Nashua North football heading to Buffalo for regular-season finale

Chad Zibolis didn’t contact a meteorologist when planning the perfect team trip for his Nashua High School North football players.

Why would he? Everybody knows upstate New York is cold with a high probability of snow come November.

That’s right, the Titans are closing their regular season with a 7-hour charter bus ride to Buffalo, N.Y., where they will face off against Canisius High School, a private Catholic college preparatory school, at 1 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 2, on Koessler Field at the Robert J. Stransky Memorial Athletic Complex.

Zibolis and his players are excited for this Lake Erie visit - to play football and see Niagara Falls just as the Lake-Effect Season begins.

“I’m actually hoping for a little snow,” Zibolis said of the trip that came courtesy of an out-of-the-blue email from Canisius head coach Kraig Kurzanski back in February. “That could be the great equalizer we need on the football field.”

Kurzanski reached out to Zibolis via email on Feb. 7 after searching state athletic websites in Pennsylvania, Ohio, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire for an opponent to fill its final open spot on a schedule. A schedule already packed with games against teams outside of the Buffalo area. According to Kurzanski, city ordinances prohibit private high schools in Buffalo from scheduling athletic events against public schools. Other privates throughout the state don’t face similar restrictions.

The first three games on the Canisius schedule are versus schools from Pennsylvania and Ohio. Aside from its two conference games against rival St. Joe’s of Kenmore, N.Y., and St. Francis of West Seneca, N.Y., the Crusaders will also square off with Huron Heights Secondary School of Newmarket, Ontario in Canada.

While Canisius is used to traveling for games, it’s a whole new world for North’s players, who according to Zibolis will be the underdog in this game.

“I did a little research on the school, and I noticed that they’re obviously very good,” Zibolis said. “They actually have current NFL players and like five kids that are already verbally committed to go D1 in college on their current roster.”

The plan for this trip, which all came together in February, will include the game, but also be a team-bonding experience with a visit to Niagara Falls on the itinerary.

“If we’re going to go all the way over there to play a team that is that good, we’re going to make it a team-building activity,” Zibolis said. “It’s going to be more of a team experience. Get a feel for more of what college football is all about. We’re getting a bus chartered out there. We’re staying in hotels. Going to Niagara Falls. Have team meals. We’re going to have a whole experience behind the game.”

Who are the Canisius Crusaders?

The Canisius football program, which plays in the Monsignor Martin Athletic Association, have become a notable program over the last few years, including earning a Top 5 spot in the northeast USA rankings and being nationally profiled by Rivals.com.

A lot of that notoriety comes courtesy of alumni that have made it to the NFL and CFL, including:

• John Urschel (Baltimore Ravens)
• Jimmy Gaines (Buffalo Bills)
• Qadree Ollison (Atlanta Falcons, Dallas Cowboys, Jacksonville Jaguars, Pittsburgh Steelers)
• Blake Haubeil (Tennessee Titans, Carolina Panthers)
• Ryan Hunter (Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Toronto Argonauts)and current

Current New England Patriots lineman Tyrone Wheatley Jr is also an alum, and those are just the players since 2000. Another notable Canisius alum that made it to the NFL in the 1980s is Phil McConkey (New York Giants, Green Bay Packers, Phoenix Cardinals, San Diego Chargers).

The Canisius football program has a rich history, that as Zibolis mentioned, just keeps growing with a current roster boasting five more Division I college recruits.

Senior Patrick Enright (6-foot-5 300-pounds) is committed to play offensive tackle at Holy Cross. Senior Mason Alnutt (6-4, 235) plays both ways at tight end and defensive end for Canisius, but is committed to UNLV on the defensive side of the ball. Senior center/nose guard George Wiley (6-2, 285) is going the Ivy League route, deciding between Yale, Harvard, Dartmouth and Columbia. Senior receiver Jahyden Clark (6-1, 180) is locked in for the University of Buffalo Stony Brook.

