BLACK HISTORY MONTH: GAME-CHANGERS OF THE PAST AND PRESENT - FOOTBALL
In honor of Black History month on The Scoreboard, we’ll be recognizing game-changers within the local sports community both of the past and of today.
Football in Western New York has a rich history in breaking barriers, and that’s trickled down to NFL products being born and raised right in the heart of the Queen City.
Back in 1969, James Harris became the first Black Quarterback to start a regular season opener when he suited up for the Bills. Five years later, in 1974, Harris did the same for starting a playoff game. Despite that bias still bubbling in some regions today, the stigma within the sport that Black players cannot be quarterbacks has been thoroughly dismantled, look no further than this weekend’s Super Bowl matchup. Two Black men, Jalen Hurts and Patrick Mahomes, represent the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs on football’s largest stage.
In today’s football landscape, there is one man who has already left his mark on the local scene, raising his children into elite players, but providing so many kids an experience of a lifetime while playing high school football. Steve McDuffie has a NYS Championship ring on his finger, and a son suiting up for the Green Bay Packers week in and week out. Coach McDuffie is a gamechanger, leading the future of the youth at Bennett High School, showing them what is possible and preparing them for life’s challenges beyond ball.
SABRES WIN FOURTH STRAIGHT FOR THE FIRST TIME THIS SEASON
With a 3-2 win over the Columbus Blue Jackets last night, the Buffalo Sabres achieved a feat that eluded them since the 2022-23 season: they’ve won four consecutive games.
Alex Tuch was terrific for the Sabres, scoring two goals and recording an assist on the other Sabre goal. James Reimer made 27 saves in goal for Buffalo.
The question at this point is fairly simple: does this even matter? How many of their final 29 games do they need to win to be in the playoffs? The answer isn’t definitive. Technically, until the Sabres are mathematically eliminated, there is a path, but with eight teams separating Buffalo from the final Eastern Conference Wild Card spot, it would take a boat-load of help across the conference to give the Sabres a chance to begin with. It doesn’t help the Sabres that five of those eight teams have winning records over their last ten games. It would take this current four-game winning streak to stretch into ten straight wins before I give them a legitimate path to the postseason. Even in that scenario, they would still have to win an overwhelming majority of the next twenty-three games to end the season.
What helps the Sabres is the Four Nations Faceoff, which begins next week. Buffalo’s last game before the two-week hiatus is Saturday night at Nashville. With only three Sabres’ participating (Dahlin, Luukkonen, and Jokiharju), the bulk of Buffalo’s roster will get a break to rest and recover before playing a grueling schedule to end the season.
WEDNESDAY WHIP-AROUND
Time to check in on the local college basketball scene with the ‘Wednesday Whip-Around’:
DIVISION I
Buffalo Bulls MBB: 7-15 (2-8), Following back to back losses to Ball State and last night at Toledo, the Bulls sit 2.5 games out of the final postseason spot halfway through conference play. UB hosts Georgia State Saturday at 2PM for the MAC-Sun Belt Conference Challenge.
Buffalo Bulls WBB: 19-2 (8-2), The winningest DI team in WNY this year has been rolling, winning six straight conference games for the first time in three years. UB’s dominant defense got them wins at Western Michigan and vs NIU this past week. The Bulls host Toledo for Education Day this morning at 11AM before heading to Myrtle Beach for a game at Coastal Carolina on Saturday.
St. Bonaventure Bonnies MBB: 17-7 (5-6), The Bonnies split their two games this past week with a gritty, 74-72 win over Fordham before a 77-53 loss at Loyola Chicago last night. SBU returns to Olean Saturday vs George Washington at noon.
St. Bonaventure Bonnies WBB: 5-17 (1-10), Having lost seven straight, St. Bonaventure has been on the wrong side of some lop-sided scores this last week. The Bonnies are at UMass Amherst tonight at 6PM.
Niagara Purple Eagles MBB: 8-13 (3-7), NU claimed victory in round one of the Battle of the Bridge on Friday, defeating Canisius 64-63 at the Koessler Athletic Center. The Purple Eagles will be at Merrimack and Quinnipiac this weekend.
Niagara Purple Eagles WBB: 1-17 (0-10)
Canisius Golden Griffins MBB: 2-19 (2-8), After losing the Battle of the Bridge by a point, the Griffs have now lost three straight in MAAC play, with games at Quinnipiac and Merrimack coming up this weekend.
Canisius Golden Griffins WBB: 5-15 (4-6), Picked up a win over Niagara on the road, claiming a W in the Battle of the Bridge for Canisius. The Griffs host Quinnipiac and Merrimack this weekend.
DIVISION II
#2 Daemen Wildcats MBB: 19-0 (10-0); WBB 14-6 (10-0), It’s been a long time since either Daemen team lost a league game, and they're both making it look quite easy this season. The Wildcats will be at St. Thomas Aquinas and Mercy this weekend.
D’Youville Saints MBB: 5-14 (3-7); WBB 5-14 (3-7), Coming off their most successful week of the season, the Saints men defeated both UDC and Staten Island, while the DYU women split their two games, with a win over UDC. They both head to Mercy and STAC this weekend.
DIVISION III
Hilbert Hawks MBB: 13-7 (6-5); WBB 1-19 (1-10)
Buffalo State Bengals MBB 6-14 (4-9); WBB 5-15 (2-11)
Fredonia State Blue Devils MBB 5-14 (3-9); WBB 6-12 (3-9)
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