Week 2 Standout Players from WNY

With the Week 1 jitters out of the way, many players nerves have settled down. This past weekend, I made it out to three games and here I will highlight many of the playmakers from each contest.   <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Depew @ Iroquois</h2>   The story entering into this divisional contest is the matchup between 4 year starting QB [player_tooltip player_id='473979' first='Justus' last='Kleitz'] leading the Redhawks against the Depew Wildcats and their rising star, [player_tooltip player_id='1513363' first='Kole' last='Szratter']. The first half was neck and neck with a 19-13 score in favor of Iroquois but the Depew defense seemed to be no match for Iroquois, led by Kleitz as well as senior OL/DL [player_tooltip player_id='1794281' first='Owen' last='Luders'] & [player_tooltip player_id='1258819' first='Richard' last='Donohue']. They Redhawks took this one 40-20.   Player of the Game    While Kleitz had a huge outing, its hard to imagine Iroquois getting this victory without Skutnik. Nick was masterful on both sides of the ball as he racked up 6 catches for 154 yards and 3 TDs while making several stops on defense as well as the game clinching INT in the 4th quarter.    X Factors    After a disappointing Week 1, Kleitz showed why he is the Section VI all time passing leader and counting. Justus was a field general and led the Redhawks on 6 TD drives, throwing 4 scores himself; 3 to Skutnik and a beautiful 17 yard TD down the seem to [player_tooltip player_id='1345201' first='Timothy' last='Domino Jr'] . Kleitz ended the night going 19/26 for 263 yards and 4 TDs while running for another 37 yards.     It's safe to say the secret is out on Bridenbaker. This is a young man that can play football. He was a menace on both sides of the ball. He made several well formed tackles on defense but he was the best player on offense both running at receiving. For the second straight week, he led the Wildcats in both rushing and receiving. Zach tallied 61 yards on the ground and a TD, while catching 2 passes for 74 yards and catching a 57 yard score in the 4th Quarter.     While they didn't pick up the win, Szratter showed he is a playmaking QB that can make something out of nothing. Kole is exceptional at spreading the ball around and taking what the defense gives him. His 14 completions went to 6 different receivers. He turned those catches to 213 yards and a TD. He also had a rushing plunge from 2 yards out. Depew has a chance to win week in week out with Szratter at QB.    Breakout Players to Watch    Iroquois is a pass first team so I expect Pfeiffer's numbers to be up and down on a weekly basis but he showed in this game that he is the Redhawks workhorse RB and will be a force for the next three seasons. Trey was the key factor to putting the game on ice as he ran for 117 yards on 12 carries and 2 TDs.     Kwaizer's stats weren't off the charts (3 receptions for 21 yards and a few stops on defense) but he showed what the future for the Redhawks looks like. I pegged his as the Redhawks breakout player in the preseason and he didn't disappoint as he was a factor in all three aspects of the game. This is a player Class B will have to account for for the next three seasons.    <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Jamestown vs St. Joe's (JV & Varsity)</h2>   This was a Saturday double header where the St. Joe's Marauders JV team took on the Jamestown Red & Green. Jamestown overcame a 21-6 deficit to win 46-35.   In the varsity showdown, Connolly Cup hopeful [player_tooltip player_id='1241972' first='Chase' last='Bonta'] led Jamestown into Kenmore, NY to take on St. Joe's with their new signal caller, [player_tooltip player_id='1811553' first='Brayden' last='Manns']. The Marauders scored on their opening drive and never looked back as they defeated one of the better teams in Class AA 28-6.   Player of the Game    This game could be considered Kicinski breakout game but everybody in the WNY community knows how good of a football player he is. This just happens to be his biggest game to date. Owen started the game off with a 37 yard TD on St. Joe's opening drive then had a long 50+ yard run in the second half. All in all, he had over 200 yards on the ground and was a pivotal part of the Marauders defense that held Jamestown to just 6 points.    X Factors    Harden is a solid outside pass rusher that was all over the field in this game. Play of the game was a key sack he made on 3rd and 3 on the opening drive when Nose Tackle [player_tooltip player_id='1429076' first='Payton' last='Keighron'] flushed the QB out and forced him right to Damone. That play put the Red & Green in 4th and long territory. Last season was his breakout year but now as a junior more is expected of him.     Goodridge was all over the field in this game catching several passes on offense, including a 60 yard TD pass. He then turned his athleticism on defense where he picked off St. Joe's QB twice. Navon is a JV product that should be on everybody's watch list come next season.     Gonzalez made his presence felt on Offense catching several passes but special teams in one third of the game and that is where he shined. Noah scored on 2 punt returns for the Red & Green JV which ended up being a difference maker.    Breakout Players to Watch    Manns made his first start as the Marauders QB this week and he looked calm and cool from the start completing a 34 yard pass on the first play from scrimmage. Later in the game, he completed several third down conversions on the same drive that led to his lone TD of the game (2nd of the season) that would put the game on ice.     Hill had a monster day for Jamestown's JV team running for roughly 150 yards and a score, while converting a 2 point conversion. This is a player with a low center of gravity and good vision. He could be a name to remember when he gets called up to varsity.

With the Week 1 jitters out of the way, many players nerves have settled down. This past weekend, I made it out to three games and here I will highlight many of the playmakers from each contest.