Wrestling coach inspired, touched many lives
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JASON NADOLINSKI Sports Reporter
While not enough to create a distracted driving situation, I had a few random thoughts tumbling around my brain during my commute to the office Monday - here they are, in no particular order:

• It's really great everything that the wrestlers and the wrestling program are doing to honor the memory of former Clarence varsity coach Jon Vesper, who died unexpectedly in the spring. First, the Red Devils went out and won their season-opening tournament at East Aurora Dec. 1. They then crushed division contender Frontier Friday after presenting Vesper's wife Jan and her family with a plaque before the varsity match. The plaque, which reads "Never give up, never give in, never forget," will be on display at Clarence for years to come.

This weekend, Clarence will be hosting the inaugural Jon Vesper Memorial Team Duals Tournament.

What's even more of a tribute than the plaque, however, was the sheer number of Vesper's friends and former wrestlers who showed up for Friday's match and ceremony to show their support and pay their respects, once again, to a man who taught them more than just how to reverse their way out of any opponent's hold. It's no secret that many of the wrestlers regarded Vesper as a great friend and mentor, as he clearly touched many lives.

Current coach Jason Chase said it best after the match. "The kids just want to show that they're going to wrestle hard for Jon," he said.

• Remember how we all thought it was funny when J.P. Losman - back when Trent Edwards first showed he was capable of replacing him when he was pushed into the starting lineup by Losman's injury - said something to the effect of "... sometimes you buy a house. Whoops." We all thought it was funny that he could see the writing on the wall when Edwards, a rookie, showed he had a better command of the offense.

Well, Edwards might as well be the one to pound the "For Sale" sign in Losman's front yard after watching his performance in Sunday's big win over the Dolphins. Four touchdowns in one game ... isn't that nearly as many as Losman has thrown in his career as a starter? Okay, that was a bit harsh, but still, Edwards has shown much more poise in the pocket, an ability to throw the ball deep and a willingness to not hold on to the ball if it's going to result in a bad loss of yards.

Losman appears to be a nice guy who has the talent to play in the NFL, but he might not have all the tools to be a starter. If that's still his goal, he might want to

start collecting some boxes to pack up his house, because barring another injury, Losman's time to start as a Bill appears over.

• I'd really like to see Tim Connolly shoot the puck more. He's probably the most creative and offensively gifted player on the Sabres' roster, but he seems more comfortable setting up a teammate rather than being the one taking the shots.

Connolly had a beautiful short-handed goal against San Jose, but it was just his fourth of the year. Connolly's got way more than four goals in him. Granted, he missed a stretch of games last month with an injury, but if Connolly starts lighting the lamp more, I see nothing but wins piling up for the Sabres.

• Last but certainly not least, I'd like to wish all our readers a happy holiday season and a healthy and prosperous 2008.

e-mail: jnadolinski@beenews.com