HAGERSTOWN: Allegany had perfect authority of Saint James until it wasn’t. With 9:59 remaining, the Campers extended their lead to 33-25 after Khiante Bible ran a dizzying 32 yards for the touchdown. They had never trailed up until that point, thanks to a ground attack that totaled 385 yards, 200 of which were accounted for by Jackson Resh.
However, Saint James grabbed the game with two touchdowns in the final seven minutes. The final, a one-yard rush by Jayden Yates with 41 seconds remaining, gave the Saints the lead for good. Yates threw for 212 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for 115 yards to lead Saint James to a surprising 37-33 comeback victory over No. 5 Allegany on Thursday at Turner Field.
Allegany’s Game
Until the fourth quarter, Allegany’s power running attack could only be stopped by its own squad. The Campers scored touchdowns on every drive without fumbling, with the exception of a turnover on downs during their second series of the second half. Allegany led 27-18 with 5:26 left in the third quarter after a 10-play, 80-yard series that included a six-yard touchdown run by Resh.
Allegany’s pass defense deteriorated after that. A botched tackle on a short ball to Calvin Moss resulted in a 70-yard catch-and-run touchdown, cutting the Saint James (4-2) lead to 27-25 after three quarters, and a 25-yard pass from Yates to Moss with 6:19 left in the fourth made it a two-point game again. Allegany stopped the tying two-pointer to keep the lead 33-31, allowing it to run out the time with a long drive. Resh pushed for a first down, but a false start on a second-and-8 from its own 40 ended the drive, forcing Allegany to punt the ball away its lone punt of the game.
Mistakes In The Game
Those minor errors late in the game were reminiscent of a penalty and a botched snap in Allegany’s 24-21 loss to Mountain Ridge. St. James returned the punt to Allegany’s 33-yard line, and a block in the back on the Campers’ punt coverage left only 23 yards between the Saints and their first lead. Yates, whose legs running around in the backfield provided Saint James’ only rush offense in the second half, capped the comeback with a one-yard plunge for six points. Allegany got close to the 40-yard line, but the game ended with a sack.
Allegany In 2nd Quarter
Allegany had a chance to pull away in the second quarter after a nine-yard Bible score run for a 15-7 lead and a defensive stand. Allegany fumbled on its second play after taking over on its own 20 with 4:43 remaining in the half, and Saint James’ William Taffe recovered for his second of the game.
Taffe made a comeback to end the Campers’ second series, but Saint James quickly responded. Allegany’s Amanni Blowe and Kason Sims both recovered fumbles. Resh led Allegany in rushing with 200 yards and two scores on 30 carries. Bible carried for 92 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries, while Aidyn Mckenzie added 89 yards and one touchdown on 12 attempts.
Sebastian Stewart’s Game
Sebastian Stewart, the quarterback, completed one pass on a play action, going 38 yards to Bible. With 5:04 remaining in the first quarter, Mckenzie ran five yards for the game’s opening touchdown. Two minutes later, Yates connected with Marcello Anderson for a 10-yard touchdown throw, tying the score at 7-7. Bible’s first touchdown was countered by a three-yard touchdown run by Liam Hall, and Yates scored on a two-point attempt to make the score 15 all.
Allegany led 21–15 at the half after driving 80 yards in five plays, the longest of which was a 54-yard Mckenzie scamper. With a four-yard touchdown run, Resh concluded the series. Jorge Diaz-Nicolas scored the opening points of the second half for Saint James with 10:16 remaining in the third quarter on a 53-yard field goal.