North Tonawanda, New York, "home of the carousel" is what you will see when coming across the bridge on Twin City Highway, along with a sign that acknowledges the very successful high school football team from 2009. Sports have been very popular in this small city in Western New York. One of the most popular football rivalries in the whole state of New York involves the city of Tonawanda and North Tonawanda. This rivalry dates all the way back to 1896 when the first game between the two was held.

Not only is North Tonawanda my home town, but it is the home town of the incredibly dedicated Joe Kraus. Joe is a senior at North Tonawanda High School and is graduating in June. The work that he has done for the sports teams at the school has had an impact not just on the programs, but the people of the city. He has written articles for many different newspapers, had his own sports blog and has even been featured on major local news stations for his accomplishments.

Joe and I go way back. I first him when I was a sixth grader at Spruce Elementary. In sixth grade, I did the morning announcements that shared the information that the school needed to know, such as any after-school activities, the lunch, etc. At the end of sixth grade, incoming sixth grader Joe Kraus got to take over my job while I move on to middle school. He shadowed me for a couple days to learn the ropes so he'd be ready for the next year. The rest from here is truly incredible.

I first saw Joe in action on the homeroom T.V. in eighth grade. Joe had began his own sports show and his fantasy started becoming reality. However, he only had a minuscule amount of time to say what he wanted. Here is where he debuted his famous "Professor's Picks."

Fast-forward another two years. Joe walks into high school with his same passion for sports. As a freshman, Joe carried over "Joe's Sports Corner" to North Tonawanda High School. Joe's show aired on the homeroom television five minutes before the official morning announcements. The early stages of his show included brief recaps of professional games and local games, while including stats as well. As Joe got older, he wanted to make his show more official. Joe began interviewing student athletes. Joe had numerous current and former athletes on his morning show, whether it was just for a one-on-one interview, or he wanted multiple athletes to play an entertaining game called "Know Your Teammate." Not only did he have athletes, but he also brought in coaches, journalists and other members of big organizations.

Thinking now, one must wonder "how did he keep up all of this while still being a full-time high school student?" But wait, there's more. Joe was involved with three of the varsity programs on top of working his show every morning. Joe announced a handful of varsity football games and kept stats for the team as well. He was the general manager for the varsity basketball team. Joe was also a member of the baseball program. He began his gig as the public announcer at the varsity baseball games his junior year while also keeping stats.

His first year as the announcer for the baseball team was my senior year, and my last year on the baseball team. The impact that Joe had on all of us was absolutely outstanding. Not many high school teams have the opportunity to have walk-up songs and be able to have their name called when they step up to the plate.

Our baseball senior night, Joe played a huge role. It was the usual, the songs, the announcing, but in between some innings he would dedicate that time to a graduating senior. His character screamed through the mic, having said a great farewell to every senior, and I don't think anybody could have said them better.

The most amazing part throughout everything is that he cared so much for all of the athletes. After games, he would even interview them and put their statements in his write-ups. I was able to reverse the roles this time and I was able to ask him a few questions so I could write a piece on him. Here is the brief interview that I had with "The Professor" Joe Kraus.

1. Q: What first made you want to do what you do?

A: I grew up in Western New York so I was always watching the Buffalo Sabres and Buffalo Bills. I also grew up watching the New York Yankees and followed the ‘Core 4’ of Jeter, Pettitte, Rivera and Posada faithfully. It’s amazing how they brought home multiple championships after decades of hard work. But, the first moment that I knew that I wanted to become a part of the sports media industry came in November of 2009. I still remember watching the New York State Class AA title game between the New Rochelle Hugenots … and the North Tonawanda Lumberjacks at the Carrier Dome. It was tied at 7 in the third quarter when it happened. On a halfback option pass, Joe Montesanti threw up a prayer and Darrik Bloomfield had one of the most athletic plays I’ve seen in my life, and I still stand by that today. Bloomfield leaped over the defender, had about a foot advantage when he jumped and that gave NT the eventual 14-7 victory. The excitement from that game made me want to have a job where I could witness more of those special moments and I guess the rest is history.

