It's the regular-season Game of the Year in Western New York high school football.
St. Francis visits Canisius in a rematch of last year's Monsignor Martin Athletic Association championship – and every WNY high school football poll has had these two teams in the top two spots every week of this season.
No. 1 St. Francis (4-0, 1-0 MMAA) plays No. 2 Canisius (2-2, 1-0 MMAA) at 2 p.m. Saturday on on Koessler Field at the Robert J. Stransky Memorial Athletic Complex.
A limited amount of tickets ($5, cash only) will be available at the gate. A sellout crowd of thousands is expected.
The game will air on WNYO MyTV Buffalo.
It is the home opener for the Crusaders, which will include the football debut of the new video scoreboard at Koessler Field.
Elijah Kimble '27 enters the game No. 2 all-time in Western New York rushing, 468 yards behind leader Jehuu Caulcrick. Kimble is also No. 4 all-time in WNY touchdowns with 84; Caulcrick is also first with 101 TDs.
#AMDG
CANISIUS VS. ST. FRANCIS
GAME NOTES
WHAT: Canisius Crusaders (2-2, 1-0 MMAA) vs. St. Francis Red Raiders (4-0, 1-0) in a Monsignor Martin Athletic Association showdown.
WHEN: Saturday, 2 p.m. (gates open at 11:30 p.m.)
WHERE: Koessler Field at Robert J. Stransky Memorial Athletic Complex, 2885 Clinton St., West Seneca.
TICKETS: $5. A limited number of tickets will be available at the gate upon entrance to the Stransky Complex parking lot. The game is expected to be a sellout.
BROADCAST: WNYO MyTV Buffalo on air and also at YouTube.com/@MyTVBuffaloWNYO and facebook.com/MYTVBuffalo; a livestream is also available at canisiussports.com/live
ELIJAH KIMBLE '27 & WNY HISTORY: Kimble, of Buffalo, now has 6,091 career yards, trailing only record holder Jehuu Caulcrick of Clymer (6,559 yards; 1999-2002) by 468 on the all-time list.
Kimble's three touchdowns at St. Joe's also moved him into fourth place on WNY's all-time list. He now has 85, putting him ahead of Jeff Tundo of Orchard Park (83, Orchard Park, 2006-08). Caulcrick is also first on the TD list with 101, followed by Reggie Garner (90, Cardinal O'Hara, 2004-07) and Trevor Barry (87, Iroquois, 2019-21).
Note: As often happens during the week following a high school football game, a coaches' review of the game film resulted in Kimble's numbers against St. Joe's being altered (he was 24 for 314; the previous total was 24 for 293)
ALL-TIME CANISIUS-ST. FRANCIS SERIES: Canisius leads, 39-37-2.
Canisius' longest win streak vs. St. Francis: 14 straight wins from 1950 to 1981 (the teams did not play from 1959-1974 due to being in separate divisions).
St. Francis' longest win streak vs. Canisius: 10 straight from 2002 to 2007.
LAST TIME OUT: St. Francis prevailed in last year's MMAA final at Buffalo State, 41-34.
RECENT SERIES HISTORY: Canisius has a 14-11 edge since 2012, including a 10-1 run from 2012 to 2018's regular season matchup. Since then, St. Francis is 10-4, starting with a 2018 playoff game victory and closing with an 8-1 record that began in fall of 2021.
The CHS win two years ago was during the 2024 regular season. St. Francis lost at home to St. Joe's in the MMAA semifinals that year, which is the only instance in the last eight years when Canisius and St. Francis did not meet for the title.
THE COACHES
CANISIUS: Kraig Kurzanski '84 (33rd season, 184 wins is 14th on the all-time WNY list, 2nd on active list; 12th among active coaches in NYS)
ST. FRANCIS: Jerry Smith (39th season, 208 wins is 7th on the all-time WNY list, 1st on active list; 10th among active coaches in NYS)
CHS LAST WEEK: 30-16 win at St. Joe's. Kimble scored three touchdowns and ran for 314 yards to move into second place on Western New York's all-time rushing list as CHS Football used a thoroughly dominant second half to win their 14th straight rivalry game.
