By Daniel Pye<br><a href="mailto:pyed@gnnewspaper.com">E-mail Dan</a>
On the final day of school before the North Tonawanda Lumberjacks face New Rochelle in Syracuse for the state title, students packed the high school gym to show their support for the team.
Excitement over the fairy tale run the team has experienced this year was palpable as students filed into position, and the NT players appreciated the show of support from their school.
“They called us all out, everybody was going crazy,” said junior tight end Travis Charsley. “Our team’s never gone this far. It’s just a privilege to still be out there practicing.”
Even the cheerleaders are playing through nagging pains, with knee braces and taped fingers visible between back flips and tosses. And some guys in the senior bleachers sporting very long hair and heavy metal T shirts — not your average football fans — still had their Jacks foam fingers waving.
Principal James Fisher said the support from students, alumni and the community at large has been overwhelming. During his comments Tuesday, Fisher asked students to reflect on this point in the football program’s history. For the North Tonawanda team to go all the way to the state championship in the same year that the T-NT game celebrated its 100th incarnation is nothing short of astounding, he said.
“You couldn’t plan it any better if you had tried,” he said.
The football team isn’t the only one of the school’s fall teams to make an impact, either. The school sent cross country athletes and swimmers to other state competitions as well.
School Board Member Frank DiBernardo said the banner hung outside the schools main entrance, which includes congratulations for the girls volleyball team’s sectional victory, is a testament to the district’s student athletes achieving things never before seen at the school, or even in Niagara County.
“These are once in a lifetime experiences they’re sharing,” DiBernardo said.
Channel 2 News Anchor Mary Alice Demler, perhaps the school’s most famous graduate, said she has never been prouder of her alma mater — especially since she gets to talk about the school’s success on the nightly news.
“NT rocks, and now all of Western New York knows it,” she said.
With a victory in Syracuse, the entire state would be informed of the football program’s fortitude and talent. Fisher urged students to remember to exhibit good sportsmanship at the event since eyes from all over New York would be on the game, but also advocated serious pride over all the team has already accomplished.
“There are people who have been working here 30 years or more and have had to wait until today for this type of celebration,” Fisher said.
Senior offensive lineman Jim Rogers hopes the NT faithful bring the same enthusiasm they showed Tuesday to the Carrier Dome on Sunday.
“We’re just hoping that everyone’s going to be there for us Sunday,” he said. "We're going to need everybody.”
Contact reporter Daniel Pye at 693-1000, ext. 158.
