The best rivalry in Western New York. For the 102nd time. For the championship.
 
The biggest game of the local high school football season has Western New York football's stage to itself this weekend as Canisius (8-2) hosts St. Joe's (6-3) in the Monsignor Martin Athletic Association championship. Kickoff is noon Saturday on Koessler Field in front of what will be a huge crowd at Stransky Athletic Complex.
 
Tickets are $10 and are on sale this week at the CHS reception desk and will also be available at the gate.
 
The game will be broadcast on WNY Athletics and canisiussports.com/live
 
The 102nd meeting in a rivalry that began in 1921 comes with Canisius holding a 50-48-3 lead in the series, a lead CHS took over for the first time since 1986 with last season's Monsignor Martin semifinal victory.
 
Canisius has won 20 of the last 21 games between the schools, including the last 10 in a row. This season, Canisius surged in the second half to win at St. Joe's, 24-17, in Week Four (photo above by CHS Digital Media photographer Noah Morlock '25 / @morlockprod). At the top left of the photo, wearing his St. Francis University red and black, is the late Kevon Walker '24, who had joined the Crusaders for gameday at St. Joe's. Canisius honored Walker throughout Saturday's 37-6 semifinal victory over Bishop Timon-St. Jude.
 
Eli Kimble '27 ran for 316 yards and four touchdowns in the semifinal win, which extended Canisius' win streak to seven. Kimble was named one of the 10 finalists for the Connolly Cup, awarded to Western New York's most outstanding player, for the second straight season. In recent weeks he received scholarship offers from Ohio State and Boston College to add to a list that already included Oregon, Michigan, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and the University at Buffalo, among others.
 
* * *

MMAA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME NOTES 

The Monsignor Martin Athletic Association championship has the football stage to itself this weekend – and it deserves it.
 
With the 9-2 Bills on a bye week, the bowl-eligible University at Buffalo 3-0 in November after its Tuesday night win and Section VI's champions playing the Far West Regionals in Brockport, all eyes in Western New York football are on a game that has plenty worth watching.
 
WHAT: Canisius (8-2) vs. St. Joe's (6-3) in the Monsignor Martin Athletic Association championship
 
WHEN: Saturday, noon.
 
WHERE: Koessler Field at Robert J. Stransky Memorial Athletic Complex, 2885 Clinton St., West Seneca.
 
TICKETS: $10. On sale this week at both schools and also available at the gate.
 
BROADCAST: WNY Athletics. Livestream also available at canisiussports.com/live
 
THE RIVALRY: This is the 102nd meeting of a rivalry that began in 1921.
 
THE ALL-TIME SERIES: Canisius holds a 50-48-3 lead.
 
CHS TAKES THE RIVALRY LEAD: The Crusaders took the lead over for the first time since 1986 with last season's Monsignor Martin semifinal victory.
 
10 IN A ROW FOR CRUSADERS: Canisius has won 20 of the last 21 games between the schools, including the last 10 straight.
 
CHS-SJCI THIS SEASON: Canisius surged in the second half to win at St. Joe's, 24-17, in Week Four. The Crusaders trailed in the second quarter and after the third, but used businesslike execution on offense and stifling defense to own the fourth quarter. Kimble scored three touchdowns, including a fourth-quarter run that put Canisius up 22-17 after St. Joe's (1-2) had finished the third with a 17-16 lead. Kimble also scored on a two-point conversion run to put CHS (2-2) up by seven.  
 
CHS LAST WEEK: Eli Kimble '27 ran for 316 yards and four touchdowns while Canisius honored the late Kevon Walker '24 throughout Saturday's 37-6 semifinal victory over visiting Bishop Timon-St. Jude. The win extended Canisius' win streak to seven.

REQUIESCAT IN PACE, KEVON WALKER '24: in the semifinal, the Crusaders wore helmet stickers in honor of Walker, who died suddenly Monday, Nov. 4. He was a freshman at St. Francis University in Loretto, Pa., and was a member of the Red Flash's football team. CHS football and many others from the Canisius community attended the celebration of life and funeral for Walker on at True Bethel Baptist Church in Buffalo on Nov. 15, the morning before the MMAA semifinal. Remembrances of Walker by head coach Kraig Kurzanski '84 and assistant coach Paul Woods as well as other faculty members are posted at canisiushigh.org/chsnow and on the canisiushs social media channels.

