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WEST FARGO, N.D. — Aden Braun must have been itching to do some running on Friday night.
The senior tailback for the Jamestown High School football team went down in week No. 4 against Watford City with a high ankle sprain.
The injury put him out of playing contention until Sept. 30 against Dickinson. Braun played in both the Jays' matchups against Dickinson and Valley City but was held to a limited number of plays on offense due to the risk of reinjuring his ankle.
In West Fargo, JHS head coach Bill Nelson let the senior do what he does best — run.
Braun's production on the ground helped the Blue Jays hand West Fargo Horace its eighth loss of the 2022 season as Jamestown topped the Hawks 46-12. The win improved the Jays' record to 6-2. Jamestown will be back at Hansen Stadium on Thursday, hosting Fargo North in the regular season finale. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
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"We relaxed and we played Blue Jay football," Nelson said in an interview with KQDJ-AM radio. "The run game got going, (which is) always fun to see this time of year."
Braun was the guy responsible for leading the Jays' charge on the ground.
On Jamestown's second offensive drive, Blue Jay signal caller Payton Hochhalter gave the ball to Braun, who managed to pick up a pair of first downs to put the Jays at the Hawks' 24-yard line.
Tyson Jorissen finished off the 3-play, 47-yard drive with a 24-yard touchdown rush to tie the ballgame at six.
From 34 yards out, Braun used his speed, power and agility to blow past Horace's defenses to pick up the Jays' second score of the night. With four minutes to play in the half, Hochhalter tossed the ball out to Braun again. The senior picked up another first down and it was the fourth time he had carried the ball for more than 10 yards.
The senior's production on the ground brought up 1st and 10 at the 17-yard line. Hochhalter powered his way to the endzone for the Jays' third touchdown of the night. Hochhalter completed a two-point conversion to Preston Gall with 2:56 to play in the second quarter.
Braun totaled 127 rushing yards to lead the charge for the Jays who, as a team, recorded more than 200 yards on the ground.
When Jamestown wasn't notching points via the run, the team was picking them up through the air.
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Hochhalter aired out a 30-yard pass to Gall to notch score No. 4 of the evening. The one-play, 12-second drive put the Jays up 26-6. Braun closed out the opening half with a 33-yard touchdown run. Sara Sletto's PAT put the score at 33-6 Jamestown.
Jackson Walters got his first score in two weeks with six minutes remaining in the third quarter. Hochhalter lofted one out to the senior receiver, who hauled in the 68-yard pass to start the running clock.
Hochhalter used his legs instead of his arm on the Jays' next possession. He powered forward 14 yards to the endzone. Hochhalter was 8-of-12 through the air for 151 yards passing and four touchdowns.
The Blue Jays' offense couldn't be stopped, but Xavier Burrow managed to get past the Blue Jays' defense. The junior running back was responsible for all 12 of the Hawks' points, scoring in the first and fourth quarters.
"Guys stepped up in different positions tonight," Nelson said. "Jorissen did a nice job, Payton did a nice job, the offensive line moved up ... we obviously took steps forward from last week to this week now we just have to keep getting better every day."
Jamestown 46, West Fargo Horace 12
JHS 6 27 7 6 — 46
WFH 6 0 0 6 — 12
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Scoring
First quarter
WFH: 5-yard run by Xavier Burrow (Alex Perez kick blocked), 6:28
JHS: 24-yard run by Tyson Jorissen (Sara Sletto kick failed), 3:00
Second quarter
JHS: 34-yard run by Aden Braun (conversion failed), 7:10
JHS: 17-yard run by Payton Hochhalter (conversion to Preston Gall), 2:56
JHS: 30-yard pass by Hochhalter to P. Gall (kick failed), 2:44
JHS: 33-yard run by Braun (kick good), 1:13
Third quarter
JHS: 68-yard pass by Hochhalter to Jackson Walters (kick good), 6:15.
Fourth quarter
JHS: 14-yard run by Hochhalter (kick blocked), 11:17
WFH: 19-yard run by Burrow (kick blocked), 2:30
