CHEEKTOWAGA, NY – – The JFK Bears were coming into their non-league contest with the Tonawanda Warriors on Saturday afternoon with a 2-0 record and they wanted to continue their unbeaten streak. The mentality they took into the contest paid off as the Bears easily won, 44-16.
Junior quarterback James Bailey was the key contributor for the Bears, contributing five scores for the Bears (3 rushing, 2 passing). Bailey finished the game 12-for-16, 197 yards, 2 TDs, and one INT. The first-year Varsity player opened the game completing his first 9 passes and added 13 rushes for 68 yards.
“If you don’t practice, you’re not going to get better,” Bailey said. “My coaches have done a lot of things for me. They’ve helped me with my throwing, how to throw better, how to stand, and everything has been helping me out.”
Bailey’s touchdown rushes amassed to a total of five yards (two one-yard rushes and a two-yard rush), but he made elusive moves, on multiple occasions, that kept the Warrior defenders off guard. When not running the ball, Bailey was finding the right receivers at the right times. He found Dalton Fischer and Brandon Kohl wide open for his touchdown passes of 35 yards and 36 yards, respectively.
“He’s growing up every game,” JFK head coach Jeff Sabatino said about Bailey. “He works so hard in practice. He’s a football player. He loves football and he thinks football. He spends time with me in study hall. He’s always trying to get better and that shows on the field. It’s not just pure talent and he has so much more potential to go.”
Other key contributors to the JFK offense were Kohl, Jordan Snyder, Fischer and Jeff Rashko. Kohl added 4 receptions for a team-high 86 yards, with Snyder bringing in 4 catches for 60 yards and a 75-yard interception return for a touchdown as time expired in the 1st half. Dalton Fischer had 2 catches for 40 yards in the win, while Rashko had 6 rushes for 78 yards, a team high.
Tonawanda’s defense was not able to contain the offense the Bears were giving them at any point in the game. JFK mustered a season quarter-high 32 points in the 2nd quarter and really shifted the momentum their way early. The Warriors added 16 points in the 4th quarter (off touchdown rushes by Brandon Roe and Noah Ray) to eliminate the Bears’ shutout threat. Tonawanda coaches and players departed the playing field before we were able to secure an interview, but the Warriors are certainly not happy about allowing 104 points in their last two games.
The Warriors (1-2) will hope to avenge their second consecutive loss when the Warriors will travel to Cheektowaga again for a matchup with the Maryvale Flyers, who have won their first three games, all handily. JFK (3-0), who is out to their best start since the 2007 season when the Bears started 4-0, will look to win their fourth consecutive game when they travel to face the Lackawanna Steelers at Veterans Stadium in Lackawanna.
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