When Health Sciences arrived at Williamsville South, Falcons coach Ty Parker wanted his team to take in the pageantry and use it as motivation to spoil the Billies’ homecoming game.
While a packed stadium with a sea of blue fans, cheerleaders, a dance team and a band taking up space might have distracted his players, Parker wasn’t fazed. He knew the thought of winning would fuel his team more.
The message was delivered when the Falcons (2-1) won 20-7 and avoided their first 1-2 start since 2021.
“It was a good win for our team and program,” Parker said. “Last year, we lost to Williamsville South. I tip my hat to (coach) Joe Licata and his team. They’re a well-coached team. I knew they were going to come to play because it was their homecoming. I told our guys, ‘We got to have a little chip on our shoulder because normally when teams host homecomings, they feel they got an easy win.’ That was motivation for us going in and our guys stepped up.”
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Health Sciences/BASC/Charter Falcons Semaj Summerour scores on a touchdown catch in the fourth quarter at Williamsville South High School on Saturday.
Health Sciences junior Jordan Oliver got things going with a 24-yard touchdown pass to senior Semaj Summerour. With the team failing its two-point conversion, it led 6-0 after the first quarter. Williamsville South’s lone score came on a 6-yard run from senior lineman Joey Lipski in the third quarter. At 5-foot-11, 255 pounds, Lipski couldn’t be stopped when the Billies needed a touchdown.
His impact on the game frustrated the Falcons because it was unexpected. According to the Section VI website, Lipski hadn’t attempted a rush all season. With the element of surprise in Licata’s back pocket, he used Lipski’s size to the fullest, the player finishing with eight carries and 44 rushing yards.
“They’re big up front,” Parker said. “Those guys are strong, and 50 [Lipski’s jersey number] is a big guy. We were just trying our best to cause a pile up front so he didn’t get his momentum going. Once he gets his momentum going, he’s going to fall forward. I think we did a good job of keeping him away from short-yardage situations because that was their best formation of the game.”
Two minutes after Lipski’s score, the Falcons’ Oliver connected with junior Ca’Lee Washington for an 86-yard pass, and the team capped the drive when junior Keshaun Joiner strolled in for an 11-yard score. Oliver and Summerour connected on a two-point conversion, making it 14-7. Washington’s big plays continued when he recovered a bad direct snap to Lipski, leading Falcons assistant coach Shaq Dudley to call him “the player of the game.”
Oliver found Summerour for a 49-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the fourth quarter to end the scoring.
“It was a good game,” Summerour said. “We did what we had to do, and the better team always wins in the end.”
After the win, Health Sciences didn’t bask in its victory but instead spent extra time on the field thinking about its next opponent, Iroquois. Parker believes the Red Hawks will be motivated because they’ve never beaten his program. And there’s something for Iroquois to prove after being on the wrong end of a record-breaking game Thursday by South Park’s Adam Nunes. The senior set the New York State Public High School Athletic Association single-game rushing yards record (593) and scored seven touchdowns. Health Sciences plays Iroquois (2-1) on the road at 7:30 p.m. Friday.
“I know the coaches and their quarterback are going to be ready to play,” Parker said. “We got to get our guys ready for the matchup. They know we’re going to try and run the ball the same way South Park ran. You know they have a chip on their shoulder, and I know they’re going to be hungry, so none of our guys run the ball like that.”
