Purple Eagles take part in Media Day at New Era Field in preparation for sectional final
Photos by Cheryl Wertman – Albion’s quintet of, from left, Thomas Furmanski, Michael DiCureia, Brillance Johnson, Tyray White and Cody Wilson get together just before the start of this morning’s Media Day program at New Era Field where the Purple Eagles will face WNY Maritime for the Section VI Class B championship at 5 p.m. Friday.
Come Friday Albion will be in the Western New York football spotlight as the Purple Eagles take on WNY Maritime for the Section VI Class B championship at New Era Field, the home of the Buffalo Bills.
This morning five senior members of the Albion squad joined with representatives of the other nine competing teams for the annual Media Day program at New Era Field in preparation for the weekend’s sectional championships.
Albion, which will face Maritime at 5 p.m. Friday, was represented by quarterback Thomas Furmanski, running backs Brillance Johnson and Tyray While and linemen Michael DiCureia and Cody Wilson.
“It will be fun to go out there as a team and compete,” said Furmanski. “I’m just trying to treat this like a regular season game. You don’t want to get too excited or hyped up.”
Interestingly Furmanski, along with some of the other members of the Albion squad, have played on the stadium’s turf once before during their Albion youth football days at the half-time of a Bills game.
“It’s an exciting moment for me,” said White of Albion’s first trip to the stadium in nearly two full decades.
DiCureia agreed saying, “I’m just excited and hope to go out and compete well.”
“I’m definitely excited for our team and for my family and friends. It’s big for them,” added Johnson.
“It’s been a while since Albion has won here so we’ll try to do it this year,” said Wilson. “I’m just excited for it.”
In fact, it was been 32 years since Albion last captured a section title at the stadium when the Purple Eagles downed Salamanca 15-8 in 1987. And it’s been 17 years since the Purple Eagles last appearance at the stadium in 2002.
Orleans Hub has four videos from Media Day. Click here to see Albion players walk up the tunnel from the field.
(Click here to see Ken Stoldt, head of Section 6 football, give a speech to the teams representatives.)
(Click here to see the what the visitor’s locker room looks like at New Era Field.)
(Click here to see some of the Albion players in a suite, looking out on the football field.)
The Purple Eagles quintet took a few minutes to test out the stadium’s turf. In front are Wilson and DiCureia. In back are Johnson, Furmanski and White.
