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Memorable Night | News, sports, jobs

Memorable Night | News, sports, jobs

Jamestown’s Chase Bonta set a Section VI record with eight touchdowns and rushed for a Jamestown High School record 373 yards in the Red and Green’s 63-0 victory over Hutch Tech at Strider Field on Friday night. PJ photo by Tim Frank

With less than two minutes left Friday night and Jamestown leading Hutch Tech 63-0 in a Class AA football game at Strider Field, the red-and-green student section at the other end of the stands began chanting the all-too-familiar “Start-the.” to sing “Busse” refrain.

However, it could be argued that the red-green party’s figurative “bus” has been running at full speed for two and a half hours.

Junior Chase Bonta was so good.

The 5-foot-10, 195-pounder with an impressive running style rushed for a school record 373 yards on 30 carries and scored EIGHT touchdowns of 10, 14, 6, 6, 8, 1, 65 and 18 yards.

“At 7:30 a.m. (Friday) I texted (head coach Tom Langworthy): ‘Good morning, it’s a great day.’ “Today I feel like I’m going for 300. “I texted my O-line and told them I loved them and that we were going to battle together.”

Bonta, who proved to be a prophet, isn’t the only Jamestown running back making rushing runs. Listed below are the remaining players on the school’s all-time top 10 singles list, along with a summary of their memorable performances.

2. BRET SHAW

351 METERS

OCT. 17, 2003

Shaw was only a sophomore and had a memorable afternoon in Jamestown’s 39-7 victory over Clarence at Strider Field.

Shaw needed just 19 carries, amassing 351 yards and scoring five touchdowns on runs of 73, 47, 30, 73 and 18 yards. On four of the touchdowns, he used his cutback skills to create running space.

“I just saw something in the hole and they were over-tracking, so I was lucky to see that,” Shaw said.

Well-known head coach Wally Huckno: “I thought Bret hadn’t stepped up in the last few weeks. I begged him, “Bret, I think you can do a little more, a little better.” “Keep your eyes open a little more and start making your incisions,” and today he did.”

3. JAYLEN BUTERA

339 METERS

SEP. 3. 2021

Jamestown defeated Orchard Park 38-27 in a nonleague game at Strider Field.

Butera deserved the lion’s share of the praise.

The 6-foot-1, 196-pound touchdown scored six touchdowns of 23, 49, 7, 2, 9 and 47 yards, with the last two scores coming 17 seconds apart in the final three minutes, to finally defeat the Quakers.

“It feels good,” said Butera, who also had an end zone interception to stop a drive at Orchard Park. “I’m happy to see where our guys are. Of course we can do much better. It’s only the first week, but you can kind of get an idea of ​​where the team is right now, how much we can improve and what the rest of the season will look like.”

Head coach Tom Langworthy added: “Jaylen is a special player. He’s a great person…who’s also very talented. These are the players you’re just grateful for.”

4. BRINTON BATTLE

298 METERS

SEP. 9, 1998

Talk about recovering from defeat.

After being shut out 39-0 by Orchard Park the week before, Jamestown rolled past Frontier 26-7 on the road.

Battle played a key role, rushing for 298 yards on 31 carries and scoring three touchdowns on runs of 18, 66 and 2 yards.

“Brinton was a gamer today,” Huckno said that day. “He reached down. I believe he needs to do these things. After 15 runs you’re tired, after 20 you’re even more tired, and Brinton carried the ball 31 times. I think that’s important for him because until this year he hasn’t had a deficit.”

5. DAVID HINSON

273 METERS

SEP. 30. 1994

It took Hinson all of 37 seconds to show Lancaster his talent with a soccer ball in his hand.

The junior running back rushed 65 yards for a touchdown on the game’s first offensive play, completing a 273-yard, three-touchdown performance in a 35-14 win at Strider Field.

“I had a gaping hole. It was huge,” said Hinson, who also had TD runs of 11 and 3 yards. “I came through there and was running down the sideline and then I saw (Lancaster’s Andre Cook). I saw he was ahead, but I knew he was running at top speed, so I just slowed down and made it to the end zone.”

6. DEVAN JACKSON

268 METERS

OCT. 29. 2015

Jackson had a memorable performance in the Class AA Chuck Funke Memorial Classic Bowl, rushing for 264 yards and four touchdowns in a 31-29 victory over Clarence.

Battling wind gusts of up to 55 mph, the Red & Green utilized a ground-and-pound game plan that worked perfectly as Jackson completed touchdown runs of 3, 38, 55 and 5 yards.

7. SAVON VANSICKLE

264 METERS

OCT. 20. 2017

VanSickle racked up 264 yards and scored four touchdowns in Jamestown’s stunning, I-don’t-believe-what-I-just-saw, 53-52 double-overtime Section VI Class AA quarterfinal victory over No. 4 Clarence.

And VanSickle, a freshman, posted those numbers despite sitting out most of the fourth quarter with a leg injury.

For the record, the Red-Green secured the victory when quarterback Drew Boggs connected with receiver Andrew Pumford on a 19-yard touchdown pass in the second overtime, and Boggs then hit Pumford again with the successful 2-point conversion throw .

8. JAYLEN BUTERA

262 METERS

MAY 7, 2021

One can only imagine what numbers Butera would have put up had he played a full game.

He carried the ball just 13 times in the first half and rushed for 262 yards and five touchdowns in a 57-14 victory over Williamsville South in a Section VI Class A semifinal game at Strider Field.

Butera’s touchdowns came in spurts of 3, 6, 69 (from a fake punt), 69 and 44 yards. He also added two 2-point conversions; and recorded six solo tackles and two assists.

“He’s unlike anything I’ve ever seen,” Langworthy said after the game. “I think he’s the best in Western New York. … He’s just really special at catching, running and defense. He’s just so valuable and there’s really no comparison I can make. He is such a great person. That’s the part that makes it special.”

9. DAVID HINSON

261 METERS

OCT. 7, 1994

Jamestown captured the Division 1 title and improved its record to 6-0 overall and 5-0 in the division after defeating Frontier 22-6.

Hinson had 263 yards on 23 carries and all three touchdowns of 82, 7 and 53 yards.

Ironically, he only had 10 yards on four drives in the first quarter, but then ripped off the 82-yarder.

“Joe McKoy led the hole and then Jamie Bloomquist blocked the inside linebacker,” Hinson said, “and I just cut back and there was really no one there.”

10. JAYLEN BUTERA

255 METERS

MAY 14, 2021

A crazy season — sparked by a global pandemic — ended with South Park’s 30-29 victory in the Section VI Class A championship game over Jamestown at Strider Field.

Butera, then a junior, went out with a bang, rushing for 255 yards on 32 carries and a touchdown, followed by a 46-yard TD pass on a halfback option.