Jersey Shore defeats Canton on the road

Scoring first and showcasing Shore’s big play ability was Haydn Packer on a 45-yard rushing touchdown scoring the first points. Some good defense by Canton then slowed down the quickness presented by the Jersey Shore offense until Elijah Jordan connected for a second Jersey Shore touchdown late in the first quarter on a 40-yard receiving touchdown as Shore came out early to air the ball out all over the field over Canton.

It turned into a battle between the tackles, as the interior line play was big for both Canton and Jersey Shore as each squad exchanged run stopping attacks. Shore’s big-time return threat Michael Davis cooked up the Canton special teams midway through the first quarter with a huge punt return, juking guys out left and right. An illegal block in the back directly resulted in the nullified score and the ball being brought back to midfield.

“We want to keep playing, we played for 48-minutes tonight even though we made mistakes and even though the other team could make some big plays we always feel like if we just play for 48 minutes, eventually we’ll get the right score on the scoreboard,” said Jersey Shore coach Tom Gravish.

Jersey Shore came back with a big screen play that was again called back for a clip in block in the back call which took Jersey Shore back even further to the 40 yard line of the Bulldogs. Quarterback Brady Jordan was then chased down in the back of the pocket, eventually brought down for a sack. Hybrid strong side outside linebacker/ stand-up defensive/defensive tackle Mason Nelson of Canton did an excellent job at stuffing the run up the middle while finishing plays with vicious hits. The Jersey Shore line was always aware of his presence, with both the quarterback and the center pointing to Nelson. He was able to break through some double teams and rip the Shore ball carrier to the ground.

He was also in the backfield causing pressure in the face of Jordan. Nelson along with the help defense of Canton netted the Bulldogs a scoreless offensive possession which is a big rarity for them. The closeness of the game had the intensity raised in the second quarter, with both teams creating big chunk plays on offense while still keeping the ball from getting in the endzone.

“The run game wasn’t as good as we’re accustomed but we just have to take what we can get. We thought we should’ve scored a few more times down their at the goal line and how that all transpired but we’re not gonna cry over it. We’re definitely going to take that and learn from it and hopefully finish the deal next week,” Gravish said.

Gravish knew Canton had the ability to score points, and noted keeping Canton out of the endzone was the biggest challenge for the Bulldogs.

“They scored 70, 80 something points a bunch of times this year so to keep them out of the endzone, it was our goal this week and we thought they had talented players, but we did feel that we could keep them to some minimal points,” Gravish said. “I’m just really proud of our guys and the assistant coaches help they emphasize certain keys with certain motions and that sort of thing but they’re a great football team and it was a very entertaining game here tonight for all of us coaches, players, and fans.”

Shore’s Swiss Army knife Kooper Peacock — who is usually always on the field whether its offense, defense, or special teams — is used as a weapon in the punting game with several Ray Guy-like end-to-end punts from one end of the field to the other.

“I just try and go out there and help the guys, we practice hard each week and play for one another,” said Peacock. “We’re happy to get the win here tonight, looking onto Central Mountain.”

Coming out of the half was Jersey Shore, who came out of the locker room fast and furious with a pass completion to Peacock on an end-around flank pass to the outside edge where Cantons corner and outside linebacker lost containment as they each missed with an arm tackle allowing Peacock to break free for an easy long winded touchdown up the sideline.

More story and pics HERE