ELI KIMBLE OFFERED BY OLE MISS; HIS 14TH OFFER: On Wednesday, Kimble was offered a scholarship by Mississippi of the SEC, his 14th scholarship offer. He was also offered by Ohio State and Boston College this week. Those schools joins a list of offers that began with Oregon midway through his freshman season and also includes Michigan, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Syracuse and the University at Buffalo, as well as Purdue, West Virginia, Marshall, Toledo and Texas-San Antonio.
 
KIMBLE BY THE NUMBERS: This season he has rushed 179 for 1534 yards and 25 touchdowns; for his career he has rushed 370 times for 3355 yards and 44 TDs. More stats at the CHS MaxPreps page.
 
CONNOLLY CUP KIMBLE: On Monday Kimble was named one of the 10 finalists for the Connolly Cup, awarded to Western New York's most outstanding player, for the second straight season.

STATE CHAMPIONSHIP IN BUFFALO NEXT WEEK: The Monsignor Martin champion will host the state Catholic championship on Saturday, Nov. 30. The downstate championship is 2 p.m. Saturday Nov. 23 between Iona Prep and St. Anthony's. 
 
BILLS COACH McDERMOTT WATCHES CANISIUS' SEMIFINAL WIN: Buffalo Bills coach Sean McDermott attended last week's semifinal game in which Canisius defeated Bishop Timon-St. Jude.
 
McDermott spoke with Mike Schopp on WGR 550 AM this week about being at the CHS game:
 
"Canisius against Timon in a great football game on a Saturday afternoon – pretty cool environment down there. I was enjoying myself.
 
"I absolutely love going to high school football. … There's nothing better to me than going to a raw, high school football game where it's true football and these kids work so hard to get out there and play and you're watching them give their all.
 
"What a great environment. Just seeing the students out there cheering for their buddies, and the parents cheering for their sons … as it relates to Timon and Canisius, just the amount of community around the game and sense of school pride that I saw there."
 
NEW LOOK FOR CHAMPIONSHIP: For previous six editions of the MMAA championship game, Canisius has met St. Francis. The 2017 game was the last time that it was different, when CHS beat St. Joe's, 22-14, in the title game.
 
CHAMPIONSHIP HISTORY: This is the 23rd Monsignor Martin Athletic Association postseason championship game; the league's current playoff system began in 2002.
 
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME APPEARANCES: Canisius 17, St. Francis 17, St. Joe's 10, Bishop Timon-St. Jude 2.
 
CANISIUS-SJCI FOR THE TITLE: This will be the fourth time that Canisius and St. Joe's have met for the championship. The previous meetings have all been won by Canisius (2009, 2013 and 2017).
 
THE RANKINGS
 
MaxPreps Buffalo metro rankings: 1. Canisius; 2. St. Joe's. 
 
MaxPreps New York State rankings: 6. Canisius; 8. St. Joe's.
 
NYS Sportswriters Association Class AA state rankings: 4. Canisius; 23. St. Joe's.
 
The Buffalo News large school poll: 1. Canisius; 4. St. Joe's. 
 
ALL-TIME CANISIUS-SJCI SERIES NOTES
 
Longest Winning Streak
Canisius – 10 games (2012 – 2018; 2019 – present)
St. Joe's – 17 games (1983 - 1998)
 
Most Points in a Series Game
Canisius – 66 (2021)
St. Joe's – 52 (1990)
 
Most Combined Points in a Series Game
2011 – 95 points
 
Point Differential
Most Common Differential: One Point – Nine times (~9% of series)
1921 (CHS); 1924 (SJCI); 1950 (CHS); 1966 (SJCI); 1969 (CHS); 1972 (CHS); 2007 (CHS); 2011 (CHS); 2015 (CHS)
 
One-Possession Score Differential (eight points or less) in 40 games (40% of the series)
 
Note: The series was suspended from 1932 to 1947 due to the heated nature of past games, but reinstated by the Bishop of Buffalo in 1948 with the creation of a Catholic sports league – the Monsignor Martin Athletic Association. 
 
