Champions square off, but it doesn't count
It's been nearly a year and bragging rights won't be on the line - heck, it's not even a real game - but

MATT KRUEGER Sports Reporter

the two best large-school football teams in Western New York will take the field against each other Saturday.

Remember the whole "who's better" debate about Orchard Park and St. Joe's last year? Both teams won their respective league championships and had the football community torn on which squad was better. Each coach believed he had the better team, with Bob O'Connor going so far as to say his St. Joe's Marauders would pound the Quakers by three touchdowns.

The argument raged throughout the second half of the season until OP coach Gene Tundo finally said the issue was old and not that big a deal. The two teams shared the title of best large-school team in Western New York.

Well, just as they have done for the past several years, Orchard Park and St. Joe's will scrimmage each other this Saturday at St. Joe's. It's the game everyone wanted to see last year.

But it's only a scrimmage. And Section V powerhouse Webster will be there too. This isn't exactly the grudge match everyone anticipated. Because that won't ever happen.

I've said it before and I'll repeat it until I can get a good retort: the bias Section VI has toward the Monsignor Martin Association is ridiculous. Section VI coaches won't schedule non-league games against their Catholic school counterparts for fear that MMA coaches will recruit away the best players. That's right, coaches are afraid the starting tailback will bolt for the supposed greener grass of a Catholic school if given half a chance.

There are a few flaws in that reasoning. The MMA plays non-league games against Section VI in every other sport throughout the year. You don't see basketball and baseball players running for the hills, do you? I'm not saying it never happens. Athletes have opted for private schools over public schools in the past and will continue to in years to come. But the reverse is true as well. Three years ago, St. Joe's scavenged for a quarterback because both of its signal callers left for the action in Section VI.

Also, what if a player wants a chance to win a New York State championship, to hold up the trophy and say, "I'm the best in the state"? Catholic schools have no state playoff tournament. Once the MMA crowns its champions, the season is over. Public school teams can play well into November if they're good enough

to advance.

St. Joe's and several of its MMA cohorts have to schedule games in Canada, Ohio and Pennsylvania because they can't get enough games to fill out their schedules here in Western New York. If they could add a couple non-leaguers against Section VI schools, like they do against Buffalo city schools, they could save themselves from horribly long bus rides. And it's not like non-league game would have any affect on the Section VI playoff scenario.

There is a sign of acceptance this year, since St. Joe's, St. Mary's of Lancaster, Cardinal O'Hara and Niagara Catholic all have games scheduled against Section VI schools in the 2006 season. That's a step up from last year, which featured one game, St. Mary's versus Cleveland Hill. Let's hope this is the beginning of some new rivalries.

e-mail: mkrueger@beenews.com