Ty Harper’s Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brocton Eagles won the Section Vi Class C title and reached the state semifinals in his first year as head coach. OBSERVER file photo

When Ty Harper made the difficult decision to step down as Clymer/Sherman/Panama’s football coach last winter and pursue a teaching and coaching position at Chautauqua Lake, he did so hoping to build a program as respected as his Wolfpack program had become over a decade with him at its helm.

The Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brocton roster was stocked with talent and left in a good place by previous coach Ryan Gibbs.

It was up to Harper and his longtime defensive coordinator, Chris Payne, to continue the Eagles’ build toward greatness.

Early in the season, it was evident that Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brocton was going to be a solid team in a stacked Class C South.

The Eagles followed an opening 49-8 nonleague win over Tonawanda with three straight league wins over Portville/Cuba-Rushford/Bolivar-Richburg, Springville and Clymer/Sherman/Panama by a combined 100-12 to set up a Week 5 showdown with undefeated Southwestern/Frewsburg.

Things did not go well for Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brocton that Friday night in October as the Trojans drove home from Mayville with a 45-0 victory for an early inside path to a league championship.

” … If we do see them again, to say that we would have to play a lot better, would be the understatement of the year,” was what Harper said after his team was on the wrong side of a blowout.

The Eagles made sure they would see Southwestern/Frewsburg again.

They finished the regular season with three more Class C South victories over Fredonia, Falconer/Cassadaga Valley/Maple Grove and Salamanca to earn the No. 2 seed in their division and the quarterfinal home game that came along with it.

In the first round of the playoffs, quarterback Brayden Gibbs went 11 of 13 for 207 yards and two touchdowns; Devin Hewes caught six passes for 124 yards and a score; and Thandon Bensink ran 16 times for 106 yards and a touchdown as Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brocton beat Akron 70-12.

That win gave the Eagles a semifinal matchup with Class C North No. 1 seed Barker/Royalton-Hartland on the road in Barker. There, Gibbs went 9 of 17 for 135 yards and two scores; Asher Olson caught five passes for 119 yards and two scores; and Bensink ran 22 times for 112 yards and a touchdown as Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brocton won 30-13.

The Eagles’ reward for that semifinal victory? A rematch with Southwestern/Frewsburg for a Section VI championship at Highmark Stadium.

To say Harper had his team ready for that game would be the understatement of the year.

Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brocton held the Trojans to just 63 yards of offense and shut them out 21-0 to advance to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Far West Regional.

At All High Stadium, the Eagles fell behind 8-0 at halftime, but outscored Section V’s Alexander 11-0 in the second half to reach the state semifinals.

And although Chenango Forks got the better of Harper’s team at Cicero-North Syracuse High School, it did not take away from what a successful season the Eagles had in his first year in charge.

Gibbs was named a Class C South co-Offensive Player of the Year, linebacker Trent Houser was named a co-Defensive Player of the Year and Harper was named the league’s Coach of the Year.

In addition to Gibbs and Houser, Bensink, Olson, Hewes, Clayton Smith, Tristen Gibbs and Carson Fairbank were named Class C South First-Team All-Stars. Phil Powell, Walter Lukasiak and Aiden Woodis were named Second-Team All-Stars while Lance Franklin, Kieffer Maytum and Anthony Mitchell were honorable-mention selections.

For winning Section VI Class C and Far West Regional titles and helping continue to build Chautauqua Lake/Westfield/Brocton into one of the better football programs in the area, Harper is a back-to-back OBSERVER/Post-Journal Football Coach of the Year.