Published: October 29, 2009 10:56 pm      

HS FOOTBALL: NT hosts OP in rematch of ‘08 final

It is a semifinal, but it might as well be the championship game.

Tonight’s Section VI Class AA matchup between reigning state champion Orchard Park and host North Tonawanda will have the feel of a title game.

These are two Class AA heavyweights whose playoff paths before this year have crossed four of the past five seasons, with Orchard Park emerging victorious each time, including last November, when the Quakers dealt NT a crushing, season-ending blow at Ralph Wilson Stadium.

But 2009 is a new season, and it ushered in a North Tonawanda team that has held lofty expectations since the opening of training camp in mid-August. The 8-0 Lumberjacks are ranked No. 3 in the state in Class AA, while the Quakers (7-1) are No. 8.

Orchard Park coach Gene Tundo expects nothing less than an all-out battle.

“This might be the best North Tonawanda team that I’ve ever seen as far as being complete,” he said. “They do a lot of things on offense, they’re very active on defense, and their special teams play is good.”

Both teams are coming off big quarterfinal wins, with OP throttling Williamsville North 39-6 and NT rolling Frontier 40-13. The Quakers held North to minus-9 yards rushing and two first downs while piling up 331 on the ground with 16 chain-movers. Attempting just one pass the whole night, the Lumberjacks amassed 431 rushing yards.

As if a matchup of two of the section’s best programs wasn’t good enough, the other storyline here is the fact that the Quakers have had NT’s number since 2004. Orchard Park is 5-1 against the Jacks in that time, including a perfect 4-0 in playoff meetings. NT’s last win over the Quakers was a 22-14 decision three years ago.

“It’s going to be a war,” NT coach Eric Jantzi said. “We’re going to have to play four quarters of football.”

That’s something the Lumberjacks didn’t do in last year’s 28-13 sectional final loss to the Quakers, who went on to win the state title, one of an unprecedented four Section VI teams to do so in the same season.

This fall, though, it appears that the tables have turned. Led by a high-powered offense that averages 317 rushing yards and 42.3 points per game and an unrelenting, aggressive defense that yields 87.4 rushing yards and just under eight points per game, the Lumberjacks have dominated their opponents. Orchard Park, on the other hand, is not the team it was last year, although, to be sure, they still are a strong squad.

With at least four backs who can break big runs, the Jacks have spread their rushing totals around. Senior Steve Kijowski leads the team with 389 yards on 59 carries. Individually, it’s not an impressive statistic, but taken as a whole, it offers a better look at the dominance NT’s offensive line has displayed. After Kijowski, the Jacks have four other players who have rushed for over 300 yards, helping NT outgain its opponents 2,538-699 on the ground this fall.

Meanwhile, Orchard Park’s ground game is keyed by sophomore Okoya Anderson, a tough ball carrier who’s rushed for 1,158 yards. Quarterback Dave Janca has a 112.3 passer rating, showing that OP can throw the ball, but he does have more interceptions than touchdowns.

“They run a lot more power sets than other teams we’ve faced,” Kijowski said. “They just come at you with smashmouth football.”

Perhaps OP’s biggest advantage is that it is a bit more battle-tested. In Week Five, the Quakers lost a 9-7 nail-biter to Lancaster on a late field goal, ending Orchard Park’s reign of 31 consecutive victories against Section VI opponents going back to 2006.

The loss taught Tundo’s team a valuable lesson — that entitlement doesn’t guarantee victory. “It let them know that we’re not invincible,” Tundo said. “After that, they realized that everybody approaches us like it’s a championship game. It helped us focus and let us realize that we needed to want to win more and not just expect to win.”

For the most part, the 2009 Jacks have blown out their opponents, racking up 132 first-quarter points while allowing seven in the first 12 minutes.

But they also took away some important lessons from last year’s sectional final, in which OP didn’t secure victory until the final minutes of the game. North Tonawanda gave Orchard Park several short fields to work with, and was riddled by a few drive-killing turnovers.

“They figured out they need to hold onto the football,” Jantzi said. Another plus is the play of quarterback Tuzzo, who enters the game with that all-important playoff experience, and the fact that the 2009 North Tonawanda defense is among the best in the program’s recent history.

For the second week in a row, NT will likely play without senior Aaron Davis, who is still nursing an ankle injury. Jantzi said it will be a gametime decision.

Still, thoughts of last year’s championship game linger. “I feel like it is,” senior defensive lineman Jeff Schinaman said when asked if tonight’s semifinal is a revenge game for the Jacks. “This year, we want to try to take that back. It’s a big grudge match. I just can’t wait for (tonight).”

It’s a sentiment shared by both teams.

“It’s going to be fun going there to play,” Tundo said. “We haven’t been there in a while. Coach Jantzi is a great coach. ... I’m anticipating a battle. They’re going to be tough to stop.”

Contact reporter David J. Hill at 693-1000, ext. 115.