The Buffalo Bills and ADPRO Sports have partnered to honor high school coaches from both the Buffalo and Rochester regions each week for their outstanding commitment to their team and high school communities.
Each coach will receive $1,000 for their football programs and will have a chance to be named Coach of the Year during the Week 17 game against the New England Patriots at Highmark Stadium.
Buffalo Region Coach of the Week #7
Eric Rupp is the Buffalo Region Coach of the Week after leading the Lancaster Legends to a 28-13 win over Canisius on Friday. The Legends trailed 13-7 at halftime before going on a 15-0 run in the second half.
Quarterback Alex Krupa completed 15 of 24 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns. Jayden Colon also stepped in at quarterback and threw for a touchdown, also rushing for 53 yards.
In eight seasons, Rupp has a 70-11 record and won five consecutive Section 6 titles from 2016 until 2020. He also led Lancaster to the NYS Championship game in 2017.
Rupp previously served as junior varsity head coach and varsity assistant coach at Lancaster for seven seasons before being named head coach in 2016.
Rupp’s motto for his program is “Building Champions for Life,” and Lancaster holds an annual youth football camp for over 200 local kids, starting back in 2009. The Legends also donated half of the ticket sales of Friday’s game to the American Cancer Society and donate half of their ticket sales in their rivalry game against Depew to the WNY Heroes Foundation for Disabled Military Veterans.
Rupp’s favorite memory was when Lancaster beat Cicero-North Syracuse in the NYS semifinals to earn their first trip to the NYS championship game.
Rochester Region Coach of the Week #7
Le Roy’s Mike Humphrey is the Rochester region coach of the week after clinching the regular season championship with a 42-21 win over Livonia over the weekend.
The Knights led 21-7 at the half and stretched their lead to 35-7 in the third quarter. Quarterback Tommy Condidorio rushed for a touchdown and passed for two more touchdowns and Tony Piazza rushed for 116 yards and a touchdown.
This season is Humphrey’s first as a head coach after serving as an assistant coach at the junior varisty level since 2013. His coaching philosophy centers around being competitive, working hard and being the toughest team on the field.
Humphrey’s favorite football memory was being part of the staff that won the Section 5 championship in 2014 as well as winning the season opener in his first game as head coach.
