Immediately in front of them was senior Drayce Garland.

That alignment was only fitting, because that trio is among a group of Red Raiders who have been the glue to a 10-0 season and a berth in Friday night’s Section VI Class A championship game against Frontier.

In fact, without them maybe the only way they see a game at the home of the Buffalo Bills is if they were to buy a ticket.

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Ben Anderson catches a pass. P-J photo by Scott Kindberg

Anderson, the player Coach Tom Langworthy refers to as the Red Raiders’ Swiss Army knife, is in the midst of a tremendous season.

Offensively, the 6-foot, 185-pounder is second on the team in rushing (499 yards on 48 carries, five touchdowns); first in tackles (118), including 29 for loss; second in sacks (nine); has forced two fumbles and recovered another.

“Our team has gotten better throughout the year because we’ve kind of worked him into different situations,” Langworthy said.

Early in the season, Anderson was an outside linebacker, but moved inside when junior Travon Blakelee was injured. That injury also meant that Anderson would have to complement senior star running back Jaylen Butera even more in the backfield.

To say it has worked is an understatement.

Jamestown’s Jaylen Butera (6) and Drayce Garland (53) are pictured during Section VI football media day Tuesday at Highmark Stadium in Orchard Park. P-J photo by Scott Kindberg

“He might be my favorite player I’ve ever played with,” Butera said. “He’s just one of those guys that when you come on the field you don’t have to worry about him at all.”

Butera added: “You don’t have to give him a pep talk. He knows what’s on the line and he just goes. He’s a beast on defense, but on offense he gets it done, too. He’s just one of those guys you love to go to war with.”

To illustrate that point, all one has to do is check out the stat sheet in Jamestown’s semifinal win last Friday against Williamsville South. All Anderson did in that game was gain 61 yards on two carries and score a touchdown; and make 16 tackles, including three for loss, and record a sack.

“The past two seasons … we’ve come up short,” said Anderson, an honor-roll student who scored 1,410 on his Scholastic Aptitude Test, “so we’ve had the urgency to do good. All summer I’ve been working to get better and I’e been more mentally prepared, been focused and I know I’m going to give my all every game.”

Added Jamestown junior quarterback Trey Drake: “In our program, we teach toughness, enthusiasm and discipline. Ben Anderson demonstrates that in everything that he does. … Ben is an awesome player and, I totally agree, he’s flown under the radar a little bit, but he’s a great leader, he has great vocals and he’s always demonstrating how to act.”

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McGaughy and Garland are part of an all-senior offensive line that also includes Joey Delgado, Caleb Bane and Nick Miraglia.

“Our offensive line is the backbone of our team,” Langworthy said. “They’re great kids … and they don’t get any recognition. The job, by nature, is a job where you work for others and work for the betterment of the team. Our linemen know that, they take pride in that. They’ve been fantastic to coach … and just to see the success they’ve had has been special.”

Butera, who has rushed for 1,695 yards and scored 29 touchdowns on the ground (35 overall), called tackles Delagdo and McGaughy, guards Garland and Miraglia and center Bane “grinders.”

“They put their hard hat on, they get their lunch pail and they go to work,” he said. “They know what they mean to this offense. It’s much bigger than me. They do their job and it makes my job a lot easier. … Coach preps them during the week, they work hard, they know their responsibilities when they come on the field and it just makes my job easier.”

Added Drake, who has passed for 1,133 yards and 12 touchdowns: “The offensive line is the building block of our offense. … They give Jaylen and Ben the holes and lanes … to run the ball, and they form a great pocket for me when it’s time to drop back. … Without them, none of this would be possible.”

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Near the end of media day, the five Red Raiders — Butera, Drake, Anderson, McGaughy and Garland — hopped atop the wall at the scoreboard end of the stadium and posed for photos.

Not long after that, the players and coaches stopped for lunch at an Italian restaurant in nearby Hamburg before heading for home.

But the entire team will return to One Bills Drive on Friday night, and at just about 8 o’clock they’ll walk shoulder to shoulder again, except this time it will be down the tunnel. And just like they’ve done all season, expect Anderson and the Red Raider linemen to get the job done.

“We make sure we have each other’s back,” McGaughy said.