2024 Sports Awards

Thursday, June 6, 2024

To All Loyal Red Raiders,

Welcome to our 46th Sports Awards Ceremony for St. Francis High School. We are excited to take time as we finish the 2023-2024 school year to look back and acknowledge our student athletes who wore St. Francis across their chests this past school year. Thank you for being here and for all of your support during the course of the year. So much of what we do is accomplished by all of us working together to give our guys the opportunity to represent themselves, their families and St. Francis High School. Time and time again whether it is Fall, Winter or Spring our guys battled with some of the best competition out there to compete against and we saw success as both teams and individuals. To all of you here and to those not able to attend tonight Thank You for what you have done to support our athletic programs and our student athletes. It is amazing what we can accomplish with no one caring who gets the credit. I am so proud of the men of St. Francis who work day in and day out to make great things possible by working to be the best version of themselves.

Thank you to the Bycina, Jablonski, Pace and Wilson Families for all of the support you give to St. Francis High School with your scholarship awards. Your sponsorship of your awards gives our young men a chance to see what a St. Francis High School Education did to impact these fine young men and how their stories give our St. Francis Community a sense of pride as they continue to inspire us as a part of our brotherhood. Their example can be used by our men today in order to strive to be great and to use their intangibles spoken about tonight as a means to be successful in athletics and in life. May God give them Peace and to their families here tonight they remain part of the fabric that is the St. Francis Brotherhood..

To the seniors, Thank you for all that you have accomplished through here in your time at St. Francis. So many of you have moments with your teams and your brothers that will be looked back on fondly as time goes on. I wish for all of you nothing but the best as you pursue your life’s work. I hope all of you take St. Francis with you and with the life lessons learned here at St. Francis that they will be at the foundation of your successes in the Future. Be Humble & Kind. And be Proud to be a Red Raider. May you rise where others will fall.

Nights like tonight are made possible by your support. Thank you to all of our patrons and those who support tonight. Your generosity is appreciated by all of us here and it enables us to give our young men the awards that represent their work during the past year. Thank you to all of you who believe in our St. Francis Education. Our working in cooperation with each other enables the foundation to be built for our young men so not to build on sand but to have what they need to pursue excellence. We are dedicated to move forward, continuing to strive to build off of our proud tradition that is St. Francis Athletics. We will continue to reach ever higher doing so while keeping our standards that make St. Francis High School special. Thank you Fr. Matt and the entire St. Francis Administration who play a vital role in our ability to make these opportunities possible.

St. Francis Pray for Us.

Go Red Raiders!

