Stream Pennsylvania High School Football on the NFHS Network
 
 

Jersey Shore Losses Heartbreaker, Falling To Shamokin In Double Overtime 43-42

Tagged under: District 4, Gameday Hub, News

| September 13, 2025

Coal Township, PA – It is not an exaggeration to call the match-up between the Jersey Shore Bulldogs (3-1) and the Shamokin Indians (4-0) one of the games of the year across the state of Pennsylvania. The past few seasons the games between the Bulldogs and Indians have been box-office, and on Friday, Sept. 13th the two heavyweights met once again.

Both Shore and Shamokin entered Friday’s game with perfect 3-0 records, and both came off the heels of blowout wins as well. Shore the week prior had dismantled Sellinsgrove by a score of 49-6. Meanwhile the Indians were hot off of a 52-21 win over Shikellamy.

After what was a back and forth affair that could only be described as an instant classic, it was Shamokin who were able to walk out victorious, winning 43-42 on a successful 2-point conversion in double OT to walk it off.

The Bulldogs drew first blood, with QB Nolan Pauling finding receiver Carter Rhinehart in the end-zone on fourth down to put Shore in front 7-0 in the first. Shamokin would respond with a 96 yard TD run from Za’kem Clinton and tie the game at 7, and that tie held until under one minute left in the first half.

At the end of the half the Bulldogs found the end-zone again, going up 14-7 with under 4o seconds left. Then just a few plays later Shore LB/RB Bo Sechrist pounced on a fumble from Indians QB Logan Steele, taking it all the way to the end-zone. That crushing blow felt like it may be a hard one to recover from if you’re Shamokin, but going into the locker room down 21-7 they never blinked.

The second half started with a bang, as Shamokin return man took the opening kickoff 90-yards to the end-zone to bring the game back within seven. That return felt like it was the turning point, as since that point it felt like the Indians re-captured their swagger and never buckled.

Shore would score again, with Sechrist running in a TD from 9-yards out. But Shamokin kept fighting, as Steele took a read option run 60-yards for a TD to keep the game within one score. Shamokin was able to score another TD in the dying embers of the fourth quarter and force overtime.

Going into the first overtime the Bulldogs won the toss and elected to differ, giving the Indians the ball first. Well they responded in kind, running the ball with Clinton to get inside the 5-yard line, before Steele ran it in on the next play to give Shamokin their first lead of the game. Shore did manage to respond on their first possession in overtime, with Pauling finding receiver Carson Watkins in the corner of the end-zone. Watkins made an incredible diving catch to complete the touchdown, and after brief deliberation the Bulldogs decided to send out their kicker to force double OT.

“It was a thought.” Jersey Shore head coach Tom Gravish said when asked if he considered going for two and the end of the first OT period, “But we thought we were better off with [Jayden Passetti] kicking.”

Jersey Shore started the second OT period off with a bang, as Pauling ran the ball right up the middle and found a wide open path to the end-zone to put his team back in front 42-35. Once again though the Bulldogs could not put away the Indians, as Shamokin easily found another TD of their own as Steele ran it in for the score.

Initially it looked like Shamokin would send out their kicking unit to force triple OT, but after a time-out from coach Gravish gave the Indians some more time to think it over,  they decided to go for two and put the ball in the hands of their star QB. Steele, a current Penn State commit, made an incredible attempt to leap over the line on the two point play and found pay dirt, completing the comeback and stunning the Bulldogs as the home fans rushed the field.

That loss marked the third time in two years that Jersey Shore came up just short against Shamokin, with all of those three games decided by either one or two points. This was also the first time the Bulldogs returned to Kemp memorial stadium since the controversial ending to the district championship last season.

After the game coach Gravish sounded happy with his team’s performance, but certainly left feeling like they let one slip away.

“They [Shamokin] are a great program, and I think we are going to have a great team. [its] disappointing, but I’m not disappointed in our guys effort, our guys were resilient, we just ended up a little bit short”

Next up for the Bulldogs they return home to face off against Shikellamy. That game will kickoff on Friday, Sept 19th with a projected start time of 7 P.M. EST.

Follow PA Football News on Twitter @PaFootballNews

 
 
PA Football News Scoreboard presented by NFHS Network
 
GoRout
 
Showcase by Circle W Sports
 
Football Legends board game
 
 
x