The weather is getting colder, the sun is going down earlier and that can only mean one thing, it is well and truly football season now.
The second half of the season is being welcomed in by some with open arms and others with not so open arms around the Niagara County and Erie County schools. As the season gets into the home stretch more and more playoff races are taking shape among Section VI teams.
Here is a look at the Week 5 games in the greater Niagara region.
OC Rivals (4-0) at Maryvale (3-1), 7 p.m., Thursday, at Maryvale High School
The battle between the Orleans County Rivals and the Maryvale High School Flyers is a battle for the top spot in the Section VI Class B1 standings. The teams are separated by one game in the standings heading into this contest, with the Rivals owning a lead over fifth-place Maryvale.
This campaign, the Rivals offense has been able to score 180 points with nine of those touchdowns coming through the air from quarterback Preston Woodworth. The senior’s nine scores have come on 668 yards and a 60% completion percentage.
Woodworth has been helped by a rushing attack which has 1,078 rushing yards this year, led by Elijah Doxey’s 375 yards and seven scores.
The Rivals defense will have to figure out how to slow down a Maryvale offense which has scored 85 points and put up 1,161 yards of offense.
Lockport (2-2) at Health Sciences/BASC/Charter (2-2), 7 p.m., Friday, at Buffalo State University
Through the first four weeks of the Lockport season, the Lions have been very up and down. Now the team takes on Health/Sciences/BASC/Charter trying to ride the roller coaster back up.
This season, Lockport started 2-0 while outscoring its opponents 62-18 before dropping its last two and being outscored 60-22. The game pits two teams separated by half a game in the AA standings against one another.
With a win and depending on other results, Lockport can move all the way up to first in the AA standings.
In the two Lockport wins, the squad was led by quarterback Scott Stowe and his 505 yards of offense. In the losses, Stowe has accounted for 258 yards of offense. If Lockport can get back on the right track, it needs a big performance out of the entire team, including its veteran leader.
West Seneca East (3-1) at Lewiston-Porter (0-4), 7 p.m., Friday, at Lewiston-Porter High School
Lewiston-Porter’s first season under new head coach Al Whitehead has not gone the way the team has wanted it to. However, the Lancers have a chance to shake up the B1 playoff race with an upset win over West Seneca East.
The West Seneca East Trojans head in at 3-1 overall, 3-1 in B1 play and 0-1 on the road. In this game, Lewiston-Porter will be trying to stop the rushing attack of Josh Urban who has 611 yards and 13 touchdowns.
Hamburg (2-2) at Grand Island (4-0), 7 p.m., Friday, at Grand Island High School
Grand Island has been dominant to start this season, winning all four of its games by a combined 126-26. The Vikings are looking for their first 5-0 start since 2012, when they finished the regular season undefeated.
Grand Island’s plus-100 point differential has come from big plays up and down the lineup.
The Vikings have been led offensively by junior signal caller Anthony Mantione, who has thrown for 663 yards with eight touchdowns and one interception. Mantione’s eight scores are the ninth-most in all of Section VI.
Defensively, the team is led by junior Riley O’Brien’s 29 tackles while he is one of four tackles for loss. The Vikings’ Bondi Carter has three interceptions to pace the team.
If Grand Island wins this game, they are going to need big plays out of both sides of the ball.
Niagara Wheatfield (2-2) at Orchard Park (4-0), 7 p.m., Friday, at Orchard Park High School
When Niagara Wheatfield takes on Orchard Park, it is trying to win consecutive games for the first time since 2023. The Falcons will be flying in trying to gain a game on the first place Quakers.
This season, Niagara Wheatfield is 0-1 on the road while Orchard Park is 2-0 at home. This game is the first between the two teams since 2024 when Orchard Park won 35-7.
Niagara Wheatfield’s Joe Chmaj has been leading the way offensively with 638 passing yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions. He also has 222 yards rushing with four touchdowns.
The Falcons defense has been led by Ryan Dworzanski who has 60 total tackles, good for the most in all of Section VI. Dworzanski also has one tackle for loss, one sack and one interception.
Cattaragus/Little Valley (0-4) at Wilson (4-0), 7 p.m., Friday, at Wilson High School
Under the lights at Walter J. Hutchinson Stadium, Wilson will be looking to improve to 5-0 for the second year in a row when it faces off against Cattaraugus/Little Valley.
The Lakemen offense has been led by junior Mason Coulter who has 523 rushing yards and eight touchdowns. Coulter’s rushing yards are the ninth-most in Section VI. The offense is not the only part of the team which has stood out, the Lakemen defense has also been a bright spot.
This year’s Lakemen defense has only given up 20 points all season. The leader of the defense is senior Cris Interisano who has 28 tackles, three tackles for loss, 1 ½ sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and one pass deflection.
Where are the offensive numbers?
Williamsville East (4-0) at Starpoint (3-1), 7 p.m., Friday, at Starpoint High School
In what could go down as the game of the weekend, Starpoint welcomes Williamsville East for a big Class A2 matchup.
The game will see two of the better offenses in Section VI face off, as the Flames come in averaging 33 points per game. Comparatively, Starpoint averages 31.3,points per game, with its biggest output coming last week in a 49-8 win over Kenmore East.
The two teams are two of 15 teams in the section to score 100 or more points this campaign.
Starpoint quarterback David Chase who has thrown for 805 yards, with nine touchdowns and six interceptions. His favorite target this year is Cole Steiner who has 20 receptions for 384 yards and four touchdowns.
The group will be facing off against Flames starting quarterback Anthony Martis who has thrown for 560 yards and 13 touchdowns while only throwing three interceptions. He has also added 149 rushing yards with one touchdown.
The Flames leading receiver this year is Ezra Rosner who has 15 receptions for 251 yards and four touchdowns.
JFK (2-2) at Barker/Roy-Hart (3-1), 7 p.m., Friday, at Barker High School
Barker/Roy-Hart is heading into its game against JFK with an incredibly tight lead over the chasing pack in the C North standings.
Barker/Roy-Hart has a one-game lead on Springville, JFK and Cleveland Hill. Now, Barker/Roy-Hart is looking to push its winning streak out to four games.
The Barker/Roy-Hart running game has played a big role in the team’s success this year, as the squad has 1,284 rushing yards, led by Carter Desarkissian, who has 76 carries for 613 yards and eight touchdowns.
The senior has had over 100 yards in three out of his team’s four games including a 35-carry, 270-yard, three-touchdown performance last week against Springville.
University Preparatory (2-2) at Niagara Falls (1-3), 2 p.m., Saturday, at Niagara Falls High School
When Niagara Falls kicks off its game against University Preparatory, it will be doing so trying to avoid falling to three games under .500.
Niagara Falls heads into this game with a 0-1 record at home after a 42-6 loss to Lancaster on Sept. 12. The Section VI Class AA University Prep Griffins are looking to get above .500 overall and improve to 1-1 on the road.
Niagara Falls will be needing big things out of the offense and quarterback Myrel Brundidge who has completed 10 of his 16 passes for 140 yards and two touchdowns. The junior took over as the signal caller and has gone 1-1 in his two starts this season.
Now, Brundidge will be tasked with facing off against a Griffins team that Niagara Falls has never faced before.