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Hitting Their Stride

Red Raiders Score 35 In First Half Of Rout

Jamestown wideout Jeff Seager is about to gather in a deflected pass by quarterback Drew Boggs that resulted in a 63-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown during the second quarter of Saturday’s non-league football game against McKinley at All High Stadium. P-J photos by Tim Frank

BUFFALO — A week after piling up 62 points against Frontier, the Jamestown Red Raiders were at their offensive best again Saturday afternoon at All High Stadium.

Drew Boggs threw three more touchdown passes.

Fran Rodriguez found the end zone three more times on bursts of 27, 37 and 24 yards.

And Peyton Olson continued his punishing running from the fullback position.

It was the perfect recipe yet again for the suddenly resurgent Red Raiders, who raced to a 35-0 halftime lead before settling for a 48-28 non-league football victory over McKinley in their regular-season finale at All High Stadium.

Jamestown fullback Peyton Olson finds running room on his way to 145 yards on the ground and a touchdown.

Oh, and by the way, Jamestown (4-3) welcomed the return to the lineup of Savon VanSickle, arguably their most dynamic player, who made his presence felt with a pass interception and a fumble recovery in his first action since suffering a knee injury in the first quarter of the first game.

All in all, it was a satisfying way to head into the Section VI Class A playoffs next week.

“Before we left we talked about not being intimidated on the road and not being intimidated by the opponent,” Jamestown coach Tom Langworthy said. “To see us get off to a fast start, outhit them in the first half and get out to that great halftime lead was great to see.”

The Red Raiders imposed their will on their very first possession when they marched 64 yards in 10 plays, highlighted by Boggs’ 18-yard TD pass to Elijah Rojas. Jayden Schultz booted the first of five successful point-after tries to give Jamestown a 7-0 lead.

After forcing a McKinley turnover, the Red Raiders made it 13-0 on Olson’s 1-yard plunge, and the rout was on.

Jamestown running back Fran Rodriguez runs away from McKinley defenders on his way to one of his three touchdowns.

In the second quarter, Boggs connected with Rojas for another 18-yard touchdown, Rodriguez scored on a 27-yard burst and Boggs went deep for a 63-yard bomb to Jeff Seager, who caught a tipped ball and raced into the end zone for a score in the final moments before halftime.

“I think we’re really getting better,” Langworthy said. “Sometimes at the end of the season it’s tough to get better, but I think we’re starting to peak at the right time. It’s playoff week, so that’s pretty good timing.”

After the break, and with the outcome no longer in doubt, the Macks’ Kaiyer Fields, who finished with, unofficially, 299 yards on the ground, scored three touchdowns on runs of 45, 64 and 66 yards and McKinley added a fourth TD on a 41-yard Ahmen Lester-to-Shamar Andrews pass with 15 seconds remaining in the game. A pair of Rodriguez rushing touchdowns of 37 and 24 yards accounted for Jamestown’s scoring after intermission.

Boggs finished with six completions in seven attempts for 120 yards and three touchdowns; Olson rushed 14 times for 145 yards and a TD; and Rodriguez amassed 136 yards on the ground on 11 carries and three TDs.

“Opening it up and throwing a little more is paying dividends,” Langworthy said. “Today we ran up between the tackles a couple series and then we saw them (bunch up to stop that) and we were able to run our perimeter game and throw.”

The Red Raiders’ first-round playoff opponent will take them to West Seneca West, the state’s defending champion. That game is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday. The Indians defeated Jamestown, 40-14, last month.

NOTES: Seager had two receptions for 76 yards and a score, while Rojas had 36 yards on two receptions, both for TDs. … Defensively, the Red Raiders were led by Olson (seven tackles, four assists), Taige White (six tackles, four assists), Josh Zielinski (six tackles, five assists), Grant Moore (five tackles, three assists) and Skylar Myers (four tackles, two assists). … Olson and White each had three tackles for loss, Myers and Zielinski both had two, and Moore had one. … Olson, Myers, White and Zielinski all had a sack. … VanSickle rushed for 21 yards on four carries in limited action. “It was special to get him back and he said he felt good,” Langworthy said.

JAMESTOWN 13 22 6 7 — 48

MCKINLEY 0 0 6 22 — 28

JHS–Rojas 18 pass from Boggs (Schultz kick)

JHS–Olson 1 run (kick failed)

JHS–Rojas 18 pass from Boggs (Schultz kick)

JHS–Rodriguez 27 run (Schultz kick)

JHS–Seager 63 pass from Boggs (Seager pass from Boggs)

McK–Fields 45 run (run failed)

JHS–Rodriguez 37 run (kick failed)

JHS–Rodriguez 24 run (Schultz kick)

McK–Fields 64 run (Fields run)

McK–Fields 66 run (Fields run)

McK–Andrews 41 pass from Lester (pass failed)

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