Travis Pitzonka leaves Lancaster for St. Francis College

by Mike Pidanick, Metro Source

As Travis Pitzonka leaves Lancaster for St. Francis College, he sees opportunity as he heads to the next level.

“I’m looking forward to that,” he said. “They run a 3-4 defense and all four of their linebackers from this past season graduated. So everything is wide open.

“I’m going to come in and work hard and earn my spot.

And when Pitzonka says he’s going to work hard, he means it. Last summer, he was one of Lancaster’s Iron Man Award winners based on offseason workouts. That effort paid off when the games started to count for real as Pitzonka, a 6-foot, 215-pound linebacker, had an outstanding senior season for the Redskins.

He collected 103 tackles and won the Tomahawk Award as the team’s hardest hitter. He also earned Class AA South 1st Team honors.

He hopes to play as soon as he can at St. Francis, a Division I Football Championship Subdivision program located in Loretto, Pa. The Red Flash are coming off a disappointing 1-10 season and Pitzonka hopes to be part of the solution.

“I can’t wait to get down there and get to work,” he said.

Before he departs, Pitzonka had one last chance to show Western New York what he can do. He earned Defensive Player of the Game honors for the South team in a 28-20 victory in the the 36th annual Kensington Lions Club’s All-Star High School Football Classic.

“I had a great time being part of this game,” said Pitzonka, who had nine tackles and an interception. “It was great to play again with two of my teammates, Jeremiah Luderman and Austin Bauer - it was fun to play with them for a game, and I got to meet a couple of new friends, too. It was a great time.”

Lancaster Fire Company welcomes new members

The Cayuga Hose Company #3 of Depew welcomed two new members: Marvin “Mel” Tribbey and James Thompson, both of whom are from Lancaster.

Thompson works as a bus driver and Tribbey is a bus monitor, both for Carrier Coach, Inc. Both expressed a desire to serve the community and thought the fire department would be an exciting way to do that.

Cayuga Hose Company #3 was established in 1898, and is one of six companies that make up the Depew Fire Department.

Good luck to both men with their future endeavors.


Fire Damage Restoration Lancaster, NY

Lancaster Academy of the Visual and Performing Arts presents the “Academy Senior Student Exhibition”

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By: Source Staff

The Lancaster Academy of the Visual and Performing Arts presents the “Academy Senior Student Exhibition,” which will feature more than 100 artworks by 15 Lancaster High School seniors. Spectators are welcome to attend the opening reception from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, May 4, at 11 West Main St., in the Village of Lancaster.

Three years ago, Lancaster High School began its Academy of Visual and Performing Arts. This year’s seniors are the first graduating class from the academy.  The academy has encouraged in-depth participation in the arts. Students in the academy have welcomed guest speakers to Lancaster and attended concerts, theatrical performances, and art shows.

Students in the academy have also had the opportunity to take special exclusive classes that have focused on team-building, creative problem solving, and exploring careers in the arts. All of the skills students have attained are put to use in their Senior Projects class in which students design, create and display their own independent projects.
With help from academy students of all grades, Lancaster seniors have transformed an empty storefront into a temporary gallery space. This show on May 4 is the end result of a full semester’s worth of work and planning, both in school and at home.

“The goal of the Senior Exhibition Gallery is to create awareness of the arts in our community and to show appreciation for the incredible support that the Lancaster community has provided for our schools.  Though temporary, this gallery is the first vital step towards establishing a permanent art gallery in the heart of Lancaster, which will grow to become a must-see destination for visitors to Lancaster,” remarked Art Academy Senior Projects Teacher Brett Miller.

Light refreshments will be served and live music will be performed by Lancaster High School’s string quartet during the opening reception.

Additional gallery hours include: 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, May 5, Tuesday, May 10, Thursday, May 12, Tuesday, May 17, Tuesday, May 24, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, May 7. Admission is free.

For additional information contact, Lancaster High School Visual Arts Academy Advisor Ken Hawley at khawley@lancaster.wnyric.org or Miller at bmiller@lancaster.wnyric.org, or brettnmiller@hotmail.com,  or 686-3276.

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