JAY – There’s not much else Tavis Hasenfus could of done Friday night.
Playing with cramps in his legs and a tender ankle, the Winthrop senior had a night he’ll remember.
He racked up 250 all-purpose yards including 181 on the ground, scored on touchdown runs of 80 and 14 yards, kicked a pair of extra points and capped his effort by intercepting Mike Nemi in the game’s final minute to preserve the Ramblers 20-16 win over the Jay Tigers at Taglienti Field.
“He’s a great player,” said Jay coach Mark Bonnevie. “Last year he was a good player. He’s bigger this year and he’s not one-dimensional.”
Hasenfus had punt returns of 53 and 22 yards to go along with his rushing yardage. He picked up 131 in the first half before his cramps and the swarming Tigers (1-1) slowed him down.
“I thought we did a better job in the second half of swarming him which is what you have to do,” said Bonnevie. “(You can’t) give him any running lanes.”
The game began a one-sided affair in favor of the Ramblers (2-0). On their opening drive, quarterback Travis Frautten found wideout Corey Gillespie on a deep pass down the left sideline for a 48-yard touchdown. A few minutes later, Hasenfus turned a simple dive play to the left into an 80-yard touchdown jaunt after bouncing the play to the outside.
“The hole was a little congested,” said Hasenfus. “I tried to put on the jets. The corner came over and dove, but I kept my feet.”
When Winthrop recovered an errant punt snap at the Jay 18 on the final play of the quarter, it appeared a romp was in store for the home team.
The game quickly turned on the Ramblers’ first play of the second quarter however, when Zane Armandi stepped in front of Gillespie and intercepted Frautten’s pass. His 39-yard return gave the Tigers the lift they’d need. It was one of three interceptions turned in by the Tiger defensive unit.
Late in the half, the Tigers put together an eight-play, 81-yard scoring drive to close the gap to 14-8. Playing without top rusher Trevor McCourt, the Tigers utilized a backfield-by-committee double-wing offense to move their way downfield. Ryan Bourassa ran for 17 yards on the drive and would
finish the night with 62. Nick Bourassa (a team-high 63 yards on the ground) had a 26-yard run on the drive which culminated in a Nemi 28-yard scoring pass to Brad Loon.
The teams traded field position for much of the second half before the Ramblers received a break.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Winthrop recovered a muffed punt on the Jay 26. The turnover set up Hasenfus’ second score as he ripped over the left end for the insurance score.
Jay took little time in answering.
Nick Bourassa swept around the end for consecutive gains of 18 and 14 yards to set up Armandi’s fourth-down, six-yard touchdown run. The Jay defense stuffed Winthrop and took over on downs at their own 24 with 3:12 to play. Nemi hit Armandi for 21 yards for a first down near midfield,
but Hasenfus’ interception put an end to the rally.
“We were getting a little panicky near the end,” said Winthrop coach Joel Stoneton. “We weren’t stopping them and we were getting tired.”
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