005. Senior Matt Potalivo had 11 tackles and senior Joe Gravino had 10 tackles for the NT defense, which also had four interceptions.
Coach Jantzi is in his ninth season as the head coach at North Tonawanda High School. During his tenure, the Lumberjacks have won the division title seven out of the last eight years, post an overall record of 66 wins against only 19 losses and were sectional champions in 2002.
This is the 12th 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 Chief Operating Officer Russ Brandon 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.
2008 Bills HS Coach of the Week Winners:
Week 8-Eric Jantzi (North Tonawanda "Lumberjacks")
Week 7-Jim Maurino (West Seneca East "Trojans")
Week 6-Lance Cayea (Alden "Bulldogs")
Week 5-Bruce Lakso (Lackawanna "Steelers")
Week 4-Al Monaco (Bishop Timon St. Jude "Tigers")
Week 3-Curt Fischer (Maple Grove "Red Dragons")
Week 2-Rich Gray (Frontier "Falcons")
Week 1-Kraig Kurzanski (Williamsville South "Billies")