God Bless

Steve Otremba, Athletic Director

Noah Albano V Base

Carson Balester V Fed Hoc, V Ten

John Bauer V Club Hoc

Nicholas Bienko V Bkt, V Base

Felix Cedeno V FB

Noah Cervoni V VB

John Coughlin V Wres

Brody Davis V Fed Hoc, V Ten

Mason Dole V Bkt

Brandon Drummond V FB, V Wres

Nicholas Dzimian V VB, V Club Hoc, V Ten

Conor Ebel V Swim, V Ten

Nolan Edwards V Bkt

Charles Farrell V Prep Hoc, Elliott Firth V Fed Hoc

Xavier Gagnon V Prep Hoc

Jacob Gearhart V VB, JV Bowl, V Ten

Shane Giesser V FB

Nathan Gonsiorek V Soc, V Bkt,

Slade Gonzales V FB

EJ Goveia V Club Hoc

Brady Greenough V FB,

Marcus Harrison V FB, V T/F

CLASS OF 2024

Jonas Herdlein V VB, V Ten

Jack Homer V Prep Hoc, V Base

Julian Huckaby V Prep Hoc

Kyle Hybicki V Prep Hoc

Robert Kendall Jr. V FB

Jakob Kilger-Lorenzen V Prep Hoc

Thomas Knickerbocker V Fed Hoc, V Ten

Tyler Kocher V Soc, V Base

Hunter LaMoy V Swim

Gage Laplante V Wres

Zachary LaRosa V Base

Carson Latt V Fed Hoc, V Ten

Mathias Levasseur V Prep Hoc

Ian Love V Golf

Camden Marx V Ind Tr, V T/F

Tyler Matte V Fed Hoc

Ethan Metro V FB

Connor Miller V FB, V Wres

Matthew Morcelle V Soc, V Ind Tr, V Ten

Jeremiah Neely V FB, V Bkt

Kaleb O’Connor V Soc

Aidan Pacholec V FB, V Ind Tr, V T/F

Joseph Panzarella V Base

Terrence Pendergrass V FB

Xavier Petit V Prep Hoc

Josh Petrini V Prep Hoc

Nathan Phillips V XC, V Ind Tr, V T/F

Boston Pokigo V Club Hoc

Owen Riggs V Golf, V Bowl

Leyton Roberts V Bkt

Teddy Roberts V FB

Robert Roche V Swim

Cameron Rogan V Soc, V Fed Hoc, V Ten

Patrick Roof V XC, V Ind Tr, V T/F

Luke Rybczynski V Prep Hoc, V Base

Zachary Seifert V Swim

Cole Smith V VB, V Swim

David Spadone, Jr. V Soc, V T/F

Adam Suffoletto V Base

Nicholas Szpylman V VB, V Ten

Tobias Tokoš V Prep Hoc

Kion Ulanga V FB

Kynan Ulanga V FB

Thomas Utter V VB, V Base

Romeo Valle V FB, V Ind Tr, V T/F

Anthony Venditti V Fed Hoc, V Base

Noah Wasiura V Base

Simon Wojcik V Lax

Dylan Zielinski V Golf

Damone Allen V FB, V T/F

Charlie Allesi V VB

Jackson Antonelli V Prep Hoc

Oliver Bennett V Ten

Henry Bickerstaff V Bkt

Brandon Blaszak V Fed Hoc

Ryan Borrello V XC, V Base

Andrew Boyczuk V Club Hoc, V Ten

Eddie Bratek V Swim

Memphis Brueckman V Soc, V Lax

Logan Burns V VB, V Lax

Cameron Bush V XC, V Base

Matteo Chiavetti V Prep Hoc

Sam Comstock V Swim

Dominic Davis V FB, V Ind Tr, V T/F

Peyton DePerno V Prep Hoc

Chad English V Soc, V Ind, V T/F

Lucas Fabianski V Soc, V Lax

Ethan Farley V FB, V T/F

Logan Fitzgerald V Lax

Ryan Forringer V Base

Emrick Gagnon V Prep Hoc

Edward Gauthier V FB

CLASS OF 2025

Sal Giardina V Bkt

Anthony Gillette V Club Hoc

Aidan Goodberry V Soc

Gage Gosney V Prep Hoc

Elliot Graham V Soc

Eli Greenough V FB, V Lax

Landon Guzowski V Base

Maxwell Haggerty V FB, V Ind Tr, V T/F

Robert Hall V Ind Tr

Will Hanson V FB, V Base

Michael Harris V FB

Hunter Held V Soc, JV Bowl

Jayse Jemiolo V Fed Hoc, V Ten

Tucker Jobe V FB, V Wres, V Ind Tr, V Lax

Derek Johnson V Prep Hoc

Peyton Johnson V FB, V Ind Tr, V T/F

Robert Karalus V Lax

Matthew Kotlowski JV Bowl

Karol Krzyszton V VB, V Wres, V Lax

Justin Lombardo V Ind Tr

Brayden Mahoney V Soc, V Ind Tr, V T/F

Luke Maracle V VB

Andrew Markel V Soc, V Fed Hoc, V Ten

Payton Mitchell V VB

Matthew Mysiak V Club Hoc

Aidan Nardello V FB, V Lax

Abraham Nicol V Ind Tr

David Nowadly V Ind Tr, V T/F

Dalton Pelow V XC, V Ind Tr, V T/F

Nicholas Picone V Golf

Nathan Powers V Ind Tr, V T/F

Connor Quinn V Club Hoc, V Ten

Theodore Reid V XC, V Lax

Matthew Richards V FB

Mikko Rippon V Prep Hockey, V T/F

Gavin Roberts V Bkt

Waylon Runfola V Lax

Grant Rybczynski V FB, V Base

Zachary Same V Club Hoc

Kaleb Schall V Golf

Luke Schaller V Base

Benjamin Siler V Soc, V Ind Tr, V T/F

Connor Smith V Soc

CJ Snusz V Base

Michael Sojda V Club Hoc, V Ten

Michael Stadler V XC, V Ind Tr, V T/F

Eli Stanley V FB

Noah St.-Laurent V Fed Hoc, Ten

Ronald Stoj V Ind Tr, V T/F

Maximus Sturniolo V XC, V Ind Tr, V T/F

Jacob Suffoletto V Base

Joshua Sullivan V FB, V Base

Jack Tebeau V Golf, V Bowl, V Swim

Johann Vasquez Garces JV FB, JV Lax

Louis Violanti V Soc, V Ind Tr, Ten

Kaden Vitko V Swim

Camden Weiss V Club Hoc

Landon Welka V FB, V Lax

TJ Askew, V Bkt

Nathan Barnas JV Soc, V Ind Tr, V T/F

John Bernas JV White Hoc

Andrew Boyd JV Red Hoc, JV Lax

Zachary Caldwell V Wres

Cole Cervoni V Golf

Bradyn Chudoba JV White Hoc, JV Base

Jericho Ciamaga V Club Hoc, JV Base

Dom Conte V Lax

Eleazar Cordova JV Soc, V Ind Tr

Gavyn Cotter JV Red Hoc, JV Lax

Patrick Coughlin JV FB, JV Bkt, V Lax

Timothy Coughlin JV FB, JV Bkt

Raphael Duperron V Prep Hoc

Cullen Edwards V Wres

Andrew Ellman V Bowl

Caidon Evancho V Prep Hoc, JV Base

Thomas Fino JV FB, JV Lax

Josh Fischer V Soc, V Ind Tr, V T/F

Connor Flood JV Soc

Colby Francavilla V Golf, V Ten

John Goldfinch JV FB

Christopher Gosciak JV Soc, JV White Hoc, JV Lax

CLASS OF 2026

Peter Gow JV Soc

Mason Gravius JV FB, V T/F

Garrick Green JV Red Hoc, JV Base

La’rafus Green JV FB

David Haj JV FB, JV Lax

Mikey Hanks JV Bowling

Larry Hardy JV FB, V T/F

Kole Haseley V Wres

Kaden Heidt JV Soc, JV Lax

Dominic Insera V Soc, JV Bkt, V T/F

Mason Jimerson-Kenjockety V Swim, V Lax

Brayden Keppel V Golf, V Bowl

Nathan Klimtzak V XC, V Ind Tr, V T/F

Logan Knodel JV VB, V Bowl, JV Lax

Luke Lanning JV VB, JV Base

Griffin LaPlante V Wres

Andrew Lindstrom JV FB, V Bkt

Jamison LiVecchi V Golf

Troy Massey V Fed Hoc, JV Base

Connor Matte JV White Hoc

Timothy McCann V FB, V Wres, V T/F

Owen Miller V Wres, JV Lax

Will Miller, III JV White Hoc

Andrew Mroz JV White Hoc, JV Lax

Connor Nannen V Fed Hoc, JV Base

EJ Newby-McKinnie JV Bkt

Bryan Ni V Swim

Dylan Noecker JV Base

Evan Noecker JV FB, JV Bkt, JV Base

Mason Nurmi JV Soc, V Ind Tr, V Ten

James O’Brien JV Base

Daniel Palisano JV Soc, JV Lax

Luke Panzarella JV Base

Nico Pinelli JV FB, JV Bkt

Thomas Pivarunas V XC, V Ind Tr, V T/F

Brady Rakoski JV Red Hoc, V Lax

Nathan Reichenberg V Ten

Kyle Roth JV Soc, V Ind Tr, V T/F

Jack Salerno JV VB, JV Base

Brody Sam V Lax

Cash Sam V Lax

Evan Sampson JV Soc, V T/F

Josiah Schoch V Ten

Donovan Schwanz JV Red Hoc, V Lax

Vincent Scott JV Lax

Jacob Shull JV Red Hoc, JV Lax

Joshua Sikorski JV Red Hoc, V Lax

Angelo Simoncelli V Ind Tr, V T/F

Sam Skalski V FB, JV Bkt, V T/F

Jack Sobkowiak JV Bkt

Tage Stroh V Lax

Frankie Roman Suda JV Soc, V Club Hoc

Liam Sullivan V Wres

Brendan Thompson V Ind Tr, V T/F

Garrett Tiutiunnyk JV Red Hoc

Braiden Truby JV White Hoc, V T/V

Sam Uglow JV Bkt

Aidan Wallace V VB, V Ind Tr, V T/F

Brady Waring V Lax

Colton Warner JV VB, V Ind Tr, V T/F

William Wersinger V Fed Hoc

Rory White V Wres

Oleg Zaitsev V Swim

Matthew Zielinski V FB, V Bkt

Cullen Acker

JV White Hoc, JV Lax

Oakley Adams JV Bkt, V T/F

Logan Aiello JV Red Hoc

Cam Alessandra JV Red Hoc, Fr Base

Andre Amos JV FB,V T/F

Nicholas Antonelli Fr Base

Brady Backus JV FB

Isaac Bennett V T/F

Kaj Benton JV FB, JV Lax

Cullen Bishop Marriott Fr Bkt

Matthew Borrello JV FB, Fr Base

Chase Bousquet JV Red Hoc, JV Lax

Owen Braunscheidel V Wres, JV Lax

Nathan Brese JV FB, Fr Bkt, Fr Base

Aedan Brockman V Swim, V Ten

Michael Brozyna JV VB, V Fed Hoc, JV Lax

Myson Burse JV FB

Damien Cedri JV FB

Timothy Cich JV VB, V T/F

Cameron Connolly-Seider V Ind Tr, V T/F

Matthew Cook JV Soc, Fr Base

Dominic Croce V Golf, JV Lax

Aidan Curran JV FB, JV Base

Colton Davis JV White Hoc, Fr Base

CLASS OF 2027

Elliott Davis JV FB, Fr Bkt, V T/F

Carter Druzbik JV FB, V Swim

Reed Eckhert JV Lax, V Ind Tr, JV Lax

Joshua Eigbe JV FB, Fr Bkt, JV Lax

William Fattey JV Soc, JV Red Hoc

Liam Fisher JV FB, Fr Base

Jovanni Fomby JV FB, V T/F

Spencer Frangou V T/F

Nathan Fredenburg JV VB

Sean Gearhart JV VB, V Wres, JV Lax

Landon Govan JV FB

Evan Greenough JV FB, V Lax

Reilly Hinman V Golf, JV White Hoc

Luke Janak V Golf, V Bowl, JV White Hoc, Fr Base

Nicholas Jauch JV FB, Fr Bkt

Brenin Jemiolo JV White Hoc

Brady Jones JV Red Hoc, V T/F

Jayden Jones JV FB

Jackson Kalinowski JV FB, Fr Base

Tristan Kolek V VB, JV Bkt, JV Lax

Bradley Kuter JV VB, JV White Hoc

Ryan Lavelle V Swim

Alexander Liberov JV Soc

Nathaniel Lindstrom JV FB, Fr Bkt

Jacob Long JV VB

Ryan Low JV White Hoc

Ethan Marasciulo JV White Hoc

Ryan McDonnell JV Soc, JV WHite Hoc

Andrew McElroy JV Lax

John Meka Jr. JV FB, V Bkt, JV Lax

Owen Miller JV Red Hoc

Everett Mullins V Golf, JV White Hoc

Cameron Munley JV FB, JV Lax

Anwar Musleh V Club Hoc, V T/F

Neal Alexander Nagy JV Soc, JV White Hoc

Maximus O’Brien McCarthy JV FB, V Wres

Kane O’Connor JV Soc, JV Red Hoc

Evan Pierce JV Red Hoc

Krystof Pobl JV Red Hoc

Andrew Poleon JV FB, V Wres, JV Lax

Brayden Pyzikiewicz V XC, V Wres

Malcolm Ransom Jr. JV FB

Cologero Rodo JV FB, JV Bkt, V T/F

Aidan Rogers JV FB, JV Red Hoc, Fr Base

Brooks Runfola JV FB, Fr Bkt, V Lax

Ronald Rytel Jr. JV FB, JV Bowl

Tyler Same JV White Hoc, JV Lax

Matthew Schaller Fr Base

Shawn Scott Fr Base

Isaac Snyder JV FB, Fr Bkt, V T/F

Shepard Snyder JV FB, Fr Bkt, V T/F

Blake Stepniak JV Base

Nicholas Sweet JV White Hoc, Fr Base

Lucas Szczesniak Fr Bkt

Jeffery Thomas JV FB, V Ind Tr

Lo’Ren Thompson JV FB, Fr Bkt, V T/F

Ethan Tobolski JV FB

Lukas Tokasz JV Soc, JV Red Hoc

Zachary Tyszka JV VB, Fr Bkt, Fr Base

David Valdez JV Soc, V Swim, V T/F

Richard Ventry JV VB

Noah Violanti JV FB, V Ind Tr, V T/F

Matthew Warnes Fr Bkt, Fr Base

Ryan Werner JV Red Hoc

Joseph White V XC

Broden Winterhalter JV FB, Fr Base

Donavin Wittschack V XC, V Ind Tr, V Ten

Kaiden Wright JV FB, Fr Bkt, V T/F

Thomas Zawada JV VB

SCHOLARSHIPS

RONALD A. PACE

MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

The family of Ron Pace, a 1990 St. Francis graduate who passed away shortly after graduating, would like to present annually a football scholarship and plaque to a deserving graduate.

Ron had a great love and respect for St. Francis High School, and the sports he participated in – football, wrestling and lacrosse. Despite being dyslexic, Ron set and achieved outstanding goals for himself in the classroom and in sports.

This scholarship, therefore, is awarded to a senior who also displays a perseverance in maintaining academic standards in the classroom and also fulfills his desire to compete athletically.

GEORGE WILSON MEMORIAL SCHOLARSHIP

GDW

The George Wilson Memorial Scholarship is presented in memory of a long time benefactor of St. Francis High School.

This scholarship is awarded annually with pride by the Wilson and White families.

The scholarship will go to an underclassman that best exemplifies the spirit, hard work and community involvement that emanated throughout George Wilson’s life. This athlete must participate in Wrestling, Football or both and must be well-rounded, have a love of St. Francis High School and maintain at least a 2.0 grade point average.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Midshipman 1st Class

Jason D. Jablonski

SALUTE Award

The Jablonski family is humbled to honor their son/brother, Jason ’JJ’ Jablonski, a 2013 graduate and 2018 inductee into the Fr. Rufinus Niedzwiecki Athletic Hall of Fame.

With wholehearted belief that he would not have received an Appointment to the Naval Academy without the education and growth as a young man while attending St Francis High School, JJ was humbly grateful for the opportunities he was blessed with while there including being Yearbook Editor, and a member of the Soccer, Hockey and Track & Field teams.

JJ had the innate ability to be both encouraging and commanding while upholding the hallmark humbleness of a St. Francis gentleman and a US Naval Academy Midshipman. This award will go to a current Sophomore or Junior who best demonstrates these qualities, attributes and skills that made him such an impact on everyone he met, mostly being a respected teammate/leader who made those around him better and a worthy foe feared by opposing teams. This athlete must participate in Soccer, Hockey or both and must be a demonstrated leader on and off the field.

S - Selfless

A - Acts of

L - Leadership to

U - Unite

T - Teammates to

E - Excel

Michael Bycina Optimist Award

A member of St. Francis High School’s Class of 1982, Michael J. Bycina was a devoted husband, father, son, friend, coach and mentor remembered for his robust personality, strong work ethic, unwavering faith and enthusiastic outlook on life.

An outstanding hockey player, he skated for the Buffalo Regals and Junior Sabres before playing collegiately at the University of Waterloo. Mike went on to play professionally in the Atlantic Coast League, International Hockey League and American Hockey League. In 1985, he participated in the Buffalo Sabres Training Camp after receiving an invitation from legendary NHL Hall of Fame Coach Scotty Bowman. Mike’s passion for hockey was lifelong as he coached in several youth organizations after his career ended, inspiring young players throughout Western New York with his ever-present smile and constant encouragement.

While Mike is no longer with us, his legacy of positivity and optimism lives on through his wife Dina, children Michael John and Allana, and all who were fortunate enough to know him.

ST. FRANCIS SPORTS REVIEW

BASEBALL

VARSITY BASEBALL

The 2024 edition of the St. Francis High School varsity baseball team came into the season with high expectations, returning 11 seniors from the 2023 team that won the Georgetown Cup and finished as a NYCHSAA state finalist. Inconsistent weather and play marked the season which resulted in the Red Raiders having a 12-8 record in Western New York and 4th place regular season finish in the Monsignor Martin League. The bats came to life and the team defeated Nichols 10-2 in the Georgetown Cup Quarterfinal before losing to Canisius two games to one in the semifinals.

Team highlights included big wins over Section VI AA finalist Williamsville North, well respected McQuaid Jesuit from Rochester and highly touted Cathedral Prep from Erie, PA. The squad also swept Nichols and O’Hara while splitting with St. Joe’s and St. Mary’s.

The pitching staff, led by Canisius College commit Noah Albano ’24, did an outstanding job all season, sporting a team ERA of a meager 3.08. Albano logged 65 strikeouts in 44 innings of work while opposing teams only hit .168 against him while fellow seniors Anthony Venditti, Noah Wasiura, Tom Utter and Adam Suffoletto did their part to give their team a chance to win every game. Juniors Landon Guzowski, who came on strong at the end of the season and notched a playoff win against Canisius, Ryan Forringer and Grant Rybczynski also saw significant and productive innings this season.

Offensively the Raiders struggled to put runs on the board consistently. Second baseman Ryan Forringer led the team in batting average with an impressive .385 average followed by senior Jack Homer who hit .321 and was always a threat on the base paths with 10 stolen bases. Nick Bienko ’24 hit the ball hard all season and Joe Panzarella ’24 led the team in power numbers with 4 homeruns, 12 RBI and an OPS of .983. At the time of this writing, post season accolades were not available.