2. Q: When did you start doing stat keeping, play-by-play, interviews, etc?

A: The journey began at Spruce Elementary in 2009. I was assigned to be a member of the Safety Patrol. After we started, so probably about a month or two in, I realized that something was missing. So, I asked our principal, Mr. Rick Jetter, if we could add a sportscast, and he absolutely loved it. And ever since, I’ve provided a sportscast to the mornings of North Tonawanda. The play-by-play came a little bit later in the winter when I became the public address announcer for the North TonawandaYouthCenter Basketball. I actually had a short-lived career playing basketball. I knew that basketball wasn’t my calling so I walked away from the game and headed to the booth. I approached the head of the NT Youth Center, Alex Domaradzki, in my squeaky 12-year-old voice, “Can I call the games today?” and I’ve now been a part of the program’s staff for the past seven years. I’m excited to announce that I will be returning for an eighth year this winter. If it weren’t for the efforts of Mr. Jetter and Mr. Domaradzki, none of this would have happened.

3. Q: When did you officially start the "Sports Corner?"

A: It started in sixth grade at Spruce Elementary. Mr. Jetter was the one who came up with the name and my mantra that I’m known for, “The Professor.” I’m proud to say that it has grown every year. Mr. Ben Ladik brought the show to the next level at the middle school, which is where my famous “Professor’s Picks” segment began. After two years at the middle school, I wanted to bring it to the high school. Surprisingly, there was no student coverage of the teams at the school. I found that hard to believe, because of their recent success from the football team and the girl's volleyball team that made it to Far West Regionals in 2009. So, with the help of Mr. Bob Lucas and Mrs. Annette Follendorf (now with Mr. Vincent Capolupo on board), I got the green light from the principal, Mr. James Fisher, and for the past four years, we rocked your world, NTHS. We exchanged your morning coffee for a bottle of Gatorade. I didn’t create the show for personal glory. It was created so that the student-athletes could be recognized for their accomplishments on the gridiron, diamond, ice and hardwood just as much as they are recognized for their accomplishments in the classroom. It was a big hit, especially to the teachers that were NT alum. I can’t tell you the number of times they’ve come up to me and said how they wished there was a show like mine when they played. It also really meant a lot when students said it was the reason why they came to school every morning or when I was able to talk to teachers about sports. It was a great ride.

4. Q: Who is your biggest inspiration in the communications world?

A: To be honest, it’s really hard to narrow down to just one person but I’ll give you a few. Locally, like every other boy or girl who wants to do this for a living and grew up in Western New York, Rick Jeanneret. What a career he has had with the Sabres. Forty years and he still has fun doing his job. Also, Ed Kilgore, the longtime sports anchor at WGRZ and was there for 40 years. It was an honor to have him on the show this past April Fool’s Day because since he retired three years ago, he hasn’t really made a lot of public appearances. His stories about the French Connection, and the glory days of the Bills were really special. Jeff Russo from WKBW was also one of the anchors I watched from the “early days.” His energetic voice and on-air persona is what I remember from him doing the sportscasts and it was great that he came on the show too my senior year. I also look up to Michael Kay, the voice of the Yankees. Any Yankee fan can recognize him from his “SEE YA” shout after a home run. SportsCenter was big too: Steve Levy, Stuart Scott and Keith Olbermann were my favorite anchors. Johnny Carson was also an inspiration. He will always be the King of Late Night because of his comedy, obviously, but I really admired the way he conducted his interviews with the guests from the Golden Age of Hollywood. He asked the question and then backed off and listened like a fan, which is what I tried to do for my interviews.

5. Q: How did you get involved with the varsity sports?

A: Basketball was my favorite sport and still is, closely behind by baseball. I knew that I needed a way to report on the teams easier and I wanted to be a part of something special during high school. With the help of Mr. Corey Zayatz, I approached the men’s varsity basketball coach, RyanMountain. I still remember our first encounter. It was a rainy day in November. Mr. Zayatz introduced me to him and he thought I was here for tryouts. He gave me a questionable look when I told him I wanted him to join his staff as a statistician or a water-boy. “Whatever you need Coach,” I said. “I just want to be a part of it.” Luckily, Ian Gilhousen and Chris Woodard, a senior and sophomore at the time, came out of the locker room. CoachMountain asked them both if I should join, and they both basically said, “Coach, this kid’s legit. He’s the coolest freshman we know.” And for the past four years, I’ve been CoachMountain’s right-hand man, or should I say, student manager. The experience with that team was unbelievable. Not only did I form relationships with the players, past and present, that I still have today, being the student manager allowed me to witness up close how a team operates on and off the court. It also taught me how to deal with the media by providing the stats to the local reporters and they have all been grateful for my help, while I am grateful for meeting them. The best moments from being with the program the past four years was after the games when CoachMountain willingly stayed to answer a few more questions after the reporters did their jobs. He always said that he was more comfortable answering my questions than theirs. Also, the run to the A-1 Championship at Buffalo State my junior year. It was NT’s first appearance in the title game since Varick Cutler’s senior year in the 1970s and the Lumberjacks are still looking for their sectional title since 1961! This program will always be special to me because without CoachMountain, I wouldn’t have developed the confidence that I have in my work today and wouldn’t have taken as many risks as I did these past four years.

