Woroniecki runs wild

• Adam Woroniecki

Press Photo by Dustin Monke Richardton-Taylor-Hebron senior running back Adam Woroniecki, right, tries to get past Beach junior defensive end Logan Lechler on Tuesday night in a 9-man, Region 6 football game at the Beach Athletic Complex. Woroniecki rushed for a school-record 358 yards on 30 carries and scored four touchdowns to help the Raiders win the region championship.

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BEACH — Rule No. 1 when playing Richardton-Taylor-Hebron: don’t give Adam Woroniecki an inch. When you do, he takes the whole field.

The 6-foot-2 senior running back may have covered every inch of the Beach Athletic Complex football field on Tuesday night, rushing for a school-record 358 yards and scoring four touchdowns on 30 carries as the Raiders clinched the 9-man, Region 6 championship.

Woroniecki got the ball rolling, scoring two of his touchdowns in the first quarter as the third-ranked Raiders racked up 550 total yards en route a 39-14 victory.

“We knew what we had to do,” Woroniecki said.

The Raiders finished the regular season with an 8-0 overall record and a 7-0 mark in the region. They’ll have a first-round bye in the 9-man playoffs.

Beach (6-2, 5-2 Region 6) could have earned a share of the region title with a victory, but instead finished as the No. 3 seed. The Buccaneers host the No. 3 seed from Region 4 on Saturday afternoon.

Beach head coach Mike Zier said he was uncertain who his team’s opponent would be, or what time the game would be played.

All Zier knew after Tuesday’s game was that Woroniecki could run the football.

“He’s an animal. He’s a great football player,” Zier said. “Richardton-Taylor-Hebron really took it to us tonight.”

Woroniecki scored on touchdown runs of 3 and 7 yards in the first quarter, totaling 129 yards rushing on the Raiders’ first two drives.

Raiders quarterback Jarret Naumann helped put his team ahead 24-6 with a 33-yard touchdown run two plays and 22 seconds after R-T-H linebacker Kasey Dressler intercepted Beach quarterback James Kary.

Naumann had 83 total yards.

After a slow third quarter in which he was held to 14 yards, Woroniecki busted free for an 82-yard touchdown run on the Raiders’ first play of the fourth quarter. He put the game away when his 5-yard scoring run ended a nine-play, 87-yard drive with 6:20 remaining in the fourth quarter.

“When he sees something there, he takes advantage of it,” R-T-H head coach Travis Olson said. “He doesn’t let things slip through his fingers. The guy takes advantage of every opportunity he gets.”

Woroniecki did most of his damage after the Buccaneers made contact.

Whether it was bouncing to the corner or fighting his way through a crowd, Woroniecki run all over Beach.

“I’m not very good so much at the outside stuff,” Woroniecki said. “I’m best if I can start out inside, make a guy miss and then get outside and then turn on the jets.”

Beach looked like it was going to keep things close after quarterback Jake Hardy fought for an 11-yard TD run with 3:18 left in the first quarter to cut R-T-H’s lead to 8-6.

The Buccaneers wouldn’t get any closer, however, and didn’t score again until Trey McDonald’s 76-yard run to the outside set up Tyler Strobbe’s 9-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter.

McDonald, a senior running back, had 152 yards rushing on 13 carries. Hardy added 79 yards on 13 carries and.

The Buccaneers finished with 293 total yards, 244 of which came on the ground.

“Richardton-Taylor-Hebron just took us to the woodshed tonight and we’ve got to regroup for Saturday,” Zier said.

RTH 24 0 0 15 — 39

Beach 6 0 0 8 — 14

RTH–Adam Woroniecki 3 run (Sean Elkins pass from Jarret Nauman)

B–Jake Hardy 11 run (run failed)

RTH–Woroniecki 7 run (Woroniecki run)

RTH–Naumann 33 run (Elkins run)

RTH–Woroniecki 82 run (Elkins run)

RTH–Woroniecki 5 run (Robby Slaughter kick)

B–Tyler Strobbe 9 run (Trey McDonald run)

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING: RTH, Woroniecki 30-358, Elkins 10-62, Naumann 9-50, Dillon Patten 4-25, Trevor Parsons 3-20, Paul Koppinger 1-4, Mack Vaagen 1-1, Kasey Dressler 3-(minus-3). B, McDonald 13-152, Hardy 13-79, Lucas Buchholz 5-10, Strobbe 2-8, Mat Gerving 1-5, Zachman 1-(minus-3), Marshall Nunberg 1-(minus-7).

PASSING: RTH, Naumann 2-3-0 33. B, James Kary 3-8-1 44, Hardy 1-3-0 5.

RECEIVING: RTH, Elkins 2-33. B, Brady Zachman 2-18, Trevor Sime 1-26, Buchholz 1-5.

Tags: richardton-taylor-hebron raiders, beach buccaneers, adam woroniecki, sports, football, preps