JV BASEBALL

The St. Francis Red raider JV baseball team had a record of 7 and 3 overall and a 7 and 1 league record. Making them 2024 league champions. Dylan Noecker led the Raiders defensively behind the plate and hitting a torrid .481 from the box. Jack Salerno .458 and Connor Nannen closely followed hitting .357. Aidan Curran led the way on the mound with 2 wins and 0 losses having struck out 25 batters in only 18 innings. Two combined no hitters were thrown by Luke Panzarella and Blake Stepniak vs. Timon and Evan Noecker and Luke Panzarella vs. Canisius. A great season and a bright future!

FRESHMAN BASEBALL

This season, our freshmen worked hard all year long to not only adjust to the lifestyle at St. Francis but also to be mature men on and off the field. The record did not show, but there were a lot of positives from each of the athletes on the field. Many guys saw success at the plate by hitting for average, others enjoyed success on the mound or in the field. All of these athletes deserve recognition for what they were able to do this season. The season ended on a high note with a 12-0 victory over Orchard Park, where the team had 20 hits and shut out the Quakers. Congratulations to the St. Francis Freshman baseball team.

BASKETBALL

VARSITY BASKETBALL

The St. Francis Red Raider basketball team finished 23-24 with a 10-16 record, going 6-8 in the Monsignor Martin, good for 5 th place in the league. The Red Raiders won their pre- quarterfinal playoff game against Cardinal O’Hara before falling to Nichols in the Quarterfinals to end their season.

The Red Raiders, had an extremely difficult non-league schedule that matched them up with some of the top teams locally and state wide. This year the Raiders traveled to Long Island to compete in a highly competitive 8 team tournament. Locally St. Francis faced off against the top ranked local schools including; Jamestown, Williamsville South, Williamsville North, Williamsville East crosstown rivals Frontier and Lackawanna, as well as traveling to Syracuse to face Top Ranked Bishop Ludden. Add these games to the ultra-competitive MMAA schedule and the Red Raiders featured one of the toughest schedules in WNY. Highlights of the non- league scheduled include non-league wins over Class A Champion Williamsville East and Lackawanna as well as thrilling overtime victory against Nichols in league play.

The Red Raiders lineup includes 6 seniors with plenty of varsity experience along with 3 Juniors, 3 Sophomores, and 1 Freshmen who are all first year varsity players. The Red Raiders have had a well balanced offensive attack all season, consistently getting contributions from 9 players. Leading the way for the Red Raiders was 2nd Team All Catholic, senior Jeremiah Neely who is averaged double double for the season, 16 ppg and 10 rpg. Senior guards Nick Bienko and Nolan Edwards led the team in scoring at different points throughout the season, and logged most of the minutes in the back court for the Red Raiders. New to the starting lineup this season, senior Leyton Roberts was a pivotal defender while chipping in on the offensive end when called upon. Senior forward Nate Gonsiorek contributed valuable minutes off the bench throughout the year, doing all of the little things it takes to win games in the MMAA. Rounding out the senior class, Mason Dole, was as consistent as they come day in and day out, while taking advantage of his opportunities throughout the year. Their leadership and on court contributions have been vital to the team for Coach Ferris. Junior forward Henry Bickerstaff and guards Sal Giardina and Gavin Roberts contributed to the Raiders throughout the season. The 3 sophomores; Matthew Zielinski, Andrew Lindstrom, and TJ Askew, all started games for the Raiders and were major contributors to the Red Raiders on both ends of the floor. Freshman center John Meka Jr, a mid-year call up from JV, provided Coach Ferris and the Red Raiders with a strong paint presence they have been looking for all season.

JV BASKETBALL

The 2023-2024 JV Basketball season showed constant improvement from the entire roster from November to February. The journey began with wins over Lackawanna, @ Williamsville North, and Williamsville South. The Red Raiders then trounced cross town rival Frontier 52-32, before dropping an intense matchup against Health Science in the Live Like Luca Tournament. This area of the season was led on the boards by Cole Cervoni, with intelligent playmaking by freshman Cole Rodo, and from the 3pt line by Tim Coughlin.

Heading into conference play and the New Year at 4-2, the boys initially struggled, going 2-6 in their next 8 games. Evan Noecker’s consistent 3-level scoring, Sam Skalski’s leadership and defense, and Dom Insera’s attacking ability were the engine of the squad all season long, even during this rough patch. Those same players, along with some deadeye shooting from Jack Sobkowiak, and versatile two way play from Pat Coughlin, helped the Red Raiders get out of the slump with close games against St. Mary’s and St. Joes. Evan Newby and freshman Oakley Adams, both high minute getters for the JV Red Raiders all winter, had their best games of the season on a long road trip to Syracuse in a dominant win against Bishop Ludden.

The boys played their best basketball at the end of the season, going 4-2 in their last 6 games which included 2 league wins over Timon and Nichols, and a 68-40 win over Orchard Park. Wing players Nico Pinelli and freshman Zach Tyszka provided slicing scoring and shooting touch throughout the year and were key parts of the rotation. Averaging 3.2 blocks per game as a team, the paint was dominated all season by freshman John Meka, freshman Tristan Kolek, and the sharpshooting Sam Uglow, all of them providing a huge presence.

This team was special in their coachability, work ethic, and unselfishness, ending with an impressive 14.1 assists per game, 72.43 Defensive Rating and a +10.02 Net rating, leading to a final record of 10-10. The future is bright for the St. Francis Basketball program as these underclassmen grow into varsity players for Coach Ferris in the coming years. Go Red Raiders!

FRESHMAN BASKETBALL

The Freshman Red Raiders started out the season with an incredible 6-1 record, winning the Live Like Luca tournament championship against our league rival St. Joe’s. The team brought high energy and defensive aggressiveness forcing opponents to double digit turnovers every game with our full court pressure. The boys worked very hard at understanding and executing a new St. Francis Basketball offensive system. As the season progressed, the boys did an awesome job with ball movement and reading defenses to adjust offensive sets accordingly.

The team was led by a dynamic scoring duo of Cullen Bishop-Marriott (Live Like Luca All-tournament team and posting 20-point performances against Clarence and Orchard Park) and Lo’Ren Thompson (the teams overall leading scorer hitting double digits in multiple games). Before being moved up to the JV squad, John Meka (7 points per game) and Zach Tyszka (16 points a game) brought solid scoring, aggressive defense and rebounding efforts. Cole Rodo provided great defense and point guard play (including key scoring performances against Canisius, Timon, and Jamestown), Matt Warnes (the team’s leading rebounder) and Brooks Runfola (team leader in blocks) provided great post play, rebounding and solid defense all year. Elliott Davis and Kaiden Wright brought key play and a spark off the bench with intense defensive and up tempo, aggressive offensive play throughout the season.

Nate Lindstrom also contributed throughout the year as a key reserve, finishing the year strong with a season high in points and rebounds against both Clarence and Lockport. Lucas Szczesniak, Nathan Breese, Nick Jauch, Shepard and Isaac Snyder came off the bench to help SFHS with big wins against Lockport and St Mary’s.

As the season progressed, the boys really improved upon their individual basketball skills and knowledge of the game. The Freshman team truly exemplified the positive impact of unselfishness and team chemistry has on the win column. Watching this team share the ball, combined with being patient offensively was a thing of beauty. The most impressive component of this years Freshman team was their character in the form of working hard every day, having their teammates backs, and no matter what the circumstances, never, ever giving up (no matter what the score of the game).

The Freshman team finished the season 11-7 overall. The future is very bright for the St. Francis basketball program and everyone played a key role in the teams overall successs.

BOWLING

VARSITY BOWLING

Averaging over 900 for the first time since 2018, the Red Raider varsity bowlers finished the season with a 38-7 record, good for 2 nd place this season. The team rolled 1000+ games fourteen times this season, including an 1100+ game. The team finshed in the top 10 of every tournament they entered, including a 3rd place at the Pat Kwiatkowski Memorial Tournament and 5 th at the Quaker Invite (a sports shot tournament), only 84 pins out of 2 nd over 6 games.

The team was led by 3X All-Catholic, 3X NYSCHSAA State Qualifier Jack Tebeau. Jack was tied with two other WNY Section VI bowlers for the highest average in WNY (221) and had the 2nd highest individual set in WNY (781). Joining Tebeau at the State Championship was fellow All-Catholics Logan Knodel and Brayden Keppel. Logan improved his average 33 pins from last season, finishing with a 195 average. He had a season high game of 259 and rolled a season high set of 719 vs. Timon. Keppel’s personal highlight came at the All-Catholic Championships where he rolled a 5-game total of 1045 to qualify 2nd for the step-ladder finals where he fell in the semifinals to finish 3rd .

The Red Raiders were rounded out by senior Owen Riggs, sophomore Andrew Ellman, and freshman Luke Janak, Riggs rolled season high games (255) and set (603) vs. Canisius. Ellman also rolled a season high set of 603 (the Pat

Kwiatkowski Memorial Tournament), that included a season high 223 game. Janak’s season was cut short to injury, but managed a season high game 212 vs. O’Hara.

At the NYSCHSAA Individual Bowling Championship at Babylon Lanes in Long Island, after the 5-game qualification block at the NYSCHSAA Individual Bowling Championship, Jack Tebeau qualified for the step-ladder finals for the 3rd year in a row, finishing 3rd with a 1143 total. Sophomore Logan Knodel finished in 7th place with a 1023 total & Sophomore Brayden Keppel finished 15th with a 938. Tebeau defeated Richard Deem of Kellenberg 236-162. In the semifinals, Tebeau fell to eventual state champion M.J. Sim of Archbishop Malloy 194259 to finish in 3rd place.

JV BOWLING

Down 0-2 to 2 nd place Canisius, needing only one more win to secure the regular championship in the penultimate match of the season, Matthew Kotlowski strung the front 7, spared, then struck out to roll a season high 279 and lead the Red Raiders to their first 700 game of the season and a come-from-behind 2-2 tie to secure the regular championship. Matt finished the season with a team high 164.9 average. As a team the JV bowlers improved their team average 52 pins during the season, led by freshman Ronald Rytel’s improvement of 19 pins during the season. Jacob Gearhart, who went two-handed this season, improved his average 39 pins from last season and rolled a season high 208 this season. Hunter Held had a season high of 211 and also made big improvements this season, bringing up his average 11 pins from last year. Sophomore Mikey Hanks rounded out the 1 st place Red Raiders, rolling a season high 196 game.

CROSS COUNTRY

The 2023 Cross Country Team once again finished undefeated atop the League and All-Catholic standings, marking 4 straight years of MMAA dominance. Seniors Nathan Phillips and Pat Roof were leaders on and off the course, they will be missed next year. Mike Stadler was the team’s top finisher all year and at the All-Catholic placing 3rd overall. He was joined by Nathan Phillips (6th overall) and Ryan Borrello (7th overall) as 1st-Team All-Catholic selections. Pat Roof was the next Red Raider across the line at All-Catholics, followed by newcomers to the team in Nathan Klimtzak and Maximus Sturniolo who were key scorers and contributors all year. Cam Bush rounded out the varsity squad that qualified for and competed at the NYS Federation Championship in mid-November

FOOTBALL

VARSITY FOOTBALL

The 23-24 Red Raiders faced their toughest schedule in the history of St. Francis. Three opponent were back to back State Champions. Two others were their respective District Champions. Another had their best season in years and a new opponent.

Week 1 had the Bengals of Benedictine from Cleveland Ohio visiting the Eastern shores of Lake Erie. The Bengals would be playing their third game of the season after 2 scrimmages. The Red Raiders would be taking on someone other than themselves after 15 days of practice and no opponents to scrimmage. The Red Raiders struggled to get up to game speed and dispel the 1st game jitters. Despite Terrence Pendergrass 3 TD performance the Red Raiders could not put it together and fell 44 to 29.

