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Regional Romp

Butera Scores Four TDs As Jamestown Moves On To State Semifinals

By Scott Kindberg 5 min read

Strider Field all but empty, Jaylen Butera walked slowly toward midfield. Once he reached the logo, he took a knee and bowed his head.

"I just praised the Lord," he said. "I'm nothing without Him. He's got me where I'm at."

Butera's God-given talents were certainly on full display Friday night.

Yet again.

The 6-foot-2, 196-pounder rushed for 223 yards on 36 carries, and scored three touchdowns, and caught a 36-yard shuffle pass from junior quarterback Trey Drake for another score to send the Red Raiders, the state's second-ranked team, to a 35-14 victory over No. 3 Canandaigua of Section V in the Class A Far West Regional.

The win advances Jamestown (12-0) into the New York State Public High School Athletic Association semifinals at 6 p.m. next Friday at Cicero-North Syracuse. The Red Raiders' opponent will be Christian Brothers Academy of Section III, which routed Union Endicott of Section IV, 42-0, in the other regional last night.

It figures to be quite a day-after-Thanksgiving treat.

Last night wasn't a bad appetizer.

In fact, the Braves (11-1) gave Jamestown all it could handle in the first half, using a 39-yard first-quarter touchdown run by Ryan Gavette and an 8-yard second-quarter scamper by quarterback Bryan Boldrin to build a 14-7 lead with just under 10 minutes remaining before halftime.

After that, though, it was all Jamestown.

Desperately needing an offensive pick-me-up -- the host's only score to that point was on Radon Wright's 68-yard scoop-and-score of a Canandaigua fumble late in the first period -- the Red Raiders put together two impressive drives to tie and ultimately take the lead for good.

The tying touchdown drive covered 81 yards, capped by Butera's 36-yard reception from Drake. After forcing a punt, Jamestown moved 67 yards in 10 plays with Butera vaulting into the end zone from the 1 on the final play of the first half. Ella Propheter's successful point-after kick -- she was 5-for-5 on the night -- gave the Red Raiders a 21-14 lead.

"We just kept playing hard," Red Raiders head coach Tom Langworthy said. "We just told our players, 'Your best is good enough, go out and do what you're coached to do, try and do it at a high level and do it better than you ever have before.'"

On the second possession of the third quarter, after Jamestown forced the Braves to turn the ball over on downs at its 25, the Red Raiders marched 75 yards in 12 plays -- surviving four penalties in the process -- highighted by Butera's 7-yard TD run with 59 seconds left in the third quarter.

Then Jamestown's defense put the game away. Butera and Sean Paige intercepted passes on Canandaigua's next two possessions, the latter setting up Butera's 29-yard touchdown run that pushed the Red Raiders' lead to 35-14 with just under 8 minutes remaining.

A date in central New York for a game that will determine who ends up making a trip to the Carrier Dome in two weeks was secure.

"I love Thanksgiving, because of the turkey and football, but I love it even more when we can play football," Langworthy said.

In the first half, the Braves' offense was impressive as Boldrin connected with a skilled group of receivers that helped the Section V champions amass nearly 220 yards in total offense before the break. But a bad snap at the Jamestown 6-yard line on Canandaigua's second possession of the game sailed over Boldrin's head. In the scrum to recover the ball, Jamestown's Wright scooped up the loose ball and raced 68 yards for the touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

"Anytime you get a turnover, especially a scoop-and-score is a huge momentum changer," Langworthy said.

Gavette and Boldrin scored on the Braves' next two possessions to take the lead and the momentum back, but Jamestown responded with a strong finish to the first half that carried over after the break.

When the game ended, Langworthy accepted the Far West Regional championship plaque and then sprinted to the end zone followed by his team. After the speeches were made and the field emptied, Butera took his stroll to the middle of the field he's called home for the last three years for a moment to give thanks of a different kind.

"It's crazy the blessings (the Lord) brought in my life," he said. "I can't put it into words."

NOTES: Ben Anderson led the Red Raiders defensively with 15 tackles, including two for loss; Sean O'Brien had nine before leaving with an injury; Jarel Farmer added eight; Sincere Green collected seven; and Wright had six. … Drake completed 7 of 10 passes for 131 yards and a touchdown. … Darius Freeney caught three passes for 55 yards.

Canandaigua 7 7 0 0 -- 14

Jamestown 7 14 7 7 -- 35

JHS--Wright 68 fumble return (Propheter kick)

Can--Gavette 39 run (Platten kick)

Can--Boldrin 8 run (Platten kick)

JHS--Butera 36 pass from Drake (Propheter kick)

JHS--Butera 1 run (Propheter kick)

JHS--Butera 7 run (Propheter kick)

JHS--Butera 29 run (Propheter kick)

Starting at /week.