ALL-TIME SERIES, GAME-BY-GAME
 
1921 Canisius 7-6
 
1922 No game
 
1923 No game
 
1924 St. Joe's 7-6
 
1925 Canisius 16-2
 
1926 St. Joe's 22-0
 
1927 TIE 0-0
 
1928 St. Joe's 6-0
 
1929 St. Joe's 6-0
 
1930 St. Joe's 12-6
 
1931 St. Joe's 6-0
 
1932 to 1947 No games
 
1948 Canisius 14-9
 
1949 Canisius 18-13
 
1950 Canisius 20-19
 
1951 Canisius 35-0
 
1952 Canisius 28-7
 
1953 Canisius 19-0
 
1954 Canisius 13-6
 
1955 St. Joe's 12-7
 
1956 St. Joe's 18-12
 
1957 St. Joe's 27-7
 
1958 St. Joe's 34-6
 
1959 St. Joe's 21-13
 
1960 St. Joe's 13-6
 
1961 TIE 7-7
 
1962 Canisius 20-6
 
1963 Canisius 19-8
 
1964 St. Joe's 25-0
 
1965 Canisius 19-0
 
1966 St. Joe's 7-6
 
1967 St. Joe's 7-0
 
1968 Canisius 14-6
 
1969 Canisius 27-26
 
1970 TIE 12-12
 
1971 Canisius 36-12
 
1972 Canisius 8-7
 
1973 Canisius 36-12
 
1974 Canisius 34-6
 
1975 Canisius 40-0
 
1976 Canisius 16-0
 
1977 Canisius 16-14
 
1978 St. Joe's 17-14
 
1979 St. Joe's 8-3
 
1980 Canisius 42-8
 
1981 St. Joe's 25-18
 
1982 Canisius 6-2
 
1983 St. Joe's 8-6
 
1984 St. Joe's 42-0
 
1985 St. Joe's 13-0
 
1986 St. Joe's 14-7
 
1987 St. Joe's 17-0
 
1988 St. Joe's 28-0
 
1989 St. Joe's 14-3
 
1990 St. Joe's 52-0
 
1991 St. Joe's 27-0
 
1992 St. Joe's 21-8
 
1993 St. Joe's 42-12
 
1994 St. Joe's 35-7
 
1995 St. Joe's 34-3
 
1996 St. Joe's 34-6
 
1996 St. Joe's 19-14
 
1997 St. Joe's 11-0
 
1998 St. Joe's 40-8
 
1999 Canisius 17-14
 
2000 St. Joe's 3-0
 
2001 St. Joe's 20-8
 
2002 St. Joe's 14-0
 
2002 Canisius 22-0
 
2003 St. Joe's 20-7
 
2004 St. Joe's 21-6
 
2005 St. Joe's 34-8
 
2006 St. Joe's 42-0
 
2006 St. Joe's 21-15
 
2007 Canisius 41-34
 
2007 Canisius 17-16
 
2008 Canisius 42-18
 
2009 Canisius 41-28
 
2009 Canisius 58-34*
 
2010 St. Joe's 50-26
 
2010 St. Joe's 35-19
 
2011 St. Joe's 34-20
 
2011 St. Joe's 48-47
 
2012 Canisius 28-21
 
2013 Canisius 21-0*
 
2013 Canisius 42-7
 
2014 Canisius 17-0
 
2015 Canisius 35-7
 
2015 Canisius 7-6
 
2016 Canisius 27-6
 
2017 Canisius 55-16
 
2017 Canisius 22-14*
 
2018 Canisius 34-28
 
2019 St. Joe's 32-21
 
2019 Canisius 15-6
 
2021 Canisius 63-0 (March)
 
2021 Canisius 48-7 (April)
 
2021 Canisius 66-0
 
2021 Canisius 35-0
 
2022 Canisius 39-22
 
2022 Canisius 17-0 
 
2023 Canisius 49-7
 
2023 Canisius 42-0
 
2024 Canisius 24-17
 
2024 Nov. 23 MMAA championship*
 
*-MMAA championship game
 
MORE ON CHS: See the Crusaders' complete excellent schedule, its roster and several photo galleries at our unmatched website here at canisiussports.com
 
LET US SHOW YOU WHY: Students interested in CHS Football and the excellence only found in a Jesuit education at Canisius – ranked as Buffalo's "Best Catholic School" by Business First – can learn more by arranging a first-hand experience via canisiushigh.org/visit. This place is special. Let us show you why.