Week 2 the Red Raiders traveled to Chardon Ohio to face the defending back to back Division III Ohio State Finalist Hilltoppers. Chardon broke the game open in the 3rd quarter by blocking a punt and returning it for a TD. This opened a 14 point lead. The Red Raiders got it down to 7 but the Hilltoppers prevailed with another score to win 34 - 20.

Week 3 had the Red Raiders facing a familiar foe in the Cathedral Prep Ramblers of Erie, Pa. The game became the longest regular season game in Pennsylvania High School history. With the final score 78 - 72 the Ramblers

prevailed on a 3rd & 15 in the 6th overtime. Both teams combined for over 1000 yards of offense and 150 points. Landon Welka threw for 310 yards with 4 TD’s and 3 Extra Points. Terrence Pendergrass had 132 yard, 3 rushing TD’s, and 3 Extra points. Ethan Metro led the Defense with 11 tackles.

Week 4 Arguably the longest trip to face an opponent, the Red Raiders traveled to Boston Massachusetts to face the Crusaders of Catholic Memorial who were the defending back to back to back undefeated State Champions. They were State Finalist for 4 straight years. The Red Raiders were playing hard and tough. With short time left in the half the Red Raiders tied the game at 22 after Landon Welka was knocked out of the game with an illegal hit after throwing for 176 yards in less than 2 quarters. Catholic Memorial hit a long run to take a 29-22 lead into the half. The final 50 - 36 score seemed to be the norm as the Red Raiders dropped their 4th game by a 2 score margin. Terrence Pendergrass ran for 2 scores. Damone Allen had 11 tackles and an interception. Teddy Roberts also contributed 11 tackles.

Week 5 Starting the season 0-4 the Red Raiders could of folded. Instaed they put together a full team effort and beat the Royals of Erie High School 42 - 14. Landon Welka threw for over 174 yards again along with Terrence Pendergrass rushing for 115. The defense held the Royals to 58 total yards of offense and only 3 first downs. Sophomore Matt Zielinski led all receivers with 4 catches for 64 yards. Connor Miller had 9 tackles, 3 of them for loss yardage to lead the defense.

Week 6 The Red Raiders continued to play hard and aggressive as they traveled over to Kenmore to take on the Marauders of St. Joe’s. The defense held St. Joe’s to 47 total yards while amassing 356 yards. Landon Welka threw for 202 yards and 2 TD’s with Jeremiah Neely grabbing 5 receptions for 105 yards and a score. Terrence Pendergrass ran for 112 yards and 3 scores along with a 2 point conversion. Ethan Metro recorded 10 tackles, Connor Miller had 9 as they led the defensive onslaught. Aiden Nardello went 3 for 3 on Extra Points as he gained confidence in the dominating 45 to 6 Victory!

Week 7 Akron Ohio’s Archbishop Hoban traveled to Athol Springs. The 7 in a row State Finalist (winning 5) were not ready for the effort the Red Raiders put forth. Behind stout defensive play and a ball control ground and pound, the Red Raiders took a 13 - 9 halftime lead into the locker room behind 2 TD receptions by Jeremiah Neely from Landon Welka. The fortune of the game turned on a 90 yard interception return that gave the Knights a 1513 lead that they never relinquished. The Red Raiders fell 28-13. Terrence Pendergrass ran for 126 yards, Landon Welka threw for 130 yards and Sophomore Matt Zielinski led all receivers with 69 yards. Ethan Metro again led the defense with 9 tackles as Brady Greenough had 8 with a QB sack. Connor Miller and Kynan Ulanga each recovered fumbles forced by the defense.

Week 8 The Crusaders of Canisius made the trip to the south towns and were met with a hostile crowd. Red Raider Nation were out in force and helped the team jump out to a 20-7 halftime lead behind 3 TD runs by Terrence Pendergrass. Canisius returned the 2nd half kickoff for a TD which gave them the momentum to take a 24-20 3rd quarter lead. The Red Raiders were tested all year, never giving up, churning out 21 unanswered points to win 41-24. Terrence Pendergrass added 2 more TD runs for a 4 TD night. Robert Kendall Jr. added a 6 yard run to top off the scoring. The offense rushed for 313 yards with Terrence Pendergrass rushing for 4 TD’s and an Extra Point. The defense held Canisius to under 100 yards passing and limited the Crusaders to 204 yards total offense. The Red Raiders forced 3 turnovers, an Interception by Pendergrass and fumble recoveries by Brady Greenough and Ethan Metro. Precise punting by Grant Rybczynski kept the Crusaders pinned down all night. Jeremiah Neely, Ethan Metro, Connor Miller, and Kynan Ulanga all had 7 tackles to lead the Victory for another Regular Season Championship, the Third in a row for the Red Raiders.

Week 9 The District 10 - 6A Champion McDowell Trojans were in the house. In a very hard fought testy game, the Red Raiders prevailed 34 - 31. The difference was the rushing game as St. Francis rushed for 213 yards and held the Trojans to 45. Landon Welka ran for a TD and threw for 167 yards and a TD to Kynan Ulanga. Kynan led all receivers with 5 receptions on the day. Connor Miller had 7 tackles and a fumble recovery, as Damon Allen had 6 tackles. Kynan Ulanga worked both sides of the ball with and interception, fumble recovery and 3 tackles. Teddy Roberts contributed 5 tackles on the day. Johan Garces and Robert Kendall Jr. finished out the Red Raider scoring. Week 10 St. Francis awaited the winner of St. Joe’s at Canisius for the right to play for the MMHSAA Playoff Championship.

Week 11 Hosting the MMHSAA Playoff Championship Game for the 3rd straight year, the Red Raiders and Crusaders put on a great show. In an entertaining game, St. Francis jumped out to a 21-0 halftime lead behind the 2 TD runs of Landon Welka and another by Johan Garces. With Terrence Pendergrass out of the lineup, Johan along with Robert Kendall, Jimmy Valentine, and Connor Miller all contributed to the 308 total offensive yards. Johann Garces Vasquez put on an MVP performance as he rushed for 89 yards on 16 carries. His timely 1st downs and bone crunching runs along with Bob Kendall running over and through Crusaders inspired the Victory. Just like the Regular Season game, the Crusaders came back with 20 unanswered points in the 3rd quarter. The Red Raiders dominated the 4th with a ball control ground & pound and the defense came up with stop after stop led by Brady Greenough and Ethan Metro with 10 tackles apiece. Aidan Nardello was clutch as he made all 3 extra points which turned out to be the difference in the game. The Red Raiders earned their 3rd consecutive MMHSAA Playoff and Regular Season Championship, their 25th Championship over the last 33 years.

Week 12 Traveling to New York City to face the Cardinals of Cardinal Hayes High School from the Bronx at Columbia University on December 2nd was a tremendous challenge. Waiting 3 weeks to play the game, not knowing where the game would be played until the last minutes, did no favors for the Red White and Gold. Not playing a game for that long and competing against an opponent who has played every week turned out to be insurmountable. The Red Raiders desperately tried to get up to game speed as fast as they could. St. Francis held their own but trailed at the half 20-6 as Cardinal Hayes scored their second touchdown off a blown coverage. Throughout the game, the Red Raiders did not block and tackle to their usual standard. Missed tackles, penalties, poor communication plagued the Red Raiders all day. Despite all that, the effort was tremendous. They kept fighting to the end. Terrence ran for 123 yards, caught 2 passes for 61 yards and scored Td’s rushing and receiving. Robert Kendall added a rushing TD on a bruising 1 yard run. Kynan Ulanga and Connor Miller both had 9 tackles while Ethan Metro chipped in with 6. Grant Rybzcynski did all he could by placing 2 punts inside the 20 and averaged 40 yards a Punt. His 53 yard punt got the Red Raiders out of a deep hole. Losing 40-22, disappointment was felt but heads were not bowed. The Red Raiders gave everything they had.

The 2023-24 St. Francis Red Raiders are proud of their accomplishments. No St. Francis team nor any in WNY has faced a schedule like them and come out CHAMPIONS!

JV/FRESHMAN FOOTBALL

JV Football had a short but successful campaign this season, filled with close games. The season opened against a tough Cathedral Prep squad that barely held off the Red Raiders 14-13. The team bounced back with close wins of their own against Erie High School 15-6 and St. Joe’s 9-8. The season was highlighted by a 21-19 victory over Canisius. The team finished 3-2 on the year after a defeat to Erie PA powerhouse McDowell. Many freshmen stepped up in starting roles for the JV team. The Freshmen team was dominant in its games against local high schools not conceding a single point to Lancaster or Orchard Park in 2 games against each team. They finished 4-0 for a combined record between JV and Freshmen teams of 7-2.

GOLF

The Golf team finished second in the MMAA league standings behind the efforts of Jack Tebeau who won the Individual All-Catholic /championship for the second time in his career. The Team Championship was held on 10/6 at Springville Country Club where the team of Tebeau, Riggs, Piccone, Zielinski, Mullins and LiVecchi and Everett Mullins qualified for the 2023 All-Catholic/ State qualifier tournament at Cherry Hill golf course. Riggs and Piccone will join Tebeau at the State Championship to be held in June 2024.

HOCKEY

PREP HOCKEY

The Prep Hockey Team started off strong this year opening with a 6-2-0 record in MPHL play. The team split its games between the Midwest Prep Hockey League and Tier 1 Hockey Federation, traveling to Boston, Pittsburgh, Vermont, Ohio, and Canada and hosted the MPHL playoff tournament at the LECOM Harborcenter. Daniel Dunda and Josh Petrini led the team in goals with 18 each over the course of the season. Petrini also led the team in assists and points with 21 and 40 respectively. Jakob Kilger-Lorenzen and Raphael Duperron split netminding duties for the Red Raiders. Highlights from the season include Defenseman Mikko Rippon being selected to the Australian Men’s U20 National Team for the World Junior’s in Belgrade Serbia and a 5-2 playoff win over Rice Memorial which saw approximately 200 students in attendance. The team finished the regular season 7-5-2 and entered the playoffs in first place in the Bowers Division of the MPHL. The team finished 16-9-2 in combined league play.

FEDERATION HOCKEY

Saint Francis Fed finished the regular season in 2nd place in the Monsignor Martin with a divisional record of 7-3-1-1. This season the team was led by Captain Carson Latt and assistant captains Anthony Venditti and Cameron Rogan. Anthony Venditti led the team with 12 goals and 22 assists. He was followed by Elliott Firth with 16 goals and 15 assists and Tyler Matte with 13 goals and 9 assists.

This year’s team was coached by Jack Panek, Jordan Farnham, Kevin Wicka, and Michael Rogan.

VARSITY CLUB HOCKEY

The St. Francis Club Varsity Hockey team had a notable season with several standout performances and memorable moments. Jericho Ciamaga was named team MVP for his exceptional contributions throughout the season. Goaltender Anwar Musleh and Boston Pokigo also had solid seasons, making significant impacts on the team’s performance.

A highlight of the season was the playoff game against Lancaster, which showcased the team’s skill and determination. Additionally, an early-season win over St. Joes was a great moment.

