Tonawanda News

Sports

September 5, 2008

HS FOOTBALL: Another way to remember the T-NT game

Life has taken Mark Prelewicz away from his hometown, but it hasn’t taken some of his favorite memories, which involve the annual T-NT Classic.

Instead of just replaying those memories in his mind, however, Prelewicz has come up with a way to actually see them over and over again.

Prelewicz came up with the idea of fbgamefilm.com, a Web site in which high school coaches can send game films to Prelewicz, who then compresses and streams them for easy viewing. The idea is to make the recruiting process easier for those involved — especially players and coaches.

“My goal was to help out both the high school and college coach, while giving the entire high school program exposure,” Prelewicz said in an e-mail.

College coaches can create their own accounts and view game film from high schools throughout the country. The site is secure so that just college coaches can view the tapes.

There is also an option to become an FBgamefilm insider, which is free and allows anyone to watch tape of old games, including T-NT games.

“I'm a big fan of the history of the two towns. My grandfather, Mike Susty, was an original inductee of the North Tonawanda Football Hall of Fame. My father told me great stories about George Vetter and the great teams he had with one of the great running backs from NT, John Chisera,” Prelewicz said. “I was a ball boy for Tonawanda since I was about 8 years old. I remember watching the games from the sidelines of Clint Small Stadium and seeing guys like Ken Heyer and Bob Kirisits.”

Prelewicz is a 1998 graduate of Ithaca College, where he was a two-year letter winner. He coached at Tonawanda for one season before accepting a position at Ithaca, where he stayed for two years. He then coached high school football in New Jersey.

“Once I got out of coaching, I decided to give my idea a shot. There aren't many people out there that want to help out the coach,” he wrote. “I contacted a college friend of mine who is a web designer in Manhattan, Dave Gavazzi (Canisius High School '93). He designed the Web site and we've been up for about a year now.”

Though he’s located in New Jersey, Prelewicz’s passion for the T-NT game remains strong.

“The whole experience of the T-NT week is something I'll always remember,” he said. “The hall decorations, car parade, Pep Rally and the way that the two towns pretty much came to a stop for that one game … it's a great game that the rest of the country needs to know about.”

Those who have game films from past T-NT games who can provide Prelewicz with a copy for the Web site are asked to contact him at 732-425-4466 or by mail at P.O. Box 264, Monmouth Junction, N.J., 08852. Tapes will be returned.

Contact editor Jay Skurski at 693-1000, ext. 117.

Text Only
Sports
Featured Ads
AP Video
White House Attacks Romney on Birth Control Homs Bombardment Continues, Global Outcry Grows Mo. Teen Gets Life Sentence for Killing Girl, 9 Lower-hassle Screening to Be Tested at Airports Raw Video: Dog Rescued From Icy Colo. Water Helmet Camera Captures Calif. Fire Rescue Worker Tells 911: Powell 'exploded the House' Triple Win: Santorum Takes Minn., Mo., Colo. Injured Marine Inspired by Homecoming No Rape Charges Against Son of NYPD Commissioner Egypt's Ruling Generals Play Risky Game With US Former Komen Exec Defends Funding Cut Skip the Coffee Cup and Inhale Your Caffeine Fix Calif. Gay Marriage Ban Ruled Unconstitutional Jury Selection for Ex-UVa Athlete Enters 2nd Day Cab Driver Helps Wis. Family Escape House Fire Staff Removed at LA School During Abuse Probe Runaway Goat Leads Police on Wild Chase
Community Calendar
Loading…
Events by eviesays.com
Seasonal Content
Hyperlocal Search
Premier Guide
Find a business

Walking Fingers
Maps, Menus, Store hours, Coupons, and more...
Premier Guide
Popular Searches
Powered by Local.com
Front page
Twitter Updates
Follow me on Twitter