Jamestown’s Chase Bonta tries to run away from an Orchard Park defender during Friday’s Class AA football game at Strider Field in Jamestown. Pajama photo: Tim Frank
Zeus Wilson Earle sat in the hallway outside the Jamestown locker room at Jefferson Junior High School, a look of disappointment on his face.
Seeing his teammates gloomy, Chase Bonta reached out and grabbed Wilson Earle’s hand, pulling the lineman to his feet. At 5-foot-9 and 195 pounds, it was no surprise that he offered the assist. Because he did everything for the red and green football team on Friday night. Overall, he rushed for 253 yards and two touchdowns on 33 carries. Caught three passes (one for a touchdown). He recorded 20 tackles, two of which were for loss.
Believe it or not, that wasn’t enough.
Orchard Park stopped Jamestown quarterback Dominic Gonzalez’s two-point conversion keeper with 1:26 left, and the Quakers, buoyed by strong performances from brothers Brady and Jack Ciano, advanced to AA against their longtime rival. They left Strider Field with a 41-40 victory.
“It was a play we liked,” Red & Green coach Tom Langworthy said of the decision to go for the lead rather than a tie. “We ran the right side pretty well all night. It was the same play last time, and (Gonzalez) walked right away (to a touchdown), so we went back in and tried to take the plunge. I thought, “It looked like it was there from where we were, but someone had made a play.”
Jamestown’s Aiden Samuelson makes a catch from behind Orchard Park’s Zach Danna during Friday’s Class AA football game at Strider Field in Jamestown. Pajama photo: Tim Frank
The Quakers did this all night.
Senior quarterback Brady Siano completed 19 of 31 passes for 248 yards and four touchdowns. Gains of 21 and 38 yards to his brother, 13 yards to Max Mancavelli and 11 yards to Travon Thomas. Mankavelli also returned a kickoff 85 yards for an extra point.
For reference, Jack Ciano intercepted Gonzalez’s pass and returned it 53 yards for a touchdown, one of Jamestown’s four turnovers. Noah Wisniewski scored his fifth point after the try, pushing Orchard Park’s lead to 41-27 with 2:30 left in the third quarter.
“Those brothers definitely have good chemistry,” Langworthy said of Sianos. “I’m sure these routes run all year round. It’s a challenge for us in the secondary. We’ve tried different players, adjusted during games, tried different things, but… , couldn’t find a way to contain (Orchard Park’s passing game).
Despite the hardships, Jamestown did not decline.
Bonta’s 2-yard TD run with 9 seconds left in the period, Gonzalez’s 39-yard aerial shot to Aiden Samuelson, and Lincoln Carpenter’s fourth PAT gave the Red-Green a 41-34 lead. Shrunk.
And after the Quakers ended a six-minute drive to start the fourth quarter with a missed Wisniewski 28-yard field goal, Jamestown went on an 80-yard march, much of it thanks to Bonta. Bonta led the way with 57 yards on the ground on seven carries. Gonzalez scored a touchdown on a 3-yard keeper with just under a minute and a half left.
“Bonta is getting better every week,” Langworthy said. “He’s a really blue-collar guy, a blue-collar player. I’m proud of him. He’s a really tough, stubborn back and linebacker. He does a lot for us. He’s really improved from last year to this year and is one of the best fullbacks in the league.”
After Gonzalez’s TD run, Langworthy chose to go for the lead rather than the tying extra kick, hitting the quarterback against another keeper, but he was stopped short of the goal line. The Quakers recovered the ensuing onside kick and ran out the remaining time.
Notes: Gonzalez completed 10 of 19 passes for 133 yards and a touchdown to Bonta, and ran for 71 yards on 10 carries and two scores. …. Samuelson caught five passes for 69 yards, Josiah Cruz had two receptions for 37 yards and Bona had three catches for 29 yards. … Defensively, Bonta recorded 20 tackles, two of which were for loss. Cole Bloomquist, who had a 1-yard touchdown run in the third quarter, had 15 tackles, including two for loss and one sack. Luis Diaz recorded 13 tackles, one of which was for loss. Wilson Earle and Carson Panebianco were stopped nine and eight times, respectively. …Jamestown resumes play next Friday with a trip to Lancaster, where they lost 20-13 to Bennett last night.
Orchard Park 7 14 20 0 — 41
Jamestown 0 20 14 6 — 40
OP – Jack Ciano 21 Pass from Brady Ciano (Winiewski Kick)
Junior high school – Bonta 4 runs (Carpenter kick)
OP – Mankavelli 85 Kickoff Return (Winiewski Kick)
JHS – Bonta 14 Pass from Gonzalez (Carpenter kick)
OP – Jack Ciano, 38 passes from Brady Ciano (Winiewski kick)
JHS-Bloomquist 1 (kick failure)
OP – Pass from Mankavelli 13 Brady Ciano 9 (pass incomplete)
JHS-Gonzalez 23 runs (Carpenter kick)
OP – Brady Siano to Thomas 11 pass (Winiewski kick)
OP – Jack Ciano 53 Interception Return (Winiewski Kick)
Junior high school – Bonta 2 runs (Carpenter kick)
JHS-Gonzalez 3 runs (run failure)