The beef on the Canisius line is opening holes for one of its most exciting and talented players, according to Coach Kurzanski. At only 15 years old, sophomore running back Elijah Kimble (5-10, 190) is holding offers from Michigan and Oregon, while also being contacted by other major-conference football programs.

Canisius runs a base 3-4 defense with multiple coverages but can morph into 4-2-5 depending on its opponent. Offensively, the Crusaders show multiple formations throughout every game.

“Our personnel allows us to move things around based on opponents and in-game situations,” Kurzanski said. “Down and distance will determine all that.”

Kurzanski is hoping that the ability to play multiple formations offensively and defensively will help Canisius rebound from a slight dip the last three years. The Crusaders last New York State Catholic High School Athletic Association title came in 2019. They also won titles in 2016 and 2014, with a runner-up finish in 2017.

Last season, Canisius went 5-6 in the regular season, beat St. Joe’s in the Buffalo Catholic A Division semifinals and lost to eventual state runner-up St. Francis in the divisional title game.

North players excited, but focused

Senior captain Luke Peters was surprised when he first heard the Titans would be traveling to Buffalo to end the regular season. He wasn’t alone.

“It did surprise a lot of us,” said Peters an outside linebacker/slot receiver/running back for North. “At first I was wondering if this was a good idea considering it’s the last game of the season, right before the playoffs. Then after coach explained the trip a little more, we all kind of realized how great of an experience this could be for us as a team in preparation for the playoffs if we do qualify.”

Fellow senior captain Darius Smith agrees. The defensive end/running back was “100 percent shocked” when he learned of the Western New York trip. He now sees this trip as a great opportunity.

“I think this will be a good experience for everyone,” Smith said. “Not just the seniors, but the younger guys too. I’m especially excited for it though as kind of a last year trip being a senior.

“The game itself is a great opportunity to show what we have and what we are capable of. We’re a young team with a lot to prove, and this game could go a long way to showing who we are right now and what other teams can expect in the playoffs or heading into next season.”

That is exactly the main focus of junior captain Jack Krulikowski. The Titans middle linebacker sees Canisius on the schedule, but he’ll concentrate on that Nov. 2 game after their New Hampshire slate is cleared.

“I understand the excitement,” Krulikowski said. “It’s definitely very exciting and it gives us an opportunity to show what we’re made of as a team on a larger scale, but we have a tough in-state schedule we need to concentrate on first.”

That Division I West Conference schedule begins Sept. 6 at 6:30 p.m. vs. Bedford at Stellos Stadium.

“We need to take it one game at a time,” Krulikowski said. “If we want that New York trip to mean something, we really need to focus week to week and earn a playoff spot before we even get on that bus to head West.”

His fellow captains concur.

“He’s right,” Peters said. “We need to and I believe we’ll all be focused on taking things week by week. As captains, it’s on us to make that happen. I think we have a team that will stay focused on our overall goals, and I think we can be around the same record as last year or maybe even better.”

Last fall, the Titans finished 5-3 for second place in the Division I West Conference (7-4 overall). They beat Alvirne in the first round before falling to Portsmouth-Oyster River in the quarterfinals.

“I’m feeling pretty confident we can get back to the quarterfinals and go further this year,” Smith said. “I think we have a team that can compete with anyone, and I’m looking forward to getting the season started.”

More to the story

• The Canisius football program has a New Hampshire connection unrelated to playing Nashua North this fall. Josh Fillion, a 2022 Canisius graduate, is a sophomore receiver at the University of New Hampshire.
• To raise money for the Buffalo trip, Nashua North has produced a 2024 Football Media Guide that can be purchased at all home games. The guide was sponsored by individuals and businesses throughout the community. All proceeds from the sales and sponsorships are funding the Titans’ trip.
• The Titans will be departing for Buffalo early in the morning on Nov. 1. They’ll stop halfway to get off the bus to stretch and do a walk-through. When arriving in Buffalo, they’ll visit Niagara Falls before breaking bread at a team dinner with players and coaches from Canisius.