Overall, the 2023-2024 season was a solid one for the St. Francis Club Hockey team. Congratulations to all the players, coaches, and supporters for their hard work and dedication.

JV RED HOCKEY

The St. Francis JV Red Hockey team had a strong season, finishing with a 13-1-3 record. The team scored 90 goals while allowing only 37, showing solid offensive and defensive play.

One of the season’s highlights was securing First Place in the regular season. The team also had a memorable win over JV White in the Outdoor Classic. Their season ended in a hard-fought final, where they lost in overtime. Several players earned League All-Star honors, including AJ Boyd, Jacob Shull, Ryan Werner, and Liam Fattey. Gavyn Cotter led the league in wins, and Ryan Werner, Liam Fattey, Jacob Shull, Logan Aiello, Brady Rakoski, and Garrick Green all finished in the top 30 in scoring.

The 2023-2024 season was a great one for St. Francis JV Red Hockey. The team’s hard work and dedication paid off, and we look forward to building on this success next season. Congratulations to all the players, coaches, and supporters.

JV WHITE HOCKEY

The JV White Hockey Team finished the 2023-2024 season in 4th place with a 9-5-3 record. The team scored 66 goals while allowing 47.

JV White started the season slow due to a few early season injuries. As the team got healthy and started to bond together we finished the season winning 6 of 7 games. This propelled JV White into the playoffs.

The team came together strong, making the playoffs. The season ultimately ended in heartbreaking fashion losing to Canisius 2-1 in a thrilling 5 overtime’s. Goaltender Andrew Mroz played outstanding.

JV White had four All-Star selections- Cullen Acker, Jon Bernas, Will Miller and Brenin Jemiolo. All representing the school very well during the game.

The coaches wish all our players success in school and athletics as they finish 23-24 and move into 24-25.

INDOOR TRACK

The 2023-24 Indoor Track and Field Season saw 3 school records broken and culminated in 2 athletes competing at the NYS Federation Championship on March 2nd in Staten Island. Aidan Pacholec was a key contributor and top mid-distance runner, he suffered a major injury near the end of the season. His teammates and coaches want him to know that he was and is an integral part of this team and the Outdoor Track program, and a tremendous senior leader. Nathan Powers continued to improve in the Pole Vault, eventually clearing 12’-3” at the West Hill Invitational to reset his school record. At the same meet Michael Stadler broke the 600m record that had stood for 12 years. 8 Red Raiders competed in the CHSAA intersectional on February 17th. Dominic Davis, Camden Marx, Dalton Pelow, Nathan Phillips, Nathan Powers, Michael Stadler, Brendan Thompson, and Romeo Valle made the trip to Staten Island to compete against the best of the CHSAA. It was here that Marx broke his record in the Weight Throw by tossing the 25lb implement 52’-0”. His 3rd place finish allowed him to qualify for the Fed Meet. Michael Stadler placed 4th at the meet, smashing his previous school record by 3 seconds, running 1:22.31 and placing 4th to earn a spot on the CHSAA intersectional medley relay at the Fed Meet. His relay took 3rd place allowing Mike to go home with a bronze medal as the highest finisher at Federations in recent program history.

LACROSSE

VARSITY LACROSSE

The 2023- 2024 Red Raider Lacrosse team began the season as one of the youngest in program history with only one senior on the roster. The lack of upperclassmen though did not lead to lack of leadership with many Juniors and Sophomores stepping up and leading the Raiders to a MMAA Playoff semi-final appearance who would ultimately fall to the eventual champions, St. Joes. After a 1-2 start, the Raiders would bang off 6 straight wins including League wins against Nichols, Timon, and St. Marys. The remainder of the year the Raiders were up and down with injuries and played one of their best games in a loss to #1 in WNY St. Joes, 6-7. While the Raiders will miss Senior Simon Wojcik, they are eager to bring back 5 All-Catholic Nominations with First-Teamers Robbie Karalus and Landon Welka, accompanied by Second-Teamers Patrick Coughlin, Tucker Jobe, and Brody Sam. Returning every starter from next year and adding some young talent from our Junior Varsity Program is very promising as the Raiders look to go back to the MMAA Championship for the first time since 2021.

JV LACROSSE

With only having a few returning sophomores, the JV lacrosse program had a very successful season, only losing two league games. The team scoring was led by two strong attack-men Logan Knodel with 38 goals and 25 assists and Cameron Munley with 21 goals and 8 assists. Under the guidance of second year assistant coach Aidan Mead, our young group of defenseman worked hard every practice, developing their stick skills as well as their knowledge of the game. This young defensive group was led by two returning sophomores Vincent Scott and Andrew Boyd. With our team’s strong defensive play, and our two outstanding goalies, Reed Eckhert and Joshua Eigbe we held our opponents to an average of only 7.2 goals per game. With this team’s hard work and dedication at practice and in games, we were able to overcome many obstacles and I am looking forward to continuing our program’s success into the 2025 lacrosse season.

SOCCER

VARSITY SOCCER

The Varsity Soccer team was led by the efforts of Cam Rogan in net. Aidan Goodberry and Kaleb O’Connor were named First-Team All Catholic selections for their efforts on the pitch. Nate Gonsiorek was the team’s leading scorer and had a hat-trick in the first game of the season against Orchard Park. Matt Morcelle and Tyler Kocher made key contributions on defense and Memphis Brueckman was a stalwart midfielder. Sophomore Dom Insera forced an own goal with a well timed cross which was the difference in a 1-0 quarterfinal playoff win vs St. Mary’s. The team’s season ended in the MMAA semifinal vs eventual League Champion St. Joe’s.

JV SOCCER

JV Soccer gained valuable experience with several sophomores seeing playing time at the varsity level at the end of the season. Chris Gosciak and leading scorer Peter Gow were key players on the offense. The highlight of the season was the stellar goalkeeping by Kane O’Connor and Nathan Barnas, both of which kept the team in games against some stiff competition. Alex Nagy and Eleazar Cordova manned the back line for the Red Raiders. Freshmen Ryan McDonnell and Reed Eckhardt started at midfield, logging many minutes at the toughest position on the pitch.

SWIMMING

The Swim Team is coming off their most successful finish at All-Catholics in several years. The team finished in second place in the league scoring 324 points, and also had good out of conference wins including a thrilling finish at Springville and Eden. The team was led in the pool by seniors Zach Seifert and Hunter LaMoy, as well as juniors Kaden Vitko and Sam Comstock, and freshman Ryan Lavelle.

TENNIS

The tennis team continued to build off their success in the league, after losing 5 starting players from the previous season. It was anchored by a strong group of seniors that included several 4 year players and starters such as Nick Szpylman, Jacob Gearhart, Carson Latt, Matt Morcelle, and Conor Ebel. The team also got big contributions at the singles lines from juniors Noah St-Laurent, Andrew Boyczuk, and Andrew Markel. The team finished the season with a 4th place at the All-Catholics tournament, and was 4th in league play.

TRACK & FIELD

St. Francis Track & Field won the 2024 regular season going 8-0 during the spring. Pivotal wins over St. Joe’s (64-49) and Timon (63-50) enabled the Red Raiders to win the Regular Season for the 6th straight season in the MMHSAA. Junior Mike Stadler led the way winning 4 All Catholics and being one of the best 800m runners in WNY. Mike would break the school’s 800m record with his 1:55.80 effort at the CHSAA Intersectional. Junior Dominic Davis qualified in 5 events for the All Catholic in the spring and did whatever the team asked in order for the team to be successful. Dominic Davis won the CHSAA Title in the Pentathlon at Iona Prep. Dominic also broke the 400IH record held since 2011 by Coach Arek Janiga with his time of 56.92 at Falconer. Senior Nathan Phillips would run 11:03.69 to set the school record for the 3000m steeplechase at Falconer. Juniors Brayden Mahoney, Dalton Pelow & Maximus Sturniolo were key parts to the team doing well especially late in the season as they were at their best to help the Red Raiders make a serious run at the All Catholic. Seniors Nathan Phillips, Patrick Roof, Camden Marx, David Spadone & Romeo Valle all did their part in their events and leading the squad that

faced adversity throughout the spring season. Sophomore Colton Warner emerged in throws along with fellow Sophomore Tim McCann to back up Marx, Valle and Marcus Harrison. They will be counted on to build off off their strong finish in 2024. Frosh Kaiden Wright proved to be a varsity contributor especially at the All Catholic scoring 16 points in the All Catholic and setting career marks in the process in 2 of his events. Wright & Davis were supported by Mikko Rippon & Junior Damone Allen to enable the Red Raiders to have depth in multiple jumping events. Brandan Thompson continues to show promise as the young sprint group looks to match the team’s strength in the mid distance. With numerous strong efforts in the Frosh Soph All Catholic the Red Raiders have numerous athletes who finished strong and will hopefully continue to develop into key contributors at the Varsity Level. The team fell short at the All Catholic by 3 points which is closest All Catholic since 2015 when the Red Raiders lost by 2pts at Canisius. With numerous athletes returning including many of the key contributors from this past season it is the challenge to move forward to FINISH things next season.

VARSITY ALL CATHOLICS

Mike Stadler 400m, 800m, 3200R, 1600R

Dalton Pelow 1600R, 3200R

Nathan Phillips 3200R School Record Steeplechase

Brayden Mahoney 3200R

Maximus Sturniolo 1600R

Shepard Snyder 1600R

Dominic Davis School Record 400IH, CHSAA Pentathlon Champion

Frosh Soph All Catholics

Spencer Frangou 3200m, 1600m & 3200R

Tim McCann Shotput

Elliot Davis 800m, 1600R, 3200R

Dominic Insera Sprint Med, 1600R

Aidan Wallace Sprint Med, 1600R

Anwar Musleh 1600R

Joshua Fischer 3200R

Isaac Snyder 3200R

Shepard Snyder Sprint Med

Noah Violanti Sprint Med

VOLLEYBALL

VARSITY VOLLEYBALL

The 2023- 2024 Red Raider Volleyball team entered the year with a determined mindset, and a squad of 7 seniors, 5 juniors, 2 sophomore, and 1 freshman. The mix of experience and youth gave the Red Raiders a record of 7-13 overall, and 3-7 in the MMAA. Playing one of the toughest schedules in WNY, the Red Raiders entered the MMAA playoffs as the #3 seed looking to avenge early season losses to #2 seeded Cansius but unfortunately came up short losing 1-3. The Red Raiders were led by junior Charlie Allesi who was named 2nd team All-WNY and AllCatholic for his outstanding play throughout the season. Charlie was also named to the all tournament team at the Orchard Park tournament. Senior Jacob Gearhart also had an outstanding season earning All-Catholic honors while freshman Tristan Kolek, playing his first year on varsity, finished the season by being named an All-Catholic and quickly becoming a pillar of success for the program. Seniors Tom Utter, Noah Cervoni, Nick Szyplman, Cole Smith, Nicholas Dzimian, and Jonas Herdlein finished their careers as Red Raiders and will be sorely missed next season. High hopes and big expectations are on the shoulders of the junior class with Logan Burns, Payton Mitchell, Karol Krzyszton and Luke Maracle returning. Mid-season JV call-ups, Luke Lanning and Aidan Wallace will see plenty of court time next season as their roles will expand to help the Red Raiders secure their first MMAA championship since 2000.

