Jamestown pulls away from Erie High 33-13
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As Tom Langworthy did a postgame interview in a hallway at Jefferson Middle School on Friday night, Kam Monroe emerged from the adjacent Jamestown locker room.
The Red & Green head football coach and his senior running back/linebacker shared a "bro hug," which prompted Monroe to smile and say, "Life's great right now."
It was hard to argue that point.
Not only was Monroe named the homecoming king at halftime, but he was also one of several Jamestown players who turned a tie game at the break into a convincing 33-13 nonleague victory over Erie (Pennsylvania) High at Strider Field.
The win improved the Red & Green to 4-3, heading into next week's regular-season finale. Meanwhile, the Royals, who play in the largest classification in the commonwealth, dropped to 2-5.
"I knew they were going to be good," Langworthy said, "and their record didn't mean anything."
That's why Langworthy couldn't stop smiling as he greeted his players.
The headliner, of course, was sophomore running back Alaric Richards, who rushed for 209 yards on 34 carries and scored two touchdowns in each half.
"He's so good," Langworthy said. "He has such a great combination of power and speed."
Richards' supporting cast was every bit as impressive.
Consider:
-- Senior Karson Milne intercepted two passes. The first one was deep in Jamestown territory to thwart the Royals' promising drive on their first possession of the third quarter. Erie penalties and a critical Drew Bloomquist-to-Mason Crawford fourth-down completion set up Richards' third TD from 2 yards out to give the hosts a 19-13 lead.
-- Junior Beckett Lumia, who is also a track & field star, chased down the Royals' Jah'kai Gavin on the ensuing kickoff at the Red & Green 10-yard line. Instead of an almost certain touchdown, Erie had to settle for a first-and-goal. On fourth down, Bloomquist broke up a pass to thwart another golden opportunity for the Royals.
"That was critical," Langworthy said of Lumia's TD-saving tackle.
-- Seven plays after that, Monroe took his second carry of the game 58 yards to the Erie 10-yard line. Two plays later, Richards found the end zone from the 7. Robbie Williams booted one of his three successful point-after tries, boosting Jamestown's lead to 26-13.
"I can't say enough about Kam Monroe," Langworthy said. "He came into the season and our thought was we were going to use him and Alaric as a one-two punch ... but we had to get Monroe to a blocking back position. ... He's still a great back. I thought that was a huge play in the game. It flipped the field, gave us momentum and we scored off that drive."
-- Lumia wasn't through making plays, though. He bounced the ensuing kickoff off a Royals' player and Kalun Hodgkin recovered at the Erie 48. Five plays and a penalty later, Bloomquist bulled in from the 1, pushing the Red & Green's lead to 20 points with four minutes remaining.
"One thing we've said is 'everything matters,'" Langworthy said. "How do you know what's going to matter in a game. ... I thought tonight was our best win against a good opponent."
NOTES: Jamestown's first-half touchdowns were courtesy of Richards' runs of 1 and 58 yards in the second quarter. ... The Royals' TDs before intermission were courtesy of Marquis Leggett's 12-yard run and his interception return, also both in the second quarter. ... The Red & Green turned the ball over three times before the break. ... Erie was guilty of 14 penalties. ... Jamestown will be back in action next Friday when it entertains Hutch Tech in a Class AA game.
Erie 0 13 0 0 -- 13
Jamestown 0 13 6 14 -- 33
Jam--Richards 1 run (Williams kick)
Erie--MLeggett 12 run (BMusone kick)
Jam--Richards 58 run (kick fail)
Erie--MLeggett interception return (run fail)
Jam--Richards 2 run ( kick fail)
Jam--Richards 7 run (Williams kick)
Jam--Bloomquist 1 run (Williams kick)