Western New York programs embrace change ahead of 2026 season at Section VI media day
ORCHARD PARK – Coaches and players from local high school football programs gathered at Highmark Stadium last Wednesday for Section VI Media Day, offering a first look at teams preparing for the 2026 season.
Salamanca, Olean, Allegany-Limestone, Franklinville/Ellicottville and the Portville/Bolivar-Richburg/Cuba-Rushford programs all enter the season with varying degrees of roster turnover, but each expressed optimism about what the summer has brought.
Salamanca looking to lean on its strengths
Salamanca also expects to look considerably different this season after a 5-4 2025 season, and coach Chad Bartoszek believes the team’s strengths could dictate a run-heavy attack.
The Warriors have a strong group of players in the backfield and expect to be big up front, but Bartoszek isn’t ruling out a more balanced offense after seeing success in the passing game over teh season.
“We had a lot of success throwing this summer, so we don’t want to just give in on that either,” Bartoszek said.
The quarterback competition remains unsettled, although senior Jayden Romero appears to be an early frontrunner.
“He can make things happen,” said senior running back Conner Seeley.
The Warriors have emphasized building a stronger team during the offseason, particularly in the weight room. Seeley said the current group has already shown more commitment than last year’s senior class.
“The kids coming up, the kids on JV last year, they want it bad,” Seeley said. “They’re in the weight room, they want it. They’re showing up to Thursday practices.”
Salamanca also expects its offensive line to be a major strength.
“Our line is huge,” Seeley said. “Every one of those kids are in the weight room. They’re all close to 300 pounds, basically all muscle.”
Olean comes in with new new-look roster:
For Olean, that optimism comes after losing a large senior class from a team that went 4-5 last season, with several of its losses coming in close games. The Huskies went 6-3 in 2024, and new head coach Terry Burrows, who spent more than 15 years as an assistant and served as the team’s defensive coordinator last season, is tasked with putting together a new group.
A major piece of that transition will be finding a new quarterback following the departure of four-year starter Joe Mest.
Sophomore Dominik Myers looks likely to be next up.
“He’s the leader in the clubhouse for sure,” Burrows said. “We’ve kind of got a tradition at Olean, I mean, most recently, of our quarterbacks being young, and they play for three or four years, and it looks like that trend is going to continue.”
Olean also has holes to fill along both lines and at running back. He expects multiple players to contribute out of the backfield.
“We’ve got some guys who we are really working through, a variety of guys,” Burrows said. “We’ve got guys playing other positions who have worked in the offseason who have looked good. But we don’t really find things out until we put the pads on, and that’s going to tell us a lot.”
Senior Colby Booth said the returning players have embraced the challenge of replacing last year’s group.
“I’ve seen a lot of effort in the weight room, trying to get bigger, stronger, faster, just like how we were last year,” Booth said.
Booth added that the team’s young players have been working to improve on both sides of the ball. He has also seen encouraging early results from Myers during seven-on-seven work.
“It’s been pretty good so far,” Booth said. “A lot of touchdowns. And I think we’re good for the start of the season.”
Allegany-Limestone banking on maturity
Allegany-Limestone enters the season looking to rebound from a winless 2025 campaign, but the players at Media Day spoke with confidence about a group that has matured since last season.
Senior Nolan Zink said the reality of playing their final season together is beginning to set in.
“It’s really just hitting us now that this is our last time playing football for Allegany,” Zink said. “There’s definitely a lot of expectations to go out there and win some games this season.”
Zink said the team has put significant work into the weight room and in building team chemistry, and he believes that work was evident during summer seven-on-seven competition.
Allegany-Limestone players also felt that senior leadership and team unity had taken a major step forward from the 2025 season.
Franklinville/Ellicottville looking to build
Franklinville/Ellicottville enters the season with a mix of experienced returners and new players from last year’s 2-7 season, with coach Ryan Tatlow encouraged by the group’s summer development.
The team had strong participation in both team camp and seven-on-seven competition, including several weeks competing against teams at Moline.
Tatlow said the summer was primarily about conditioning, establishing relationships and building a foundation before the intensity increases with the start of formal team practices.
“It’s been good. Seeing a lot of growth,” Tatlow said. “Summer is just about conditioning, coming together a little bit, building a little bit of a foundation. The grind really starts that first team week.”
For senior Mason Blecha, the upcoming season carries an added significance as the final one he will play with teammates he has known for years.
“I think this year is huge,” Blecha said. “Senior year, it’s the last time I can play on my home field with my friends, people I’ve grown up with forever.”
Along with Blecha, starting quarterback Brady Tatlow and running back Blake Smith are among the key returners.
Blecha said the team’s summer work has reflected its desire to improve after last season.
“We have a really strong core group of guys that are ready to come and work towards what we want,” he said. “We want to work to be so much better than last year, and I think that really reflects in our summer training.”
Portville looks forward to season, Olean matchup
The Portville/Bolivar-Richburg/Cuba-Rushford program is also navigating significant changes, particularly at the skill positions, but quarterback is one area where the team has some continuity.
Portville overcame a 1-2 start to finish the regular season 5-3 last year.
Senior Peyton Carter stepped into the quarterback role late last season after Aidan DeFazio suffered a back injury, giving him valuable experience heading into his senior year. Portville coach Josh Brooks things he’s ready to take the next step.
“He did a nice job kind of managing the game last fall,” Brooks said in the days leading up to Media Day. “We’re looking for him to kind of take the next step as a quarterback and really control the game and be a playmaker as well.”
The program returns players along both lines, while also adding several new players.
One of the biggest points of anticipation, however, comes in Week 3, when Portville will face Olean at Bradner Stadium in a matchup that has not occurred in decades.
“I think that Week three game versus Olean is exciting for this entire area,” the coach said. “I think it’s gonna be a record crowd between the people from Olean, the people from Portville, the people from Allegany-Limestone, and the people from Cuba-Rushford.”
The game will be the first meeting between the schools in school history, according to the Portville coach, and he expects it to draw attention from across the region.
“We know they’re gonna be tough, and we’ll do what we can to prepare,” he said. “It’s a nice non-league game. But I think it’ll bring a lot of excitement to our area, so that’s what I’m looking forward to most.”