JV VOLLEYBALL

JV Volleyball was led by Jack Salerno and Colton Warner. The setting of Tom Zawada, blocking from Logan Knodel and hitting of Zach Tyszka helped the team to 7 wins.

WRESTLING

The #1 ranked wrestling team in WNY continued its winning ways in the post season with individual and team success at the local and state levels.

After winning the Monsignor Martin and CHSAA State Dual Meet titles, the Red Raiders entered the post season with high expectations, ending with the first two NYSPHSAA state finalists in St. Francis and Monsignor Martin history and a school record 5 CHSAA champions, earning All- State honors at the state tournament in Albany. Sophomores Griffin LaPlante 152 and Zachary Caldwell 190 each won their state semifinal matches in dramatic fashion to advance to the state finals, finishing their seasons with 2nd place finishes, making local Catholic school wrestling history. Senior Gage Laplante 170 and sophomore Cullen Edwards 108, both succumbed in the semifinals and finished 3rd and 6th respectively, while senior Connor Miller 215 placed 8th. The team finished in 3rd place among 100+ Division I teams that were represented at the state tournament, the highest of any CHSAA team in history with the exception of Iona Prep in 2023, who finished 2nd.

The post season journey began with a dominant effort at the Monsignor Martin All-Catholic Tournament with St. Francis winning 9 of a possible 13 individual titles. 14 of the 20 Red Raiders entered made the final, and 17 qualified for the CHSAA state qualifier.

Senior Jack Coughlin’s pin in the finals at 285 sealed the team’s tournament championship and earned him his 3rd consecutive MMAA title and the Most Outstanding Wrestler award, voted on by the coaches. Joining Coughlin as multiple-year champions were senior captains Connor Miller at 215 and Brandon Drummond at 160 along with sophomore Rory White at 145 who each won the second MMAA championships of their careers. Senior Gage LaPlante 170, and sophomores Cullen Edwards 108, Kole Haseley, 124 Griff LaPlante and 152, Zach Caldwell 190 all placed 1st for the Red Raiders to help the team match a school record of 9 champions set back in 1989. Owen Braunscheidel 108, Owen Miller 131, Tucker Jobe 152, Max McCarthy 170, and Karol Krzyszton 215 all took 2nd place. Tim McCann 285 took 3rd.

With 17 qualifiers, the Red Raiders traveled to Long Island to compete in the CHSAA state qualifier and left with 5 champions, the most in a single season in school history. Senior Gage LaPlante was voted Most Outstanding Wrestler after avenging an earlier-season loss to the top- ranked NYS wrestler in the finals on his way to the 170 lbs state Catholic title. Fellow senior Connor Miller 215 as well as sophomores Cullen Edwards 108, Griff LaPlante 152, and Zach Caldwell 190 joined Gage by reaching the top of the podium, qualifying each of them for the NYSPHSAA Federation Tournament. Rory White 145 (3rd), Brandon Drummond 160 (4th), Jack Coughlin 285 (5th), and Kole Haseley 124 (6th) also placed in the tourney helping the team finish 1st among all Division II schools and the CHSAA Division II Championship. The team was also presented with the Team Sportsmanship Award, voted on by the officials.

In a year of firsts, the 2023-24 St. Francis Red Raiders achieved their highest rankings in history in both WNY (#1) and NYS (#17). Seven Red Raiders won 45 or more matches, with Gage LaPlante joining the 200-win club and breaking school records for wins (52) and pins (38) in a single season. Griffin LaPlante and Zach Caldwell each matched the previous wins record with 51 this season. Caldwell, Rory White, and Cullen Edwards each joined the 100-win club. With the lessons and expectations set from this year’s seniors, the future of the Red Raider wrestling program looks to continue on this successful path. Congratulations on a great season!

OUR PROGRAM FOR THE EVENING OUR PROGRAM

FOR THE EVENING

WELCOME AND INVOCATION

Mr. Steve Otremba . . . . . . Director of Athletics

Fr Matthew Foley, OFM Conv

President of St. Francis High School

MASTER OF CEREMONIES

Mr. Steve Otremba

PRESENTATION OF SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS

Mr. Nicholas Fattey

Mr. Jason Cretacci

Mr. Jerry Smith

Mr. Mike Messore

PRESENTATION OF LETTERS AND SERVICE PINS

Mr. Jason Cretacci

Mr. Brian Ferris ’00, HOF ’10

Mr. Andy Lanigan ’02, HOF ’18

Mr. Mike Messore ’91, HOF ’02

Mr. Steve Otremba ’90, HOF ’00

Mr. Nate Suchyna ’00, HOF ’10

PRESENTATION OF TEAM INDIVIDUAL AWARDS

Mr. Jason Cretacci

Mr. Brian Ferris ’00, HOF ’10

Mr. Andy Lanigan ’02, HOF ’18

Mr. Mike Messore ’91, HOF ’02

Mr. Steve Otremba ’90, HOF ’00

Mr. Nate Suchyna ’00, HOF ’10

PRESENTATION OF CHAMPIONSHIP TEAM AWARDS AND PRESENTATION OF ALL CATHOLIC/ALL STAR AWARDS

Mr. Nate Suchyna Championship Team Coaches

THOUGHTS FOR REFLECTION

Mr. Steve Otremba

A RECEPTION TO FOLLOW IN THE GYMNASIUM

ST. FRANCIS HIGH SCHOOL

RED RAIDER ATHLETICS

2023- 24 ADMINISTRATION AND COACHING STAFF

Friar Matthew Foley, President, OFM Conv.

Mr. John Zygai, Principal

Mr. Timothy Monahan, Asst. Principal of Academics

Mr. Andy Lanigan, Asst. Principal of Discipline

Mrs. Sue Schaffstall, Vice President of Marketing and Communications

Mr. Paul Bartell, Vice President of Development and Alumni Relations

Friar Nicholas Rokitka, Vice President of Finance

Mr. Steve Otremba, Director of Athletics

Mr. Nate Suchyna, Athletic Trainer, Mr. Alex Schaffstall Assistant Director of Athletics

Mr. David Dyson, Athletic Trainer

Mr. Sam Hendricks, Director of Admissions

Mr. Nicholas Fattey, Director of Hockey Operations

Cross Country – Jon Kiefer, Kevin Hoak, Alex Schaffstall

Football – Jerry Smith, Steve Otremba, Craig Browning, Bill Calkins, Mike Chuchla, Matt Davis, Scott Greenough, Greg Greenough, Nathan Jobe, Bob Kendall, Georgio Khoury, Kevin Murphy, Adam Redden, Kynan Ulanga, Jerad Waring, Bob Wesolek

Golf - Chuck Stephenson, Mike Cullen, Cory Cullen, John Tebeau

Soccer – Jason Cretacci, Justin Moretta, Arek Janiga, Ian Smith

Volleyball – Andy Lanigan, Bob Hasenoehrl

Basketball – Brian Ferris, Kevin Roth, Roburt Welch, Alex Davis, Peter Goszcewski

Bowling – Jason Cretacci

Hockey –Nicholas Fattey Jack Panek, Jordan Farnham, Kevin Wicka, Mike Rogan, Jay Ciamaga, Jordan Lambert, Chris Ciamaga

Hockey Moderator – Jason Cretacci

Indoor Track – Arek Janiga, Bob Hasenoerhrl, Alex Schaffstall

Swimming – Sam Hendricks, Nick Descovich

Wrestling – Mike Messore, Ron Lorenz, Matthew Heywood, Steve Hart, Mike Evans, Jesse White

Baseball – Paul Bartell, John Catanzaro, Gary Kaczor, Ed Hoak, Chris Hoak, Craig Browning, Patrick Gavigan

Lacrosse – Dom Butera, Ryan Sharkey, Christian Watts, Cort Knodel, Aidan Meade

Tennis – Sam Hendricks, Brandon Gaspar

Track and Field – Steve Otremba, Nate Suchyna, Bob Hasenoehrl, Arek Janiga, Alex Schaffstall

Congratulations to the St. Francis High School

ATHLETE OF THE YEAR

Marcus Harrison

and

SPORTSMAN OF THE YEAR

Romeo Valle

THE ATHLETIC DEPARTMENT’S HIGHEST AWARDS FOR 2024 WERE PRESENTED AT THE COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES AT OUR LADY OF VICTORY BASILICA ON FRIDAY, MAY 17, 2024

DISTINGUISHED ATHLETE AWARD

Connor Miller and

SCHOLAR ATHLETE AWARD

Nathan Gonsiorek

THE AWARDS WERE PRESENTED AT THE BACCALAUREATE MASS AT ST. FRANCIS HIGH SCHOOL ON WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2024

We would also like to recognize the

SECTION VI ALL-WNY SCHOLAR ATHLETE WINNERS

Jacob Gearhart - Volleyball

Ethan Metro - Football

Nathan Phillips - Cross Country

Patrick Roof - Cross Country

HONORABLE MENTION

Felix Cedeno - Football

Noah Cervoni - Volleyball

Jack Coughlin - Wrestling

Brody Davis - Ice Hockey

Mason Dole - Basketball

Elliott Firth - Ice Hockey

Jacob Gearhart - Bowling

Shane Giesser Football

Nathan Gonsiorek - Soccer, Basketball

Brady Greenough Football

Jonas Herdlein - Volleyball

Thomas Knickerbocker - Ice Hockey

Tyler Kocher - Soccer

Camden Marx - Indoor Track

Connor Miller Football Wrestling

Matthew Morcelle - Soccer, Indoor Track

Aidan Pacholec - Football, Indoor Track

Nathan Phillips - Indoor Track

Leyton Roberts - Basketball

Theodore “Teddy” Roberts - Football

Cameron Rogan - Soccer Ice Hockey

Patrick Roof - Indoor Track

Zachary Seifert - Swimming

Cole Smith - Volleyball Swimming

David Spadone - Soccer

Nicholas Szpylman - Volleyball

Thomas Utter - Volleyball

Anthony Venditti - Ice Hockey

Dylan Zielinski - Golf

*Spring Scholar-Athletes were not announced at time of publication

ALL-CATHOLIC AND ALL-STAR SELECTIONS 2023-2024

VARSITY BASEBALL

Noah Albano 1st Team All-Catholic

VARSITY BOWLING

Brayden Keppel 1st Team All-Catholic

Jack Tebeau 1st Team All-Catholic, MMHSAA High Average, MMHSAA High Series

Logan Knodel 1st Team All-Catholic

VARSITY CROSS COUNTRY

Ryan Borello 1st Team All Catholic

Nathan Phillips 1st Team All Catholic

Michael Stadler 1st Team All Catholic

VARSITY FOOTBALL

Felix Cedeno 1st Team All Catholic

Shane Giesser 1st Team All Catholic

Marcus Harrison 1st Team All Catholic, All NYS, All WNY & Trench Trophy Winner

Ethan Metro 1st Team All Catholic, All WNY

Jeremiah Neely 1st Team All Catholic

Terrence Pendergrass MMHSAA Player of the Year Connolly Cup Finalist 1st Team All Catholic, All WNY

