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Jersey Shore downs Meadville, advances to semifinals @shoresports2 @MdvlFootball

Tagged under: District 10, District 4, Gameday Hub, News

| November 27, 2021


Clarion – Jersey Shore exploded for 24 second-quarter points to secure a birth in the PIAA 4A semifinals next weekend with a 30-6 win over Meadville.

“I give the Meadville players and coaches credit,” said Jersey Shore head coach Tom Gravish. “They’re a physical group, and we knew they were, so it did not surprise us.

The game played scoreless through the first quarter as Meadville had two opportunities inside the red zone to crack the scoreboard first.

The first came when Cooper Peacock mishandled a punt snap, with Meadville recovering inside the 20-yard line. The Jersey Shore defense stood tall, and Meadville turned it over on downs at the 9-yard line.

Their second opportunity turned the tide for the entire game. Meadville drove into the red zone. Faced with a 3rd-and-8 at the 8-yard line, quarterback Gavin Longstretch was sacked by Cooper Peacock, and the ball popped loose with Tate Sechrist picking up the football and racing 84 yards for a touchdown.

“Tate Sechrist made a tremendous play there to get that touchdown,” said Gravish. “That play set the tone.”

Thanks to an excellent kickoff return by Khalon Simmons, Meadville answered back, capping a 43-yard scoring drive when Simmons scored on a 17-yard run pulling Meadville to within 7-6 with 8:05 to play in the first half.

Jersey Shore’s high-flying offense got rolling for the eight minutes scoring three times to take a 24-6 lead in the locker room.

“Things got away from us in the second quarter. We made too many mistakes today,” said Meadville head coach Ray Collins. “Jersey Shore is a great football team, and we knew that coming into today. We knew we needed to play mistake-free football, and we didn’t hold up that end of our game plan.”

Quarterback Brady Jordan threw a pair of long touchdown passes to Caden Hess and Cooper Peacock that covered 56 and 59 yards.

 

“We felt that we would be able to hit on a couple of passes like that,” said Gravish. “We thought we could hit a few more, they got pressure and Brady, and we didn’t want him to throw an interception. He played smart at quarterback for us today.”

Hess then intercepted Longstretch with 42 seconds to play in the first half that resulted in Connor Griffin’s 29-yard field goal as time expired.

“We have weapons on offense. They kept us in check for a while,” said Gravish. “We knew if we continued to play Bulldog football for 48 minutes and battled that our playmakers would make some big plays in the second quarter.”

Brady Jordan completed 8-of-14 passes for 167 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception. Hess had only the one catch but also had the interception on defense. Cooper Peacock added three receptions for 87 yards and the score.

Jersey Shore’s defense held the fort the rest of the game as they held one of the state’s best rushing offenses to less than 200 yards on the ground.

“They may have rushed for more yards than anyone in Pennsylvania,” said Gravish. “I give our scout team and defensive coaches a lot of credit. It is not easy to emulate that style of offense. Our coaches did a fantastic job getting our guys ready today.”

Khalon Simmons led Meadville with 69 yards on 19 carries. Griffin Buzzell chipped in with 63 yards on 15 carries, while Amari Harris had 51 yards on 14 rushes.

 

“Our guys came out and played their butts off,” said Collins. “Our kids have been a bunch of overachievers the entire season. They did an exceptional job of getting us here. When they did on the field, they’re fighters.”

Jersey Shore then put the finishing touches on the win with Hayden Packer’s 6-yard run with 3:29 to play.

Jersey Shore now will meet WPIAL Champion Aliquippa.

“Oh, they’re great,” concluded Gravish. “They are a great football team with great tradition. We look forward to seeing how we match up. We believe that we have a shot. We know it will not be easy because the WPIAL has great teams and a great tradition in the Pittsburgh area.”

Game Highlights:

 

Jersey Shore 30 Meadville 6

Score by Quarters

Jersey Shore – 0 24 0 6 – 30
Meadville – 0 6 0 0 – 6

Scoring Summary

Second Quarter

JS – Tate Sechrist 84 yd fumble return, (Connor Griffin pat), 11:01

M – Khalon Simmons 17 yd run, (kick failed), 8:05

JS – Cayden Hess 56 yd pass from Brady Jordan, (Griffin pat), 4:40

JS – Cooper Peacock 59 yd pass from Jordan, (Griffin pat), 1:51

JS – Griffin 29 yd field goal, 0:00

Fourth Quarter

JS – Hayden Packer 6 yd run, (kick failed), 3:29

Individual Stats

Rushing: Jersey Shore – Packer 15-54, Brady Jordan 12-13, Elijah Jordan 5-19, Cooper Peacock 2-7, Team 3-0. Totals: 37-93. Meadville – Simmons 19-69, Griffin Buzzell 15-63, Amari Harris 14-51, Gavin Longstretch 3-(-18), Brighton Anderson 1-0, Team 1-0. Totals: 53-165.

Receiving: Jersey Shore – Griffin 4-21, Cooper Peacock 3-87, Hess 1-56, Elijah Jordan 0-3. Meadville -Buzzell 1-5, Simmons 1-12, Andre Jefferson 1-13.

Passing: Jersey Shore – Brady Jordan 8-for-14, 167 yards, 2 touchdowns 1 interception. Meadville – Longstretch 3-for-4, 30 yards, 1 interception.

Interceptions: Jersey Shore – Hess. Meadville – Buzzell.

Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews

 
 
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