There are some moments in sports that defy all logic, that stand outside the realm of reason. The kind of moments you’d swear were a Hollywood script if they weren’t so raw and real. Friday night at Jamestown High School was one of them.
Jamestown, a team that had lost 10 straight games to Lancaster, found itself staring into the abyss. Down 13 points with 4:32 to play. The clock was a countdown to a familiar defeat. Things, as Jamestown coach Tom Langworthy put it, were “not looking so hot.”
Then, after recovering an overthrown Lancaster snap from the 3-yard line, the abyss wasn’t so vast. Jamestown freshman Alaric Richards scooped it up and ran it back to the Legends’ 30-yard line. Then, in what felt like a blink, senior Chase Bonta’s 1-yard score cut the deficit to 26-20. The timeouts were all gone. The clock still unforgiving.
The real magic was just beginning.
With 1:44 left and three timeouts, the Red and Green used all three to stop the clock and got a defensive stand, forcing a Legends punt with 1:18 left. Then, senior Jericho Thagard returned the punt 90 yards to the 1-yard line with 57 seconds remaining. Inches away from a miracle, Bonta finished the job with a 1-yard touchdown. The extra point, however, was missed. Tied at 26, there was a collective gasp.
Chaos reigned.
On Lancaster’s ensuing drive, the Legends threw an interception from their 34-yard line. Senior Luis Diaz’s return for a pick-six stunned everyone at Strider Field, whether a Jamestown or Lancaster supporter. Following the extra point, Jamestown led 33-26. Lancaster had one last chance to tie or take the lead, starting the drive at their 25-yard line. The Legends couldn’t get anything going with multiple lateral attempts, as Jamestown held on for the win.
“I’ve never been part of a game like that. We just had to make plays down the stretch,” Langworthy explained, as if it were that simple.
The win was more than just a victory; it was a testament to the intangible. The stubbornness to keep fighting when the odds were stacked against them.
“They played and they played well,” Langworthy said. “There were some parts Lancaster outplayed us but we didn’t quit and kept battling and that’s what I’m proud of the most.”
Kleitz makes history
Iroquois senior Justus Kleitz became Western New York’s all-time passing yards leader, following a 315-yard game against Dunkirk on Friday. He passed former St. Francis quarterback Jerry Hickson, who held the record for almost a decade with 7,598 yards.
With 7,700 career yards, Kleitz is seventh all-time in the New York State Public High School Athletic Association record books. He’s averaging 267 yards per game and is on pace to be third all-time by the end of the regular season.
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Clevis Murray
Sports Reporter
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