Some seasons simply demand to be remembered. For a generation of Western New York football, they were defined by a handful of players who reached a pinnacle few ever touch: winning a state championship while being named The News’ Player of the Year award, and/or the Connolly Cup.
The team is a combination of players who had great overall careers or seasons. Of those selected, many were named The News’ Player of the Year, Connolly Cup winners or Trench Trophy winners. A select few continued their careers at the Division I level and the NFL.
There was Aaron Leeper’s dominance at Jamestown in 2000, the accuracy of Sweet Home’s Pat McMahon in 2009 and the dominance of Canisius’ TJ Wheatley in 2014. Then came West Seneca West’s Matt Meyers in 2017, the Canisius dynamo CJ Ozolins in 2019 and the recent Bennett tandem of Jayden Lewis and Rashard Perry in 2022.
All of them had remarkable, historic seasons. But for a fleeting moment in 2015, one athlete stood apart, his season not merely great, but seemingly supernatural. He was a force that defied logic and, in the process, brought a community to a fever pitch. He was South Park’s Tyree Brown.
Brown highlights The News’ Quarter Century Team rollout, reflecting on the last 25 years of Western New York high school football. His 2015 season is recognized as the best individual season during that time period.
The quarterback was a singular force. As a senior, he wasn’t just a good player on a good team, he was a big dog among pups, the master of his domain. He moved on the field with a primal intelligence, dissecting defenses with his arm and punishing them with his legs.
For the year, Brown’s passing stats were staggering enough − 2,615 yards and 30 touchdowns − but they only told half the story. On the ground, he was just as powerful, adding another 1,370 yards and 22 scores. Every snap was a chance for him to rip a hole in the opponent’s game plan, to bend reality to his will.
The playoffs were where his legend was truly forged. South Park coach Tim Delaney asked his star for more, and Brown delivered.
For a quarterback, stepping onto the other side of the ball is an unusual ask, but Brown embraced it. Over a six-game playoff run, he became a two-way threat, a blur of motion who collected 24 tackles and four interceptions.
The moment of truth arrived in the state semifinals against Maine-Endwell, which wasn’t just any team but a dynasty, riding a 62-game win streak and a four-year reign as state champions.
“I remember doing a TV interview and they brought up their 62-game winning streak,” Delaney recalled, the memory still fresh. “I wasn’t cocky but said, ‘We only have to play them one time.’ ”
On that cold night, Brown proved his coach was right: once was enough. Brown was everywhere, a ghost haunting Maine-Endwell’s dreams. He threw for 203 yards and ran for 103, scoring two touchdowns on the ground. When it mattered most, he snatched two interceptions, putting an emphatic stamp on a victory that broke the longest winning streak in New York history, shocking the state.
“We played amazing that night,” Delaney said, “and after that, I really knew we had a chance (to win a state title).”
That chance became destiny. In the Class A state championship game against Our Lady of Lourdes, Brown closed the book on his senior season with a virtuoso performance. He rushed for 217 yards, threw for 140 and scored two touchdowns, all while adding 11 tackles. He was later named NYS Class A co-Player of the Year and returned home with both The News’ Player of the Year and Connolly Cup awards.
The South Park team, led by its quiet, brilliant star, had done what many said was impossible. They became the first Buffalo Public School to win a state football championship.
Brown became the first BPS player to win The News Player of the Year and Connolly Cup. For a community that had waited for respect in its short time in Section VI, Brown and South Park delivered.
“Ty was out of this world,” Delaney stated simply, a testament to a season that was an outlier in every sense of the word.
Gronkowski is noted as the most successful player of The News’ Quarter Century Team for his high school, college and pro careers.
For a coach who understood the long, difficult road to greatness, the triumph wasn’t just about his team, but about the beautiful rarity of it all.
“So many great coaches in this area didn’t win a state championship,” Delaney said. “It doesn’t diminish what they were doing. We lucked out and had a great group of kids to achieve all that. We’re all just looking to catch lightning in a bottle.”
For one season, Brown was that lightning. For a season, South Park was a beautiful storm.
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Clevis Murray
Sports Reporter
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