Theordore Roberts 1st Team All Catholic

Kynan Ulanga II 1st Team All Catholic

Landon Welka 1st Team All Catholic

VARSITY GOLF

Jack Tebeau MMHSAA Individual Champion 1st Team All Catholic

VARSITY FED

HOCKEY

Elliott Firth 1st Team All Federation

Anthony Venditti 1st Team All Catholic

ALL-CATHOLIC AND ALL-STAR SELECTIONS 2023-2024

VARSITY LACROSSE

Robert Karalus

1st Team All Catholic

Landon Welka 1st Team All Catholic

VARSITY

SOCCER

Aidan Goodberry 1st Team All Catholic

Kaleb O’Connor 1st Team All Catholic

VARSITY TRACK & FIELD

Dominic Davis

CHSAA Champion Pentathlon

Brayden Mahoney

All Catholic 4x800m Relay

Dalton Pelow

All Catholic 4x800m Relay 4x400m Relay

Nathan Phillips

All Catholic 4x800m Relay

Shepard Snyder

All Catholic 4x400m Relay

Michael Stadler

All Catholic 400m, 800m 4x400m Relay 4x800m Relay

Maximus Sturniolo

All Catholic 4x400m Relay

VARSITY

VOLLEYBALL

Charlie Alessi 1st Team All Catholic

Jacob Gearhart 1st Team All Catholic

Tristan Kolek 1st Team All Catholic

VARSITY WRESTLING

Zachary Caldwell

All Catholic, CHSAA Champion, NYS Federation 2nd 190 lbs

Jack Coughlin

MMHSAA Most Outstanding Wrestler

All Catholic Champion 285 lbs

Brandon Drummond

All Catholic Champion 160 lbs

Cullen Edwards

All Catholic, CHSAA Champion, NYS Federation 6th 110 lbs

Kole Haseley

All Catholic Champion 124 lbs

Gage LaPlante

CHSAA Most Outstanding Wrestler

All Catholic, CHSAA Champion, NYS Federation 3rd 170 lbs

Griffin LaPlante

All Catholic, CHSAA Champion, NYS Federation 2nd 152 lbs

Rory White

All Catholic Champion 145 lbs

ST. FRANCIS HIGH SCHOOL

CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS 2023–2024

Congratulations on Being the Best

CROSS COUNTRY

MMHSAA Regular Season Champions & All Catholic Champions

Head Coach: Jon Keifer

Asst. Coaches: Kevin Hoak, Alex Schaffstall

Ryan Borrello

Cameron Bush

Nathan Klimitzak

Dalton Pelow

Nathan Philips

Thomas Pivarunas

Brayden Pyzikiewicz

Theodore Reid

Patrick Roof

Michael Stadler

Maximus Sturniolo

Joseph White

Donavin Wittschack

ST. FRANCIS HIGH SCHOOL

CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS 2023–2024

Congratulations on Being the Best

VARSITY FOOTBALL

MMHSAA Regular Season Champions & League Champions

Head Coach: Jerry Smith

Asst. Coaches: Steve Otremba, Craig Browning, Mike Chuchla, Matt Davis, Scott Greenough, Greg Greenough, Kevin Murphy, Adam Redden, Kynan Ulanga

Terrence Pendergrass

Kion Ulanga

Damone Allen

Jeremiah Neely

Keegan Brunet

Edward Gauthier III

Kynan Ulanga II

Robert Kendall

Teddy Roberts

Matthew Richards

Shane Giesser

Eli Stanley

Tucker Jobe

Matthew Zielinski

Johann Vasques-Garcia

Dominic Davis

Landon Welka

Ethan Metro

William Hanson

Jimmy Valentine

Eli Greenough

Connor Miller

Brandon Drummond

Aidan Pacholec

Brady Greenough

Peyton Johnson

Michael Harris

Maxwell Haggerty

Joshua Sullivan

Felix Cedeno

Slade Gonzales

Romeo Valle

Marcus Harrison

Ethan Farley

Tim McCann

Aidan Nardello

Grant Rybczynski

Kevin Guy

Evan Noecker

Sam Skalski

Brady Waring

Larry Hardy

Noah Violanti

John Meka Jr.

ST. FRANCIS HIGH SCHOOL CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS

2023–2024

Congratulations on Being the Best

JV FOOTBALL

MMHSAA Regular Season Champions & League Champions

Head Coach: Bill Calkins

Asst. Coaches: Bob Kendall, Bob Wesolek, Georgio Khoury

Brady Waring

Andrew Lindstrom

Andrew Poleon

Chase Russo

Jeff Thomas

Andre Amos

Larafus Green

Tim Coughlin

Liam Fisher

Elliot Davis

Nico Pinelli

Pat Coughlin

Kaiden Wright

Larry Hardy

Jackson Kalinowski

Nathan Lindstrom

Cologero Rodo

Matthew Borrello

Evan Noecker

Brendan Thompson

Aidan Rogers

Landon Govan

Sam Skalski

Evan Greenough

Jovanni Fomby

Vincent Scott

Shepard Snyder

Ethan Tobolski

Damien Cedri

Myson Burse

Kevin Guy

Jayden Jones

Micah Anderson

Noah Violanti

Aidan Curran

Thomas Fino

Isaac Snyder

Brady Backus

Nicholas Jauch

Carter Druzbik

Brooks Runfola

John Meka Jr.

Brody Winterhalter

Kaj Benton

Rory White

Nathan Brese

Cameron Munley

Lo’Ren Thompson

Ronald Rytel

John Goldfinch

Hunter Esford

Max McCarthy

Joshua Eigbe

Malcolm Ransom

David Haj

Mason Gravius

Carter Hunter

ST.

FRANCIS HIGH SCHOOL

CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS 2023–2024

Congratulations on Being the Best

VARSITY WRESTLING

MMHSAA Regular Season & CHSAA Duals Champions

Head Coach: Mike Messore

Asst. Coaches: Ron Lorenz, Steve Hart, Jesse White, Matt Heywood, Mike Evans

Owen Braunscheidel

Zachary Caldwell

John Coughlin

Brandon Drummond

Cullen Edwards

Sean Gearhart

Kole Haseley

Tucker Jobe

Karol Krzyszton

Gage LaPlante

Griffin LaPlante

Timothy McCann

Connor Miller

Owen Miller

Max McCarthy

Andrew Poleon

Brayden Pyzikiewicz

Liam Sullivan

Johann Vasquez-Garces

Rory White

ST. FRANCIS HIGH SCHOOL

CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS 2023–2024

Congratulations on Being the Best

JV RED HOCKEY

NFJVHA Division I Champions

Head Coach: Nik Fattey

Asst. Coaches: Jay Ciamaga, Steve Heatley

Logan Aiello

Cam Alessandra

Chase Bousquet

Andrew Boyd

Gavyn Cotter

William Fattey

Garrick Green

Brady Jones

Owen Miller

Kane O’Connor

Evan Pierce

Krystof Pobl

Brayden Rakoski

Aidan Rogers

Donovan Schwanz

Jacob Shull

Joshua Sikorski

Garrett Tiutiunnyk

Lukas Tokasz

Ryan Werner

ST. FRANCIS HIGH SCHOOL

CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS 2023–2024

Congratulations on Being the Best

VARSITY TRACK & FIELD

MMHSAA Regular Season Champions

Head Coach: Steve Otremba

Asst. Coaches: Bob Hasenoehrl, Arek Janiga, Alex Schaffstall, Nate Suchyna

Oakley Adams

Damone Allen

Andre Amos

Nathan Barnas

Isaac Bennett

Timothy Cich

Cameron Connolly-Seider

Elliott Davis

Dominic Davis

Chad English

Ethan Farley

Joshua Fischer

Jovanni Fomby

Spencer Frangou

Mason Gravius

Maxwell Haggerty

Larry Hardy

Marcus Harrison

Dominic Insera

Peyton Johnson

Brady Jones

Nathan Klimtzak

Brayden Mahoney

Camden Marx

Timothy McCann

Anwar Musleh

David Nowadly

Aidan Pacholec

Dalton Pelow

Nathan Phillips

Thomas Pivarunas

Nathaniel Powers

Mikko Rippon

Cologero Rodo

Patrick Roof

Kyle Roth

Evan Sampson

Benjamin Siler

Angelo Simoncelli

Samuel Skalski

Isaac Snyder

Shepard Snyder

David Spadone

Michael Stadler

Ronald Stoj

Maximus Sturniolo

Lo’Ren Thompson

Brendan Thompson

Braiden Truby

David Valdez

Romeo Valle

Noah Violanti

Aidan Wallace

Colton Warner

Kaiden Wright

ST.

FRANCIS HIGH SCHOOL

CHAMPIONSHIP TEAMS 2023–2024

Congratulations on Being the Best

JV BASEBALL

MMHSAA Regular Season Champions

Head Coach: Chris Hoak

Asst. Coaches: Ed Hoak, Tim Kirst

Braydn Chudoba

Jericho Ciamaga

Caidon Evancho

Garrick Green

Luke Lanning

Troy Massey

Connor Nannen

Dylan Noecker

Evan Noecker

James O’Brien

Luke Panzarella

Jack Salerno

Aidan Curran

Blake Stepniak

ST. FRANCIS ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME

Dedicated to the Memory of

The Very Rev. Rufinus Niedzwiecki, OFM Conv.

The Very Rev. Rufinus Niedziecki Memorial Sports Hall of Fame at St. Francis High School is named after one of Western New York’s legendary sports figures. In over twenty years at his alma mater, St. Francis High School, Father Rufinus built a reputation as one of the area’s finest and most knowledgeable coaches. His basketball teams always enjoyed winning seasons and won numerous Manhattan Cup titles; and his baseball teams were an annual fixture in the Georgetown Cup championships. Besides compiling one of the best records of any coach in the area, his astute administrative abilities led to the building of one of the finest athletic programs in the region a St. Francis.

An outstanding basketball and baseball player, Father Rufinus was a member of the first class to graduate from St. Francis in 1931. Known as a stern disciplinarian, Father “Rufe” is best remembered by his players as a gentle and kind person who was deeply concerned about every young man he coached. In 2002, Fr. Rufinus was inducted in the Western New York Baseball Hall of Fame.

