Tamaqua’s Terrence McDowell kept coming.

Carry after carry, the sophomore running back delivered against rival Jim Thorpe last Thursday night. By the time the final whistle blew, McDowell had rushed 42 times for 273 yards and three touchdowns.

Though the Raiders fell short in a 35-27 defeat, McDowell’s performance was impossible to overlook. His effort earned him Times News Football Player of the Week honors.

“I definitely feel like I get stronger as the game goes on,” McDowell said. “At the start of the game, I just try to get a feel for things. But toward the end, my mind just feels like I have control. We condition a lot, and I take my hydration very seriously. So when I’m getting a bunch of carries … if you would have told me at the end of the game I had 20 carries, I would have believed you. It doesn’t really feel like 40.”

McDowell’s 42 carries set a new career high, surpassing the 31 he logged the week before in a 21-19 win over Pottsville, when he rushed for 137 yards and three scores. He had 19 carries in the opener against Pen Argyl, and 21 in Week 2 against North Schuylkill, when he ran for 111 yards.

Thursday’s effort marked McDowell’s third straight 100-yard game, following the 111 against North Schuylkill and 137 against Pottsville. He has scored at least one touchdown in three games this season, and has found the end zone three times in back-to-back weeks against Pottsville and Jim Thorpe, a game where the team rallied after trailing 21-0 early in the second quarter. McDowell’s three touchdowns – the last coming on a 10-play, 72-yard drive and a seven-play, 77-yard drive – eventually tied it at 21-21 in the third quarter.

It’s a dramatic step forward from last fall, when McDowell had just 21 total carries for 185 yards and three touchdowns as a freshman. Now a sophomore, he’s embraced the workload, and become the focal point of Tamaqua’s offense.

Tamaqua sits at 1-3, but its record could easily look different. The Raiders dropped their opener 14-6 to Pen Argyl and fell by eight points to Jim Thorpe, with both setbacks coming down to late-game plays.

Through four weeks, McDowell leads all Times News area rushers with 580 yards on 113 carries, averaging just over five yards per attempt. He has also found the end zone seven times, the third-highest total among area players.

And McDowell’s impact hasn’t been limited to offense. Against Jim Thorpe, he also made three tackles from his defensive spot and broke up a pass, further showing his value as a two-way contributor.

“Durability for a young kid, a sophomore, as well as he’s not the biggest guy — we weren’t sure if he was going to be the kind of back that could run it 20 or 30 times,” Tamaqua head coach Sam Bonner said. “That being said, he’s run it 70 times in the last two games. He seems to be one of those kids that gets stronger as the game goes on. We’re fortunate to have him. He has a great future ahead of him. Right now we’re leaning on him a lot, especially in critical situations, and he’s been coming through for us.”

Bonner pointed to the players up front as key to McDowell’s success. The Raiders’ line features guards Logan Zimmerman and Logan Pribila, center Luke Frohnheiser — a three-year starter — and tackles Carter Trotman and James Nalesnik. Tamaqua also leans on its tight ends, Teegen Phillips and Damian Jazowski, in its power sets.

McDowell, meanwhile, is quick to credit that group.

“Oh, I definitely feel comfortable in the opportunities because I have so much trust in the guys up front,” he said. “Not only are those my teammates, but a bunch of them are my best friends. We’ve built a lot of chemistry. So when we’re in those situations, I can really trust them to get me in the end zone.”

That bond has grown off the field as well. After film sessions on Saturdays, McDowell and his teammates often gather for lunch at Sister’s Cantina, a tradition that has carried over into stronger chemistry on Friday nights.

“At practice we joke around, and we’ve gotten really comfortable with each other,” he said. “That helps a lot in games. We’re always just one block away from breaking out big ones. Last week we broke a couple, and we’ll keep improving. Once we really patch things up, we’ll be full on offense and defense.”

McDowell is also embracing his role as a leader.

“I definitely try to talk to the guys throughout the game and keep them calm,” he said. “Once I realized how important my role was on the team, I knew I had to step up. I learned a lot last year from the older guys, and I’ve just been building on that.”

Bonner has seen that confidence grow with each passing week.

“He’s doing it in close games against tough competition,” the coach said. “He’s run for over 100 in three straight games, and over 200 once. He’s playing complete football, and he’s doing it on both sides of the ball. He’s in the secondary for us on defense, too. We’re putting a lot on him as a sophomore, and he’s come through really well.”

And while McDowell is quick to deflect attention to his teammates, Bonner believes the young back is just getting started.

“He’s on track to do a lot of things we haven’t had a sophomore do in a long time,” Bonner said. “He’s got a bright future ahead of him.”

For McDowell, the present looks just as promising.

“We’ve proven that we can be in those situations and come back,” he said. “But I feel like when we start to put other teams in that situation, that’s when we’re really going to start taking control of things.”