CHS RULES RIVALRY: Canisius has won 14 straight and 24 out of the last 25 rivalry games. CHS leads the overall series, 54-48-3. The Crusaders took over the series lead in 2023 for the first time since 1986.
CHS THIS SEASON: CHS began the year with a rout of Health Sciences (ranked fourth among large schools in The Buffalo News poll) at the Dick Gallagher Kickoff Classic, then lost at Ohio No. 1 Massillon and West Virginia No. 1 Martinsburg before taking week's rivalry win at St. Joe's, 30-16.
ST. FRANCIS LAST WEEK: 34-22 win at Cardinal Mooney of Ohio (3-3, No. 68 in Ohio).
ST. FRANCIS THIS SEASON: Started with its own impressive win at the Dick Gallagher Kickoff Classic, 53-20 over No. 3 Bennett, followed by a 34-18 road win at New York No. 14 Syracuse CBA (which visits Canisius next week) and a Week Three home rout of Bishop Timon-St. Jude, 41-0.
THE RANKINGS
NYS Sportswriters Association Class AA state rankings: 5. St. Francis; 10. Canisius.
MaxPreps New York State rankings: 3. St. Francis; 5. Canisius.
MaxPreps Buffalo metro rankings: 1. St. Francis; 2. Canisius.
The Buffalo News large school poll: 1. St. Francis; 2. Canisius
LITM (@litminc) WNY Top 25: 1. St. Francis; 2. Canisius.
WNY Football Report (@wny_football.report) Top 10 large schools: 1. St. Francis; 2. Canisius.
@716football Top 25: 1. St. Francis; 2. Canisius.
WNY Sports Media (@wnysportsmedia) Top 10 large schools: 1. St. Francis; 2. Canisius.
2026 WNY CATHOLIC SCHOOL RANKINGS by Buffalo Business First
1. Canisius; 2. Nardin Academy; 3. Buffalo Academy of the Sacred Heart; 4. St. Joseph's Collegiate Institute; 5. Cardinal O'Hara High School; 6. Bishop Timon-St. Jude High School; 7. Mount Mercy Academy; 8. Mount St. Mary Academy; 9. St. Francis High School; 10. St. Mary's High School.
CHS NO. 1 in WNY by Niche.com: Canisius has again been ranked as the Buffalo area's "Best Catholic School" and "Best All-Boys School" by Niche.com. CHS is also:
* The only boys-only school to earn an A overall
* The top private school in Best High Schools for Athletes
* The top-ranked boys-only school in Teachers
* One of just five WNY schools to earn an A+ in Clubs & Activities
* One of just six WNY schools to earn an A+ in Resources & Facilities
* One of just 12 WNY high schools to earn an A in Academics
* One of just 10 WNY schools to earn an A+ or A for Sports
* One of just 13 WNY schools to earn an A or A- in College Prep
CHS OPEN HOUSE: This place is special. Let us show you why. Students and families interested in CHS Football and the excellence only found in a Jesuit education at Canisius – ranked by Buffalo Business First as the Buffalo area's "Best Catholic School" and WNY's top private school in "Best High Schools for Athletes" – can learn more by reserving a spot for our Open House on Sunday, Oct. 18 or Monday, Oct. 19 via canisiushigh.org/openhouse
CONNOLLY CUP & KIMBLE: Kimble was named one of the 10 finalists for the Connolly Cup, awarded to Western New York's most outstanding player, after both his freshman and sophomore seasons before winning it in 2025. He is the first CHS player to win the Connolly Cup.
KIMBLE & CHS HISTORY: Elijah Kimble '27 became the all-time leader in touchdowns and rushing yards for Canisius during his junior year. He surpassed both records set by Qadree Ollison '14, who played at Pittsburgh and played in the NFL (4,147 yards, 57 touchdowns).
KIMBLE YEAR BY YEAR: As a freshman,
Elijah Kimble '27 rushed for 1,821 yards on 191 carries and scored 20 touchdowns.
In his sophomore season, he carried the ball 216 times for 1,778 yards while running for 33 touchdowns.
In last year's junior campaign, he ran 192 times for 1,726 yards and scored 24 touchdowns.
