Buffalo Bills name Week 7 Western New York high school coaches
The Buffalo Bills, in partnership with Visa, named Week 7 western New York high school tackle football Coaches of the Week for the week ending Oct. 18, 2026, selecting Salamanca head coach Chad Bartoszek as the Buffalo-region winner and Hornell head coach Dr. Ismail Mehr as the Rochester-region winner, the team announced Oct. 21, 2026. Each winning coach’s program will receive $1,000 from the Bills and Visa. The recognition highlights coaches’ performance on the field and their service to local communities.
Each region’s Coach of the Year will receive an additional $1,000 and will be celebrated on the field at Highmark Stadium before the Bills-Jets game in January, the team said. The Bills publish weekly winners during the season to spotlight local coaches and support high school programs. The list published Oct. 21, 2026, identifies winners through Week 7 of the 2026 season.
Bartoszek led Salamanca to a 36-22 victory over a Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove co-op that was tied 22-22 after three quarters before Salamanca scored 14 unanswered points in the fourth. Junior quarterback Ethan Baxter-Drain threw three touchdown passes in his first varsity start, junior Remy Follman had four receptions for 92 yards and three touchdowns, and junior Taydence Stevens returned an interception for a late touchdown to seal the win. After the game, Bartoszek said he would enjoy the victory and praised his players.
Bartoszek was an all-New York State tight end at Salamanca and caught 95 passes for 874 yards and six touchdowns at the University at Buffalo (UB). After his college career, he received an invitation to training camp with the Indianapolis Professional Football Team and graduated from UB with a degree in history education. He became a physical education teacher in Ellicottville, coached at Ellicottville for one season before that program merged, and reached the Section 6 championship game four times in seven seasons. Bartoszek was hired as Salamanca’s athletic director and head coach in 2019 and led the Warriors to Section 6 Class C titles in 2023 and 2024 and a New York State championship-game appearance in 2024.
Mehr earned the Rochester-region honor after Hornell defeated previously unbeaten Alexander/Pembroke, 19-13, improving the Red Raiders to 6-1. Sophomore quarterback Tyrone Buchanan scored on a rushing touchdown with under five minutes remaining to clinch the victory, and senior running back Matt Karr carried 12 times for 147 yards and a touchdown. Mehr has been part of Hornell football for more than two decades and has served as head coach for the past four seasons.
A 1991 Hornell High School graduate, Mehr returned to his hometown in 2002 after completing medical school and specializing in anesthesiology. He is a board-certified anesthesiologist and medical director at UR Medicine St. James Hospital in Hornell. He began his coaching career as an assistant on the staff of longtime Hornell coach Gene Mastin before taking over as head coach and has emphasized community involvement.
The Bills have named weekly high school coaches across western New York throughout the 2026 season and published a running list of winners through Week 7. Past recipients cited by the team include Mark Benton of Springville-Griffith Institute (Week 1), Michael Cieslik of Orchard Park (Week 4) and Joe Licata of Williamsville South (Week 5). Bartoszek and Mehr were identified as the Week 7 honorees in the Oct. 21, 2026, update on the team’s website.
NFL Sports Blog Take
The Bills’ weekly program pairs modest financial support with public recognition to highlight high school coaches’ on-field work and community service. The $1,000 awards and on-field Coach of the Year presentation at Highmark Stadium provide local programs with both funding and visibility. Listing game details and coach backgrounds connects local football outcomes to broader community involvement and reinforces the team’s role in supporting grassroots football across western New York.