OLEAN, N.Y. – Cattaraugus-Little Valley head coach Tim Miller
garnered the Alfred Joe Bunnell Coach of the Year honors and
Bradford High earned the Large School Team Championship at the 58th
annual Big 30 Testimonial held at St. Bonaventure Clubhouse on
Monday night.
Miller guided his C-L squad to a 9-2 record, its best season
since 1999. The Timberwolves also captured the Section 6 Class D
title with a 26-22 win over Maple Grove, before losing to
Oakfield-Alabama in the Section 5 Far West Regional game.
“This is very flattering,” Miller told Big 30 area players and
coaches in attendance. “Of all the coaches in this room… On behalf
of my coaching staff, thank you, this is a great honor.”
Johnsonburg’s Tom Launer, who guided a defense-led Rams team to
an 8-3 season, was the other finalist for Coach of the Year.
Master of Ceremonies and Olean Times Herald Sports Editor Chuck
Pollock called the Big 30 All-Star team an “exclusive club.”
Approximately 1,187 players have been named to the team in its
nearly four-decade existence.
Pollock told players in attendance, “As you come closer to being
an adult and away from this, and you look at it in the newspaper,
and realize you are a part of that club. It is very special.”
Pollock is on the committee which hammers out the All-Star
members each November.
Matt Crandall of Cattaraugus-Little Valley was the unanimous
choice for the Gary Sage Memorial Player of the Year. In C-L’s
Section 6 championship victory, Crandall broke the game’s all-time
record in yards rushing.
Giving out the award, Olean Times Herald sports writer Jim
Melaro said of Crandall, “This year’s man, you’d probably run out
of adjectives for.”
Before handing the Large School Champions plaque to Bradford
coach Steve Ackerman, Pollock said, “These teams win and perform at
a very high level. We want to give them some sort of special
citation.”
Three Owls players, two on offense and one on defense, were
named to this year’s Big 30 All-Star team. They were offensive
standouts Taylor O’Brien and Steven Reinhardt, as well as defensive
standout Rob Pire.
The District 9 champion Owls, who are still alive in the PIAA
Class AAA playoffs, will face Selinsgrove on Friday.
The other Pennsylvania Big 30 squad still alive in the playoffs,
Coudersport, was named Small School Champion.
The 10-0 Falcons defeated Johnsonburg 34-14 in the District 9
Class A semifinals.
Ben Walter of Bradford High took home the Joe Bizzaro Memorial
Award, given to the Most Valuable Player of the Olean-Bradford
game. Bizzaro was a former member of the Big 30 Committee.
The E.B. Fitzpatrick Unsung Lineman of the Year award, named for
long-time Olean Times Herald publisher E.B. Fitzpatrick, went to
Coudersport’s Isaac Cary.
“E.B. was a cornerstone of our company for many years,” said
Melaro. “This is a very special award indeed.”
Other finalists for Unsung Lineman of the Year were Blake Eaton
of Allegany-Limestone and Nathan Weber of Johnsonburg.
The Rams’ Weber went on to win Lou Foy Defensive Player of the
Year honors. The other finalist was Portville’s Brandon Yarns.
Wellsville Central took home the Leon Abbott Sportsmanship
Award.
Also speaking at the ceremony was Paul Pfaff, coordinator of the
annual Big 30 Don Raabe All-Star Charities Classic.
“This game will continue way past my time I hope,” said Pfaff.
“All of the money raised goes to charities in the New York and
Pennsylvania Big 30 area.”
Pollock urged those in attendance to sign up for the annual golf
tournament to be held in July 2007. The tournament helps fund the
annual Big 30 Testimonial.
“For one year (2003) we didn’t have the banquet,” he said. “We
held a pizza party and gave out the awards… it just wasn’t the
same.”
On the importance of raising funds for the Big 30 Testimonial
and players, Melaro added, “This year, we are giving out five $700
scholarships. This doesn’t happen without the support of
everybody.”
