Dec 26, 2025
Jamestown running back Chase Bonta rushed for 1,671 yards and 28 touchdowns to lead the Red & Green to the Section VI Class AA championship game. His rushing yards ranked him fourth in the section and his touchdown totals were the second best. Photo courtesy of Jeremy McKoy | F.A.M. Photography
In its season opener in September against Williamsville North at Strider Field, Jamestown posted a dominant 38-7 victory over Williamsville North.
Senior running back Chase Bonta rushed for 142 yards on 22 carries and scored three touchdowns. And it was his third trip to the end zone — a 17-yard burst — that made head coach Tom Langworthy especially proud.
“He got north-south, lowered his pads … and bounced off some guys,” Langworthy said postgame. “That was the one where he shook the rust off, and I told him that after the game.”
Bonta, a 5-foot-9, 195-pounder, shook off plenty of would-be tacklers this past season to further cement his place among the all-time great ballcarriers in Jamestown High School history.
Not only did he finish the campaign 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. Defensively, Bonta also made an impact, recording a team-best 107 tackles, including 11 for loss; intercepting two passes, returning one for a touchdown; and forcing two fumbles, recovering one.
By mid-November he and the Red & Green were playing for a Section VI Class AA championship for the second straight season. But to get a true picture of the type of career Bonta had, a deep dive into the numbers is required.
Did you know:
≤ He 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).
≤ He is third on Jamestown’s all-time career rushing list with 4,004 yards. Only Jaylen Butera (Class of 2022, 4,270) and Aaron Leeper (Class of 2001, 4,182) are ahead of Bonta.
≤ He is No. 1 on the Red & Green’s single-game rushing list with 373 yards against Hutch Tech in 2024. He also ran for 253 yards, which is 11th, in a 2024 game against Orchard Park.
≤ He is tied with Joey Campion (Class of 2014) for most rushing attempts in a game with 43, which Bonta accomplished against Orchard Park in 2025.
≤ He stands No. 4 and No. 5 in program history in rushing touchdowns in a season with 28 (2025) and 26 (2024).
≤ He is ninth and 11th on the single-season tackles list with 119 (2024) and 107 (2025), respectively.
Those accomplishments make Langworthy’s comment following a Section VI Class AA semifinal victory over Orchard Park in November particularly prescient.
“I thought our players played with mental toughness,” he said. “Jamestown kids are the toughest … and it has transcended generations. It’s in our DNA.”
Bonta carried on that time-honored tradition throughout his decorated career, punctuated by a banner 2025 season. For that reason, he is The OBSERVER/Post-Journal Player of the Year.
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