Tony Truilizio, Riverside High School head football coach, has been named the Buffalo Bills High School Football Coach of the Week after the 11th weekend of the 2008 high school football season.
On Saturday, November 15th the Riverside Frontiers (9-1) defeated three-time defending Harvard Cup Champion McKinley High School by a 16-6 score securing a spot in the Harvard Cup Championship game on Thanksgiving Day against Grover Cleveland. The Frontiers were held scoreless in the first half of play, but were led to victory on second half touchdown runs from David Drayton and Trent Alls. The Riverside defense stepped up and sealed the win with a critical fourth-and-one stop by seniors Edwin Vega, Antonio Figueroa, and Alls on McKinley's impressive running back Kevin Chillis.
Coach Truilizio is in his seventh season (16th overall) as head coach at Riverside with an overall record of 43-25. Truilizo is also actively involved with the Buffalo Bills Youth Football initiatives serving as the site coordinator and instructor for the Buffalo Bills Junior Player Development (JPD) Program and the Buffalo Bills High School Player Development (HSPD) Program.
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 11-Tony Truilizio (Riverside "Frontiers")
Week 10-John Faller (Sweet Home "Panthers")
Week 9-Frank Payne (Iroquois "Chiefs")
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")
