Rochester Prep Football Coach Honored by Buffalo Bills

For Rochester Prep High School Football Coach Dennis Thomas, this is a year to remember.

He was recently named The Buffalo Bills ADPRO Sports high school coach of the week in the Rochester region for his commitment to the team and the community — a recognition that comes with a $1,000 award for the team.

Thomas is in his first year as a head coach of a football team that is playing its first season and the award came the same week his team won its first game ever — a 12-6 nailbiter against Dansville that was won in the final seconds on a touchdown by sophomore wide receiver Jameir Walters, who ended the game with 248 receiving yards in nine receptions and two touchdowns, earning him a third-place ranking in the record books for New York State Section V.

“I love how it happened because it taught them to never give up,” Thomas said. “You never know what will happen. As long as you keep playing. It’s the same thing if you are in the classroom. — don't quit, you don't know what's on the other side.”

Thomas knows what it means to never give up and tries to impart that drive in his players.

After graduating from high school, Thomas went to college, but soon dropped out.

“I hadn't figured out who I was or what I really wanted to do in life,” he said. “So I had to take a step back and figure that out first. Prior to me, nobody else in my family went to college. I didn’t have somebody that I could look at and say, `They did it, so I can do it’.”

Thomas eventually found his way back to college, attending SUNY Brockport, where he majored in education and played three years on the Golden Eagles NCAA Division III football team, first as a middle linebacker, then safety and finally as a defensive end.

His experience with this taught him an important lesson in life that he imparts to his players at Rochester Prep – you need to be confident.

“I’ve noticed a lot of kids lack confidence,” he said. “But you can gain confidence by being put in an adverse situation, working through it and not giving up.”

Football, he said, offers kids that opportunity.

“Learning how to play four quarters no matter what the scoreboard looks like, and having the confidence to be able to perform no matter what the other team in front of you looks like can set you up for a healthy mindset to feel like you can be successful in any situation,” Thomas said.

Rochester Prep High School is best known for its academic success rather than its prowess on the football field. Since graduating its first class in 2018, nearly all of its students have continued on to college.

In previous years, the charter school joined with Bishop Kearny High School in Irondequoit to field a team. This is the first year Rochester Prep has fielded its own team.

The timing was right too. After being in various locations for most of its existence, Rochester Prep finally got its own home — a state-of-the art, completely renovated high school in the former PUC Middle School.

“The players were super excited about it,” Thomas said. “It gives them a sense of ownership. It also trickles down into the other programs. Now they have something that they feel is theirs.”