If you like the old Jamestown style of football which featured run, run and run some more, you'll enjoy the Red Raiders' home game at Strider Field tonight at 7.
However, it won't be Jamestown that will be featuring the constant ground game. It will be the visiting West Seneca West Indians.
''They run the ball and they want to control the clock,'' Jamestown coach Tom Langworthy said. ''They want to grind the clock, wind you down. Three yards a carry, four yards a carry, that's what they're going to try to do. Eventually they want to get a 50-yarder.''
Article Photos
Jamestown’s John Czech leads the Red Raiders’ defense with 32 tackles and two sacks.
P-J?photo by Jim Riggs
He added, ''If they have success running the football they're going to keep doing it. They do have a threat to throw the ball, but they want to run the ball, there is no mistake about it.''
The Indians showed that from the start when they had three 100-yard rushers in their season-opening win over Frontier.
Heading the running attack are Pete Walsh, Chris Walker and Devin Reynolds. Walsh gained 232 yards and scored one touchdown in the Indians' first two wins while Walker had 197 yards and three touchdowns, and Reynolds had 113 yards and two touchdowns. And last week Walsh scored the only touchdown in a loss to Orchard Park.
In contrast, Jamestown has been about 50-50 between running and passing. The Red Raiders average 179 yards per game rushing and 167 passing. Da'Quan Hollingsworth leads the run attack with 112 yards per game while quarterback Jake Sisson is second with 59. Sisson also passes for an average of 146 yards per game.
The only way a team can successfully run is behind a talented line and West Seneca West has that.
''It's the best offensive line I've seen,'' Langworthy said.
''And it's a team that's got a lot momentum. Even though they lost last week (48-8 to Orchard Park), they have a ton of momentum. They need this win bad. They need this win and so do we.''
Jamestown, ranked fourth among large schools in Western New York and 11th in the state, comes into the game undefeated at 3-0 overall and 1-0 in Class AA South. West Seneca West is 2-1 and 0-1 in Class AA South and cannot afford another division loss.
''I would say this is the biggest game they've played in the last eight to 10 years,'' Langworthy said.
So he thinks the Indians will be up to the challenge.
''We have a huge task this week,'' Langworthy said. ''This is the best West Seneca West team I've seen since I've been the head coach.''
While West Seneca West was losing to top-ranked and defending state champion Orchard Park last week, the Red Raiders had their hands full pulling out a 29-22 win at Lancaster, a team the Indians defeated, 34-7.
It was a wild game that saw Jamestown trailing 10-0 early before taking a 14-10 lead in the first half. By halftime, Lancaster was back in front, 16-14, and increased the lead to 22-14 in the third quarter. Then the Red Raiders wrapped up the win by scoring the game's last two touchdowns.
There was so much going on that Langworthy had to watch the film to get a recap of what actually happened.
''We (as a team) watched it Saturday morning and then I watched it (Monday) night again because the game really did go fast,'' he said. ''It was just a blur and you're making all these split-second decisions and you piece it together and you don't realize how fast it goes.''
He noted, ''We certainly made our mistakes and so did Lancaster. But, more importantly than that, it was a heck of a game.''
After trailing 10-0, the Red Raiders scored two touchdowns within 12 seconds to take the lead.
''The great thing is we have a quick-strike ability,'' Langworthy said.
But he added, ''I'd like to see us put together more drives. We had a couple of drives that didn't add up in points last week and we just can't do that.''
In each game this season, the Red Raiders have surrendered a big play for a touchdown and last week it was a 70-yard pass play in which the receivers eluded two tacklers to score.
''We just can't relax,'' Langworthy said. ''The guy ran right by us. We relax for a second and sometimes it's too late.''
While John Czech led the defense with 14 tackles, Cortland Haines made his first start after knee surgery and was next in tackles with nine.
''He played well,'' Langworthy said. ''I didn't know how long he'd be able to go. He said he could go the whole game and as long as he felt comfortable and wasn't in pain we were going to see how much he could go. Every time he came off he said he felt good so we left him in there and he made an impact.''
Everyone will have to make an impact on tonight for the Red Raiders to remain undefeated.