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Kacz ready to take on new leadership role
By A.J. Speier
On April 26, 2012
After former high school state champion Casey Kacz decided to commit to Division II Chowan University
instead of Buffalo State two years ago, the Bengals thought they would never hear from him again.
But the quarterback was redshirted in his first season with the Hawks and, after making an unsuccessful
transfer to Division II Edinboro University, decided to give head coach Jerry Boyes a call to talk about the
possibility of returning home to play for Buffalo State in front of his friends and family for the first time
since high school.
"He called and quite frankly, I didn't even know he was at Edinboro," Boyes said. "Once someone makes
their decision and moves on, they've made a decision. When he told me he was at Edinboro, it was a
little bit of a surprise to me. He called one day and I said 'Great. We have a meeting coming up, I'll see
you there.'"
The last time Kacz had played in Western New York was in 2008 with state champion Sweet Home High
School, where he completed 68 percent of his passes for 1,647 yards and 22 touchdowns. He led the
Panthers to a perfect 13-0 record while going 23-1 over his career as a starter.
With his high school glory days far behind him, Kacz came to Buffalo State with the hope of finally
landing an opportunity to start at the collegiate level. But when he first joined the Bengals, Ryan
Lehotsky was already entrenched as the starting quarterback. Once again, Kacz began a season toiling as
a backup while learning his fourth playbook in as many years.
This time, though, he had a friend in wide receiver Mike Doherty who could show him the ropes and
help him become more comfortable with the team. The two used to play little league football together
for the Town of Tonawanda Football Association and played in the Kensington High School All-Star
Game, where Kacz was named offensive MVP of the North team.
"It established a comfort level because I knew a couple of guys' names coming in, but I wasn't really
that close with anyone," Kacz said. "Coming in and seeing a face that I knew made me more relaxed and
comfortable in the offense because I could ask him questions and know that he was going to be on the
same page as me right away. I still knew what kind of receiver he was and where he liked the ball and
stuff so we clicked right away."
After opening their 2011 season 1-3, the Bengals decided to make the quarterback change from
Lehotsky to Kacz. They finished the season winning four of their final six games to finish the season with
a .500 record for the first time since 2000.
Kacz completed 122 of his 205 passes for 1,532 yards and 11 touchdowns while rushing for 359 yards
and six touchdowns on 71 attempts.
Since the end of last season, Kacz has been determined to take the Bengals to the next level and often
stays after practice to work with his receivers. His dedication to winning has certainly rubbed off on
some of his teammates.
"Having him staying after practice like this every day to work on his stuff with his wide receivers is the
difference maker right now," three-year left guard Josh Jesonowski said. "Last year we weren't staying
out afterward, but now we have the drive to win the conference championship and then the national
championship."
With spring practices coming to an end this week, it's clear that Kacz has emerged as Buffalo State's
opening day starting quarterback heading into the 2012 season. As a result, he's become more
comfortable, knowing that he's earned the respect of his teammates.
"Going into next season will be my second year with the program which is something new in college,"
Kacz said. "It's definitely going to make the fall a lot easier, having this past season to look back on to
look at mistakes and what we did well. I think it's a lot easier now that I have more respect from guys on
the team because when you transfer in at first, you're kind of like the new guy.
"Now that I have a year under the belt, guys know what they expect of me and it's a lot easier to lead."
A.J. Speier can be reached by email at speier.record@live.com.
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