BUFFALO, NY. (WKBW) — When talking about the most storied high school rivalries in Western New York one of the first that comes to the minds of many is Lancaster and Depew.
Their high schools are less than 10 minutes apart and have delivered some of the greatest high school sports moments in all of Section VI.
However, in recent years, those moments have not been happening on the football field. Lancaster, which boasts a larger enrollment than its neighbor high school, has dominated the rivalry on the gridiron as they've surged to become one of the most successful football programs in the state.
The larger enrollment puts Lancaster in Class AA, the largest classification of public high school football in the state of New York. Depew is Class B when it comes to football.
Disparity in enrollment has not always translated to victory when it comes to this game. According to a Lancaster press release, from 2006 to 2014, the Wildcats won six out of nine matchups over the Legends. Adding that period offered the largest enrollment differential since 1998.
However recent results on the field and a non-foreseeable change in their total enrollment have led Depew Central School District to begin the process of phasing themselves out of this rivalry by the start of the 2027 season.
When 7 Sports reached out to Depew for comment, athletic director Robert Skoczylas offered this statement on their reasoning behind trying to move away from the yearly rivalry on the gridiron:
This decision was not made lightly. Under the leadership of Coach Eric Rupp, Lancaster has developed into the premier football program in Western New York, boasting the best record of any high school football team in New York State over the past decade, regardless of school size. During this same period, the average halftime score of our matchups has been Lancaster 32.6, Depew 2.6.
Lancaster has more students currently in their High School than we have in our entire district, with Lancaster’s football team averaging a 67-man roster while Depew averages 33. This imbalance forces our athletes to play in all phases of the game. Nowhere else in NYS do you see a Class B school annually play a Class AA school. Asking the students of our much smaller district to continue to participate in this game is unfair.
The students of Depew won’t be missing out on the motorcade, dance, pep assembly, powderpuff, and game, it just will be with a different, more appropriate school size, which is how all sports schedules are created.
Our commitment remains to provide the best opportunities for our student-athletes to grow, compete, and succeed.
The argument from Lancaster's side gears more towards not wanting to see the annual tradition that united both communities go away. In the same press release mentioned earlier, Lancaster Superintendent Dr. Andrew Kufel made it very clear where they stand on this issue.
To be clear, we have no intention of ending this rivalry and homecoming week. This game is more than a competition—it is a cornerstone of our community’s legacy, a testament to the pride, spirit, and tradition that defines Lancaster—past, present, and future.
You can read more on Lancaster's stance here.
It looks as if Lancaster remains steadfast in keeping this rivalry on the football field going for many more years to come and Depew is ready to shift their football program and its schedule to create new memories with a more "equitable" level of competition.
Both schools will host one more home game each over the next two years before this rivalry comes to an end by the start of the 2027 season unless both sides agree to keep the yearly game going.
What do you think of this decision and the possible elimination of the storied Lancaster vs. Depew football rivalry?
