SYRACUSE — Chase Bonta made a good share of his headlines last fall carrying the football, but the New York State Sportswriters Association has recognized the Jamestown senior for his performance on the other side of the line of scrimmage.

Bonta, a 5-foot-9, 195-pounder, has been named a Class AA Third-Team All-State linebacker. The announcement was made Wednesday on the NYSSWA’s website.

Bonta is worthy of the recognition.

In leading the Red & Green to the Class AA championship game at Highmark Stadium, he recorded a team-best 107 tackles, including 11 for loss; intercepted two passes, returning one for a touchdown; and forced two fumbles, recovering one. For his career, he is ninth and 11th on the single-season tackles list with 119 (2024) and 107 (2025), respectively.

Offensively, Bonta’s final high school campaign, which earned him Post-Journal Player-of-the-Year honors, was just as impressive.

Not only did he finish the season with 1,671 yards and 28 touchdowns, which ranked fourth and second, respectively, among Section VI running backs, but he also was a finalist for the Connolly Cup, an award given annually to Western New York’s top player, and was named the Class AA Offensive Player of the Year.

For his career, Bonta is the owner of the fourth- and fifth-best single-season rushing marks in school history (1,939 yards in 2024 and 1,671 in 2025); is third on Jamestown’s all-time career rushing list with 4,004 yards; is No. 1 on the Red & Green’s single-game rushing list with 373 yards against Hutch Tech in 2024, and he also ran for 253 yards, which is 11th, in a 2024 game against Orchard Park; and stands No. 4 and No. 5 in program history in rushing touchdowns in a season with 28 (2025) and 26 (2024).

Following are the other WNYers who received all-state honors in Class AA;

First Team: Trent Buttles, St. Francis, quarterback; Elijah Kimble, Canisius, running back; Tyrone Clark, St. Francis, all-purpose; Javez Caldwell, Canisius, defensive line.

Second Team: Mason Anderson, St. Francis, offensive end.

Third Team: Jack Eskridge IV, Bennett, offensive end; Larry Hardy III, St. Francis, linebacker.

Fourth Team: Amir Hernandez, Canisius, running back; Will Wortkoetter, St. Francis, offensive lineman; Dominick Cook Jr., St. Francis, all-purpose.

Fifth Team: Quentin Littleton, Canisius, linebacker.

Honorable mention: Michael Taylor, Niagara Falls, quarterback; Owen Kicinski, St. Joe’s, all-purpose; David Amuka, St. Joe’s, linebacker; Luke Fleischman, St. Francis, linebacker.

Ja-Quan Thomas of William Floyd and Julian Guzman of Iona Prep are the co-players of the year in Class AA. Guzman quarterbacked his team to the CHSFL state championship, while Thomas played running back and linebacker for William Floyd, which made the Section 11 championship game.