The Franklinville/Ellicottville football team earned four Big 30 All-Stars and finished atop the Olean Times Herald’s small school poll for a third straight year Sunday.
The Times Herald hosted its annual Big 30 Football Testimonial Dinner, the 70th such banquet honoring the 50th All-Star Team, Sunday at Moonwink’s Restaurant in Cuba. The Titans went 9-1 in 2017, going undefeated through the regular season and falling in the Section 6 Class D championship, 26-15, to Maple Grove, a team still playing entering Friday’s NYSPHSAA championship game.
— For Randolph/Frewsburg, senior Nick Becker not only made the Big 30 All-Star offense, he took home the E.B. Fitzpatrick – James Russell Memorial Award for the Unsung Lineman of the Year. Becker anchored a solid line for the first-year merged program, which went 3-5 under coach Brent Brown and won three of its last four regular season games. The 6-foot-2, 270-pound two-way started helped the Cardinals average 25 points per game while recording 37 tackles and three sacks on defense.
He beat out Bradford’s Isaac Gralak to win the Lineman of the Year after both were nominated by the Big 30 selection committee.
— Junior defensive back Tyler Hedlund, meanwhile, became Salamanca’s first Big 30 selection since 2013 (defensive end Brad Cunningham) and the first to make the team for coach Paul Haley. He led the team with 75 tackles as a safety and marked two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. Hedlund’s highlights include a 90-yard touchdown reception, 80-yard punt return and a fourth-quarter comeback as the Warriors’ emergency quarterback. One of just four juniors to make the Big 30 All-Star team, Hedlund is set to return after helping lead Salamanca (5-4) to its first winning record since 2013.
— F/E’s four all-stars include a player of the year and defensive player of the year nominee. Four seniors — quarterback Brock Blecha, defensive end Sam Erickson, defensive tackle Walter Woodarek, linebacker Griffin Chudy — made the team.
Blecha, a third-year starter and second-year QB, finished with 1,303 passing yards (76-of-120) with 16 touchdowns and 615 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns for 31 total. The Section 6 Class D offensive MVP also earned a nomination for the Gary Sage Memorial Award for Player of the Year, an honor that ultimately went to Ridgway running back Neil MacDonald.
Chudy earned a nomination for the Lou Foy Memorial Award for Defensive Player of the Year. This year he marked 50 tackles (six for loss), three sacks and three interceptions. He also served as F/E’s lead tailback, running for or catching 11 touchdowns.
Erickson marked 40 tackles (15 for loss), 10 sacks and four fumble recoveries including one for a touchdown as a dominant edge rusher. He was also F/E’s leading pass-catcher at tight end, catching seven touchdowns.
Woodarek, a Trench Trophy nominee, had 35 tackles (eight for loss) and two sacks for the Titans.
— Other award winners included Ridgway coach Mark Heindl (Alfred Joe Bunnell Memorial Award, Coach of the Year), Pioneer junior linebacker Mike Rigerman (Lou Foy Memorial Award, Defensive Player of the Year) and Portville (Leon Abbott Memorial Award, School Sportsmanship). Kane finished as the top large school poll team. Ridgway senior Joey Elinski, whose season and career ended prematurely due to a back injury, won the second annual Joe DeCerbo Award.
