The Funding Zone
 
SAFR: Safer Through Science
 

Jersey Shore keeps rolling with resounding win over Seals

Tagged under: District 4, Gameday Hub, News

| September 10, 2022


 

JERSEY SHORE–As he caught a perfect Brady Jordan deep ball and raced toward the end zone, Kooper Peacock could hear his dad’s voice over the crowd noise.

“I was just trying not to look back,” the Jersey Shore wide receiver said of his 80-yard touchdown catch a little more than two minutes into Friday’s game. “That’s what my dad always taught me growing up, never look back. Just keep running and that’s kind of what I did there.”

Peacock and Jersey Shore never look back. They don’t look forward either. This team is laser-focused on the task at end. The only play that matters is the next one.

And once again, that single-minded approach helped Jersey Shore systematically destroy a quality opponent.

Peacock topped 100 yards, Brady Jordan accounted for two first quarter touchdowns, the defense looked like the 1985 Chicago Bears and Jersey Shore dominated all facets at Thompson Street Stadium as it blanked rival Selinsgrove, 63-0. It was the latest fantastic performance produced by the four-time defending District 4 Class AAAA champions who handed Selinsgrove (2-1) its first loss, held it to minus-14 yards and allowed no first downs in a rematch of last year’s district championship.

The only people not thoroughly impressed by this performance were the Bulldogs themselves.

“It’s the basics. You have to make sure you’re doing your job and getting things done,” lineman Zach Rooney said after overwhelming Selinsgrove on both sides of the line. “We still need to some work on some things.”

“We’re just trying to take it one week at a time. We’re not looking ahead,” Peacock said after producing three catches for 105 yards in the first quarter. “We just come to practice every week focused and we work hard. We just come prepared and we love it.”

The community sure does, too. The stands again were packed as the stadium was drowned in a sea of Orange. Future Bulldog players, now in elementary school, watched the game and then played with their heroes afterward. No doubt, a performance like Friday’s has all those kids longing for the day they can play under the lights for Jersey Shore, wearing the Black and Orange.

Jersey Shore (3-0) ran over a third straight opponent, once again mercy ruling it by halftime. The Bulldogs have scored at least 55 points in all three games and again topped 40 by halftime. The starting defense has allowed just one score all season and Jersey Shore built a 49-0 halftime lead against a Selinsgrove team which had surrendered just 14 points in its first two games. Seven different players scored and the reserves looked as strong as the starters as Jersey Shore had its fans excited from start to finish.

And it all started soon after last week’s 70-6 win at Lewisburg was over. Right away, the Bulldogs turned the page.

“Monday was the best Labor Day practice we’ve ever had. The leadership was great. There was nobody in there giggling around,” Jersey Shore coach Tom Gravish said. “We watched film and nobody was overcelebrating. As soon as we got the Selinsgrove stuff, it was all focus. It’s a credit to our seniors and assistant coaches.”

Jersey Shore forced a three-and-out on Selinsgrove’s opening possession, but its offensive start was not ideal. The Bulldogs were penalized three times before running their third play and faced a second-and-36 at the 20-yard line. That is when the focus again kicked in.

Jordan (172 total yards, two touchdowns) rolled right and lofted a beauty of a deep pass toward Peacock. The senior receiver caught it in stride near midfield and outran the defense from there as Jersey Shore went up, 7-0 on its third play. The Bulldogs just kept going from there, piling up 526 yards and scoring touchdowns on eight of their first nine possessions.

Jersey Shore moved the ball at will as Tate Sechrist ran for 102 yards and Hadyn Packer for 99 and two scores. Packer and Elijah Jordan scored four straight touchdowns, following Brady Jordan’s 14-yard score on the second possession and the Bulldogs were up 35-0 just past the second quarter’s halfway point. Dathan Tyson provides Jersey Shore yet another weapon and his 39-yard run a little more than two minutes later made it, 42-0.

All the excitement started up front with the players in the trenches opening up big holes and then watching a bevy of hard-nosed backs run equally tough. Rooney, Luke Springman, Owen Vandruff, Dyson Delaney, Jared Palski and tight end Max Engle operated as one heart and kept the offense pounding all night as Jersey Shore averaged 9.7 yards per play and 8.6 yards per carry.

Gabe Andrus scored a 3-yard touchdown early in the third quarter and Bo Sechrist added a 7-yarder in the fourth quarter as the Bulldogs made a run at 70 points for a second straight week. Vandruff and Delaney are first-time starters up front, but are jelling well with the returning starters and setting the tone for this powerful offense.

“We’re still working on that. We’re going to get there,” Rooney said. “We’re going to build up the chemistry in practice and we work as a team and get better every week.”

The defense keeps elevating its performance, too. Wherever Selinsgrove ball-carriers ran, all they saw was a wall of Orange. Jersey Shore players attacked Selinsgrove like wild dogs and produced a performance which would make the 1970s Steelers Steel Curtain defenses smile.

Packer set up a touchdown with a fantastic interception, running stride for stride with the wide receiver before turning and making a difficult catch. Stone Sechrist forced a fumble which Tate Sechrist returned to the 11-yard line, setting up Elijah Jordan’s second-quarter touchdown. Every player who took the field did his job and did it well as all three facets of the defense clicked in harmony.

Sometimes the statistics do not tell the story, but Friday they sure did. Jersey Shore allowed just two plays go five or more yards with the longest being seven. Of Selinsgrove’s 39 plays, 16 went for loss, including seven of nine during one first-half stretch and four straight during the second half. The defensive line was overpowering, Packer and Stone Sechrist combined for five tackles for loss, Tate Sechrist added a sack and more than 10 players were in for tackles for loss.

“Selinsgrove has some really good kids you have to be aware of, including their quarterback and (Nick) Rice who is dangerous,” Gravish said. “We couldn’t go to sleep and our guys did a great job paying attention all week. Elijah Jordan did a great job running the scout offense all week.”

Jordan has the speed and athleticism to mimic Selinsgrove quarterback Gavin Bastian who dazzled in a comeback win against Juniata a week earlier. This time, Jersey Shore sealed off all running lanes and never gave Bastian time to set up and look for receivers downfield. All roads to points were closed off as Selinsgrove’s 13 possessions ended with 11 punts and two turnovers.

So dominant was Jersey Shore’s defense that Selinsgrove never moved the ball closer than its own 36-yard line. The Seals also ran just two plays from beyond its own 30-yard line. A big reason for that was because Jersey Shore’s scout teams were so effective during the week.

“They’re probably the biggest key on our football team,” said Peacock who broke up a potential first-half pass on Selinsgrove’s first series. “When we’re running our 1s on offense and they’re playing defense they give us a really good look and vice-versa. They try really hard against us so it’s really nice.”

Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews

 
 
GoRout
 
Rainbow Lettering
 
Turf Tank
 
x