WESTERN NEW YORK ALL-TIME RUSHING LIST
From all-time NYS rushing list at newyorksportswriters.org
6559 Jehuu Caulcrick Clymer 1999 - 02
6091 Elijah Kimble Canisius 2023 - present
5883 Dustin Bowser Southwestern 2001 - 03
5490 Wade Turner Lackawanna 1995 - 98
5055 Jeff Tundo Orchard Park 2006 - 08
5020 Keien Williams Eden 2001 - 03
4989 Paul Paddock Cattaraugus & Springville 1995 - 98
4984 Reggie Garner Cardinal O'Hara 2004 - 07
4901 Aaron Wahler Cleveland Hill 2015 - 18
4820 Isiah McDuffie Bennett 2013 - 16
4645 Major Cole Turner-Carroll & Cardinal O'Hara 1994 - 97
4633 Chris McDuffie Williamsville North 1998 - 01
4553 David Schmidli Wilson 1993 - 96
4531 James Mallory Kenmore West 2001 - 04
4518 Trevor Barry Iroquois 2021 - 23
4505 Brandon Munson Albion 1998 - 00
4468 Brandon Murie Iroquois 2005 - 08
4437 James Henley South Park 2000 - 03
4358 Ted McDuffie Grover Cleveland 1989 - 92
4345 Okoya Anderson Orchard Park 2009 - 11
4295 Aaron Leeper Jamestown 1997 - 00
4274 David Fluellen Lockport 2007 - 09
4274 Jaylen Butera Jamestown 2019 - 21
4189 Eric Everett Cleveland Hill 1998 - 00
4177 Joe Kuzmierski Tonawanda 1996 - 98
4168 Ray Braxton Lackawanna 1984 - 87
4147 Qadree Ollison Canisius 2010 - 13
4145 Joe Cerminera Lewiston-Porter 2000 - 03
4088 Zak Kedron St. Francis 2002 - 04
HEAD COACH KRAIG KURZANSKI '84: Kurzanski is in his fifth season of his current tenure at CHS, including winning the 2024 MMAA championship and appearing in four straight MMAA title games. He has compiled a 28-24 overall record while playing some of Western New York's very best (and toughest) schedules.
Kurzanski has been one of Western New York's best coaches for three decades, amassing a 184-119-2 record in what is his 33rd season. His win total is 14th on Western New York's all-time list, which is topped by CHS legend Johnny Barnes, who had 287 upon his retirement in 1973.
Kurzanski's win total is second-highest among active WNY coaches (Jerry Smith of St. Francis has 208) and is 12th among active coaches in New York State.
The South Buffalo native was 88-49 in 15 years at Williamsville South, where he retired as a science teacher and coach prior to returning to Canisius in 2022. He went 5-6 in both 2022 and 2023, 9-3 in 2024 and 6-5 last year. He coached previously at Canisius from 2001 to 2003, including one Monsignor Martin Association Large School championship game berth.
Kurzanski is a member of the Canisius High School Athletic Hall of Fame, having been inducted in 2002 for his achievements in both football – in which he earned All-Western New York first-team honors at center in 1983 – and baseball.
YEAR ONE FOR VIDEO SCOREBOARD: The new video scoreboard at Koessler Field has many outstanding features that fans will begin to see on Saturday.
YEAR TWO FOR TURF: The colorful turf on Koessler Field at the Stransky Memorial Athletic Complex includes "CANISIUS" and "CRUSADERS" painted in gold-on-navy blue in the end zones while there is a shaded green pattern on each 5-yard sections of the field. The Jesuit tenet of "AMDG" adorns the center of the 50-yard line. AMDG is an acronym of the Latin phrase "Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam" – meaning "for the greater glory of God" – a central part of the mission of Jesuits and Jesuit schools.
NEXT WEEK: Canisius plays the second of three straight home games against Huron Heights of Ontario, one of the best high school football teams in all of Canada, at 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10. St. Francis is also home on the same date and time against visiting Erie High (No. 289 in Pennsylvania).
MORE ON CHS: See the Crusaders' complete excellent schedule, its roster and several photo galleries at canisiussports.com
#AMDG
