Post-Season Snubs; 10 Sophomores

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The future is now! Here are 10 sophomores that had exceptional seasons at their respective positions. Few of them did get recognized as All-League honorees but were unable to get through to the All-WNY and All-State teams.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>QB [player_tooltip player_id='1952067' first='Cole' last='Siska'] | Akron | I first got to see Siska play in week 6 of this year when he lead Akron to an outstanding overtime win over Maritime. He is an athletic playmaker at the QB position that should really make a name for himself in the next couple years.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>QB [player_tooltip player_id='1864262' first='Anthony' last='Mantione'] | Grand Island | Mantione had one of the more anticipated varsity debuts in 2025. An athletic playmaker that led his JV team to an undefeated season as a freshman, Anthony led the Vikings in rushing (569 yards &amp; 6 TDs) as well as passing (953 yards and 10 TDs) as a sophomore.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>RB [player_tooltip player_id='1367174' first='Sawyer' last='Whitney'] | CSP | The two time defending Class D champions made the move to Class C and although they failed to make the playoffs, they found a diamond in the rough with Whitney. In his hirst year as a varsity starter, Sawyer eclipsed the 1,000 yard rushing mark and scored 11 TDs.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>RB [player_tooltip player_id='1707378' first='Trey' last='Pfeiffer'] | Iroquois | It's not surprising Pfeiffer didn't get a lot of recognition as a RB because of Iroquois' record breaking passing attack. But there were games that Trey's name was called to close out contests and he showed his burst averaging 5 yards per carry.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>OL [player_tooltip player_id='1709923' first='Logan' last='Gretch'] | Maryvale | Maryvale had an up and down season in 2025 but they have a solid player anchoring the line in Gretch for the next two years. Logan is a quick Center with solid aggression that can get to the second level. There will be a lot of change over to the skill position for the Flyers so Gretch will be looked upon as one of the leaders.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>OL Evan Smelser | Orchard Park | There isn't any film on Smelser but coming across his name, he is listed at 6'7 and over 300 lbs. You cannot teach size so this is one player that should be known in WNY in 2026.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LB [player_tooltip player_id='1814145' first='Troy' last='Russell'] | Lake Shore | Russell made hus varsity debut this season and led the Eagles in tackles right out of the gate. He is small in stature but very fast and has excellent pursuit when chasing down ball carriers.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>LB [player_tooltip player_id='1864299' first='Riley' last='O'Brien'] | Grand Island | I started following O'Brien when he was playing JV as a freshman and I liked the tenacity he brought to the game. Listed at just 5'10 180 lbs., he plays bigger than his size suggests. He led the Vikings in tackles as a sophomore and guided their defense into the playoffs where they pulled off a big upset against #1 ranked Williamsville North.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DB [player_tooltip player_id='1707374' first='Jackson' last='Kwaizer'] | Iroquois | The Redhawks passing game was on fire this season and Kwaizer was second on the team in each receiving category (31-602-5) but he was also an exceptional Safety with a solid football IQ and a knack for being around the ball.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>DB Dion Cheatham | St. Joe's | St. Joe's has a lot of young talent on their team and Cheatham is one of the leaders on the list. In his first varsity season, Dion was 2nd on the Marauders with 40 tackles and added 3 INTs, returning 1 for a TD.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->