JAMESTOWN, ND. (NewsDakota.com) – It wasn’t always pretty on Friday night at Hansen Stadium, but the #1 ranked Jamestown Blue Jays took down #4 Grand Forks Red River 28-12 to open up the 2022 season.

Payton Hochhalter finished with three touchdowns through the air and used his legs effectively throughout the course of the game to run for 77 yards in the win. Hochhalter found Tyson Jorrison to put Jamestown in front 7-0 on a 37-yard touchdown catch. The Blue Jays took a 14-0 lead after Aden Braun found the endzone from one yard out as Jamestown capitalized on a special teams mishap by Red River.

The Roughriders scored 12 points in a row to end the first half of play, but Jamestown’s defense was stout in the second half, giving up just 30 yards in the final 24 minutes. Braun found the endzone for the second time on an 18-yard catch and run in the third quarter. After a missed extra point, Jamestown led 20-12 before Preston Gall caught his first touchdown of the year to cap a 15-play, 89-yard drive for the Blue Jays.

With the win, Jamestown improves to 1-0 on the year and Roughriders fall to 1-1. The Blue Jays are on the road at Turtle Mountain next Friday night at 7:00 PM. The Braves lost 35-0 to Valley City on Friday night. Coverage of the Blue Jays at Turtle Mountain can be heard on Jamestown 107.1/1400, online at newsdakota.com, or on the Jamestown 107.1 app.

All stats from the game are unofficial