By David J. Hill
Mike Tuzzo had just finished putting his equipment in his locker Saturday evening after North Tonawanda returned from Rochester following its state semifinal win over Baldwinsville when he realized something special. He was still going to need that gear.
“I was walking out, I shook coach (Rick) Tomm’s hand and he said I’ll see you on Monday, and it’s just like, yeah, we’re going to be back here on Monday. We’re going to keep going,” Tuzzo said this week.
The days are much shorter now than they were back in mid-August when training camp opened, but the Lumberjacks are still going, still playing football. Sunday, they’ll play for the Class AA state championship against New Rochelle at the Carrier Dome on the campus of Syracuse University, where they hope to realize a childhood dream.
“It’s really been a goal of mine for a long time, ever since I was a kid growing up,” junior tight end Travis Charsley said of winning a state championship.
Said senior offensive lineman Jim Rogers, “Basically, it’s just like a dream. We’ve been dreaming of it since we were little kids. We’ve always been talking about it since the beginning of the season. It’s crazy to think we’d be going this far, it’s really exciting.”
To be expected, there’s a sense of awe for the Jacks, playing in a game of this magnitude. Since the state playoff format was implemented in 1993 — the year some of the players on the roster were born — no NT team has reached this point.
“It’s really starting to hit me that I’m actually going to a state championship,” Charsley said. “Watching film (Monday), I’m like, we’re going to states. It’s kind of unbelievable. It’s a privilege to be out here practicing. A lot of other teams are done and we’re still out here. We made it this far, we’re not going to lose now.”
For the Jacks, this weekend is the culmination of months and, especially for the team’s seniors, years of hard work.
“Carrier Dome and state championship, they go hand in hand,” Tuzzo said. “That’s been our goal, to get to the Dome. It’s just unbelievable. You see other teams do it and it’s like why can’t we do it? Well, all this hard work is finally paying off and we’re finally getting there.
“We’re there, so we want to make the most of it.”
Contact reporter David J. Hill at 693-1000, ext. 115.