Then, in the spring of my freshman year, I joined the NT Baseball program. Coach Turvey brought a sense of “swagger” to the program. His energy and passion for the game of baseball made all of us, without hesitation, flip the page for the program, which had been a dry spell for the most part in terms of success since the Ricky Brooks sectional team of 2003 (their only great season between that was in 2009 when they finished with 10 wins). My junior year was great because I was able to witness the end of Connor Priester. He showed me the ropes to do at Spruce and I’m proud to call him a good friend. His passion for NT Baseball spread like wildfire among us, which led to a seven-win campaign. This past year, we finished with 10 wins and won over Tonawanda, both for the first time since 2009. Not only did I do the stats, but I was able to be the public-address announcer for the home games. Ramsay Field was special when we had a home game. Not only did we have announcing there, but I’ll bet that we were one of the few schools in Western New York to have walk-up music for the players. From Connor Priester’s walk-off against Bishop Timon, to Collin Rambler’s complete game against Lew-Port and the couple of games that I lost feeling in my fingers working the scoreboard, NT Baseball and the times I had with the players, Coach Turvey, and Dan “The Man” Hannon, will be times that I will never forget.

The reason why North Tonawanda is a staple in Western New York is because of the long outstanding tradition of its football program. I was only in middle school when Eric Jantzi and company left, but in my sophomore year, I encountered Tony Truilizio, who along with his staff, immediately signed me on as their statistician. Then, this past fall, I met Henry Fumerelle. This year was great because I was able to provide play-by-play of the games on SoundCloud and it was a big success. My favorite moment had to be the overtime victory over Williamsville South this past fall. Considering the storyline of the Lumberjacks looking for their first win ever over the Billies since they both joined Class A, and the fact that the past two years for basketball ended in heartbreak at the hands of their team; this game was memorable as I finally witnessed an over-time game at the Lumberyard. I’ll never forget the NT faithful running across the field after Joe Dotterweich’s game-winning two-point conversion. Thanks to the staff, players and NT Football Hall of Fame for great memories. Overall, any time I was able to write a story or interview a player or announce a game, it was great because I was able to follow in the footsteps of great contributors to NT Athletics, such as Dick Grapes and George Vetter, in a unique way. I am really blessed to have been raised in such a supporting community.

6. Q: What can you take away from being involved in all these sports while in high school?

A: It didn’t matter how many games you won, or how many home runs or points you finished with. What I took away from the whole experience was forming the friendships that I have today and that when you have a burning desire to succeed, then you’re living life right.

7. Q: Final advice?

A: As my all-time favorite teacher Michael Denny told me numerous times for the past six years, “You’re never a failure until you quit trying.” Don’t be afraid to take a few risks in life and do what makes YOU happy. If you can go to bed at night knowing that you did everything that you wanted to do that day to the best of your ability and make a positive influence on others without taking no for an answer, then you’re living life the right way. The late Muhammad Ali used to say, “Don’t count the days. Make the days count.” Be the best Lumberjack you can be and may God bless the North Tonawanda Lumberjacks.

I have been extremely lucky to have been able to call him not only my team statistician, PA announcer, classmate, but honored to be able to call him my friend. Joe is an extremely hard working, dedicated individual and he is very happy to announce that he is taking is talents to Canisius College, where he will study communications. Joe hopes to set up a show like the "Sports Corner" but have it called "Inside the Nest." Joe hopes to continue to succeed at Canisius, while writing for the school newspaper which has a deal with ESPN3 where all of the school's sports related content is published by the students.

I wish the best of luck to Joe on his future endeavors and to the reader, keep an eye out for him on Sports Center.