ST. FRANCIS ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME

1977

Rev. Rufinus Niedzwiecki, OFM Conv., ’31

1978

Adolph Trznadel ’45

Steve Aalasny ’57

Edward Maj ’58

Gerald Morawski ’63

Mark Finucane ’74

1979

Joseph Mikulewicz ’51

Stephen Mandy ’55

Leroy Majtyka ’58

Peter Compisi ’65

Gerald Martin ’74

1980

Walter Myslewski ’47

Joseph Plawecki ’48

James Burka ’53

Michael Hoak ’70

Greg Andzel ’74

1981

Fr. Ignatius, OFM Conv. ’31

Joseph Melerski ’52

Sephen Hetey ’55

Gary Kaczor ’76

1982

Fr. Joseph, OFM Conv. ’31

Tony Harasimowicz ’54

Edward J. Hoak ’68

Harold Summar, Jr. ’75

Coach Ed DeJoy

1983

Arthur Cholewinski ’53

John J. Kubitsy ’53

Stan A. Buczkowski ’54

James J. Michalek ’59

William G. Wilson ’75

1984

Henry J. Jankowski ’42

Leonard Paczesnik ’50

Anthony Paliwoda ’62

Mark Dietrick ’73

Coach Walter Andzel

1985

Ronald M. Bielicki ’50

Frank E. Mormul ’51

John J. Kaczor ’51

Donald W. Shinners ’73

John L. Mastrantoni ’76

1986

Fr. Adrian, OFM Conv. ’35

Robert E. Roth ’72

Bruce A. Sage ’77

Michael C. Leavell ’80

1987

Joseph Jastrzemski ’46

Anthony Compisi ’60

Robert Martin ’61

Fr. Jude, OFM Conv. ’66

Jim Boland ’68

Matthew “Jerry” Glavy ’81

1988

Joseph Dudas ’49

Kenneth Rollek ’62

Clair A. Montroy III ’68

Daniel J. Neaverth ’78

Joseph Laipple ’81

Coach Ray Karney

1989

Leo Nowak ’45

Victor Salasny ’58

Jerome Kornowicz ’63

William Jaworski Jr. ’83

Gerald Courier ’83

Michael Laipple ’83

1990

Chris Patton ’74

Jeff Bryk ’80

Jeff Zern ’82

Kevin Jerge ’82

Scott Slade ’82

E.J. Pfister ’84

1991

Joseph H. Stein ’59

Larry Simcox ’61

George Kontrabecki ’62

John Buczkowski ’63

Gerald McEnearney ’64

1992

Leonard S. Pittner ’47

Felix A. Wasiak ’48

Jerry Gorczyca ’73

Matthew Jaworski ’85

Mark Joseph Diebold ’85

Coach John Courtney

1993

Richard Dompkowski ’56

Jeffrey J. Blair ’77

James Bochenski ’77

James J. Donovan ’78

Daniel B. Mayer ’78

Cleophus J. Weeks ’78

1994

Fr. Maurice Piszczatowski, OFM Conv. ’46

Henry Wargula ’56

John P. Cisek ’61

Richard A. Cisek ’61

Henry T. Pietraszek ’64

Eric R. Karney ’87

1995

Michael R. Dylik ’74

Doug Giacomoni ’79

Ross Mancuso ’84

William Laipple ’86

Daniel P. Bohen ’88

1996

Eugene Dudas ’52

Richard Powers ’54

Edward W. Halady ’79

Robert T. Domon, Jr. ’84

John X. Dantonio, D.D.S. ’87

John C. Feltz ’88

Thomas P. Pasternak

1997

Joseph John Helak ’48

Scott Andrew Allan ’89

Sean Patrick Muldowney ’89

David Michael Hack ’90

James Kubiak ’90

1998

William R. Walsh ’78

Michael E. Hartnett ’84

Kevin M. Degnan ’86

Marc G. Calveric ’90

Christopher M. Dantonio ’90

1999

1946 Inaugural Football Team

Robert Pacholski

2000

1950 Golf Team

Carlos Justinaino ’69

Paul Bartell ’88

Steve Otremba ’90

2001

Christopher Polian ’89

Anthony C. Fest ’91

Scott J. Taylor ’92

Larry Tyger ’93

John Scibetta

Jerry Smith

2002

Donald Sheff ’72

Dennis H. Hoak ’73

George Kline ’82

Joseph Volpe ’85

Michael A. Messore ’91

William Joshua Davies ’93

2003

Ron Curry ’66

Jim Popielinski ’70

Christofer C. Fattey ’96

2004

Michael Patrick Fitzgerald ’66

John Conmy ’88

Brian Polian ’93

Brian Daboll ’93

2005

Robert Panek ’57

Matt Pawlikowski ’88

Mark Drabik ’94

Jesse White ’95

2006

ST. FRANCIS ATHLETIC HALL OF FAME

Jim Chojnacki ’91

Chris Pasternak ’91

Dan Okoniewski ’95

Coach John Bowers

Fr. Joseph Benicewicz, OFM Conv.

2007

Brian Attea ’85

Bob D’Orazio ’87

Jason Cichocki ’92

Peter Cavaretta

Dr. Leo Michalek

2008

David Caldwell ’92

Matt Davis ’92

Nicholas Fattey ’97

Craig Austin ’98

Fr. Charles Jagodzinski, OFM Conv.

2009

Frank Tabaczynski ’94

Tom Bestpitch ’96

William Mariani ’98

Coach Joe Molloy

2010

Gil Alba ’61

Korry Miller ’93

Cort Knodel ’93

Brian Ferris ’00

Nathaniel Suchyna ’00

2011

James Cullen ’81

Gary Cullen ’83

Peter Sartori ’84

Patrick Cullen ’85

Gaeton Camillo ’99

Kevin Van Remmen

2012

Ed Hoak, Jr. ’93

Dave Ferris ’02

Kiel Illg ’02

Mike Radon ’02

Kyle Smith ’02

2013

Andrew Degnan ’91

Patrick Lalley ’93

Patrick Hylant ’97

Nicholas Zieziula ’01

Red Raider Super Patrons

Steve Otremba ’90

Pacholec Family

Mark ’81 & Bridget, Ian ’12, Brien ’15, Liam ’17 & Aidan ’24

Tom Compisi ’70

Michael Cross ’86

Anthony and Susan Pivarunas

Alex P. Schaffstall ’12

Nate Suchyna ’00

MaryAnne Justiniano

Scott Slade ’82

Robert Crummet ’98

James Starkey ’03

2014

Terence Waldorf ’87

Mark Dantonio ’93

Brian Mata ’99

Vincent DeMarco ’04

2015

John A. Compisi ’66

Jason Blatner ’98

Todd Kane ’99

Scott Greene ’01

2016

Dallas Pelz ’99

Jim Negrych ’03

Christopher Smith ’05

2017

Daniel J. Kick ’02

Adam Haas ’03

Rick Lynch ’03

Brian Haas ’07

2018

Kevin Hoak ’99

Andy Lanigan ’02

Doug Worthington ’05

+Jason “JJ” Jablonski ’13

2019

Anthony Day ’09

Zak Kedron ’05

Kevin Roth ’07

Vinny Scarcella ’07

2022

Gregory A. Pivarunas ’06

Dan J. Puckhaber ’99

Nicholas Suchyna ’03

Tom Telesco ’91

2023

Ilio DiPaolo ’06

Lucas Tasker ’09

Brent Titus ’06

Jon Van Remmen ’08

Red Raider Very Special Patrons

Susan Carini

Andy and Jen McCann

Meka Family

James Starkey ’03

Jacqueline Gow

CLASS OF 2023

HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

ILIO DIPAOLO ’06

Ilio DiPaolo a member of the Class of 2006 who played a pivotal role in the success of the St. Francis Football, Basketball & Outdoor Track & Field Teams. A three-year starter & Captain at QB for the Red Raiders, the football team won regular season and playoff championships in 2003 & 2004 along with being ranked #1 in WNY both seasons. Along with going undefeated in those seasons in MMHSAA play, Ilio led the Red Raiders to a come from behind victory against National Power St. Ignatius in 2004 bringing the school & the program a USA Today National High School Ranking of #22 in entire nation. Ilio earned All Catholic, All WNY & All State honors thru his stellar career on the gridiron and his career totals in particular wins under center are at the top of the St. Francis Football Record Book. He captained & started two seasons at point guard for the St. Francis Basketball team and his play and leadership brought the program a top 10 ranking in WNY his senior season. Ilio also helped the Track & Field Team in the sprints to a regular season and All Catholic titles in the spring of 2006. Ilio won the Sportsmanship Award for the class of 2006 at Graduation his Senior Year. Ilio went on to play at Lock Haven and Edinboro University where he captained & helped elevate the Fighting Scots to the NCAA Division II Playoffs reaching the quarterfinals. Ilio graduated in 2010 with a degree in Business Management. He currently oversees with his family Ilio DiPaolo’s Restaurant along with Sole Sand Bar on Woodlawn Beach. Ilio also works with ID3 Development Properties. Ilio resides in Orchard Park, NY.

CLASS OF 2023

HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

LUKE TASKER ’09

Luke Tasker is a member of class of 2009. Luke was instrumental in the success of both the Football and Outdoor Track & Field Programs during his time as a Red Raider. In the fall, Luke captained & earned All Catholic & All WNY honors while leading the football team to Championships in 2007 and in 2008. Luke’s versatility enabled his talents to be on display on defense, offense and on special teams. In the spring, Luke became a high level sprinter who would win five All Catholics during his junior and senior seasons. He won 4 events his senior year winning the 100, 200, 4 x 100 and discus that season scoring 32.5 points in the meet. He helped the team to a regular season title in 2008. At graduation Luke won the Athlete of the Year Award for the class of 2009. Luke went on to have successful collegiate career at Cornell University where he graduated in 2013 with a degree in Communications with a minor in Business. After a brief stint with the NFL San Diego Chargers Luke would go on to play 7 seasons with the Hamilton Tiger Cats that saw him earn All Division & All CFL honors along with playing in 2 Grey Cup Finals. Luke works in Real Estate with his brother Deacon class of 2006 along with being an analyst for the Ticats Audio Network in the CFL. Luke resides in East Aurora, NY with his wife Jenna a Nardin Grad ‘09 and is the father to Steele, Coen & Levon.

CLASS OF 2023

HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

BRENT TITUS ’06

Brent Titus is a member of graduating class of 2006 from St. Francis High School. Brent played football and was a member of the Track & Field team. Brent played linebacker for the Red Raiders and he was a member of the 2004 Championship Team that defeated St. Ignatius and with their 21-0 win over St. Joe’s earned their 2nd #1 ranking as the best team in WNY. It is with Track & Field that Brent would make his biggest contribution as an athlete at St. Francis. Brent would dominate the discus event by winning the event three consecutive years along with winning back to back CHSAA titles in 2004 and 2005. Brent would place at the NYSPHSAA Federation Meet both in 2004 & 2005. His Senior year, Brent broke the MMHSAA league record by throwing the Discus 182’11 a mark that still stands today in the MMHSAA. When he graduated he also had the school record for the shotput that stood up until 2022. Brent earned 4 All Catholics and he would lead the Track & Field team to titles in 2005 & 2006 along with an All- Catholic Team Title in 2006.

After graduating from St. Francis Brent would go on to compete at the University of Alabama & Erie Community College. Brent would win a National Title in the Discus at ECC and in doing so set a Junior College Record in the event that stood until 2021. Brent holds school records in the Discus, Hammer & Shotput at ECC. Brent would earn a Bachelor Degree in Accounting from Fredonia in 2012. He is the controller for Visone Co. Site Development & Stonewall Property Management along with Constitution & Property Management. Brent resides in Grand Island.

CLASS OF 2023

HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES

JON VAN REMMEN ’08

Jon Van Remmen is a member of the Class of 2008. While at St. Francis Jon played Baseball, Football and was a member of the Indoor Track & Field Team. In the fall, Jon helped the St. Francis Football back to a regular season & playoff championship in 2007. As a running back and defensive back he helped the squad go undefeated in league play in 2007 and he was named the offensive MVP in the Championship Game that St. Francis won 21-0 over Canisius. Jon earned 2nd team All Catholic honors that year. In the spring Jon helped the Baseball Team win 3 consecutive Georgetown Cup finals defeating Canisius in each one of them. He earned All Catholic honors both his junior and senior seasons for the Red Raiders and was named 1st team All WNY his senior season. Jon was also on the All New York State Team his senior year for baseball. Jon went on to play baseball for Canisius College where he earned bachelor degree in Physical Education & Health along with a master degree in Sports Administration. Jon is a Physical Education Teacher in the Orchard Park School District. Jon is married to his wife Megan for 10 years and is the proud father to Joy, Calvin & Valerie.