Tyler Devine

Your Prep Sports 

IOWA CITY – The Jason Dumont era at Iowa City Regina got off to a thrilling start Friday night as the Regals knocked off Williamsburg 16-14 in their season opener.

Trailing 14-10 late in the fourth quarter and at the Williamsburg 1-yard line, junior quarterback Jack Tierney reached the ball over a pile at the goal line for the go-ahead touchdown with 22 seconds remaining.

Williamsburg drove to the Regina 43-yard line and attempted a 60-yard field goal that fell well short as time expired.

“At the end of the day, win or lose, this was going to be a really quality game for us to get to where we want to be at the end of the year,” Dumont said. “We play games like these, win or lose, so we can be playing weeks 10, 11, 12, 13, 14. I couldn’t be prouder of the kids and how they came out that last drive.”

Regina’s final drive almost didn’t seem like it would end at times, with both teams taking turns committing penalties.

In total, both teams combined for 14 penalties for 123 yards.

“It’s just next play,” Dumont said. “You just have to line up and play the next play. You can’t, in the middle of a game, dwell on a mistake.”

The Regals were powered by the legs of junior running back Levi Daniel, who rushed for 183 yards on 38 carries, including two crucial 22-yard runs on Regina’s final possession.

118 of Daniel’s yards on the ground came in the first half.

“No matter what I just have to keep pushing,” Daniel said. “I can’t let my tired legs stop me from going through those holes. And my teammates. My teammates kept pushing me throughout the game. They kept telling me I wasn’t tired.”

Daniel’s first 22-yarder came on third down with Regina backed up in its own territory.

The second came after a Regina holding penalty that backed the Regals up to the Williamsburg 35-yard line with time beginning to run out.

Both times, Daniel took the handoff and almost immediately was weaving his way through the defensive backfield before a defender had laid a finger on him.

“It all opened up,” Daniel said. “I can’t thank my linemen enough. They worked their butt off to get those holes. Every time I see that hole, I drive through it, and they always have my back.”

Regina got off to a hot start scoring on its first two possessions to go up 10-0 but did not score again until its final drive of the game.

Regina’s lone first half touchdown was set up by a Steven Liu interception late in the first quarter that put the Regals at the Raiders five-yard line. Daniel scored on the next play.

Defense played a large part of Regina’s first-half success, as well. The Regals held Williamsburg to 10 total yards in the first half.

Regina appeared to be on its way to another touchdown in the second quarter, but quarterback Gentry Dumont fumbled into the end zone on a scramble.

“We felt like we controlled the first half pretty well but had some self-inflicted mistakes,” Dumont said. “Then, you’re talking to the kids at halftime and you know Williamsburg is going to come out with some adjustments, and they did.”

Williamsburg scored on its first two possessions of the third quarter thanks in large part to the arm of quarterback Cade Ritchie, who struggled mightily in the first half but came alive in the second half.

                                   REGINA                  WILLIAMSBURG

First Downs                 15                                     9

Rushes-Yards              49-185                            23-37

Passing Yards              27                                    87

Total Yards                  207                                  124

Comp-Att-Int               3-11-0                            10-16-2

Punts-Avg.                   3-26                                3-40.7

Fumbles-Lost              1-1                                    0-0

Penalties-Yards           7-63                                 7-60

Williamsburg         0    0     14    0  –  14

Regina                    10     0       0    6  –  16

Scoring Plays

ICR – Lacina 29 kick

ICR – Daniel 5 run (Lacina kick)

WILL – Jake Weber 12 pass from Ritchie (Marovets kick)

WILL – Gavin Doehermann 2 pass from Ritchie (Marovets kick)

ICR – Tierney 1 run (kick no good)

Individual Statistics

RUSHING – Regina: Levi Daniel 38-183, Chris Waikel 4-9, Gentry Dumont 5-(-1), Tierney 3-(-6). Williamsburg: Clayton Steckly 6-27, Weber 3-9, Owen Douglas 8-6, Kobe Julius 1-2, Kam Royster 2-0, Ritchie 3-(-7).

PASSING – Regina: Dumont 3-6-0 22, Tierney 1-5-0 5. Williamsburg: Ritchie 10-16-2 87.

RECEIVING – Regina:  Daniel 2-19, Tierney 1-8. Williamsburg: Weber 3-34, Doehrmann 2-30, Julius 2-14, Royster 1-7, Steckly 2-2.

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