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Hittin’ The Road With Travelin’ Matt – Week Three (Week Two Take Two)

Tagged under: District 11, District 4, Gameday Hub, News, pfn

| September 16, 2025

Each week Travelin’ Matt traverses Pennsylvania attending the hottest high school football games and best matchups in the Commonwealth.  Follow his exploits each week as he documents his journey from Week Zero to the Pennsylvania State Football Finals!

 

Thursday, September 11

4A Tamaqua (1-2) vs. 3A Jim Thorpe (1-2) 

 

Friday, September 12

4A #9 Jersey Shore (3-0) vs. 4A #5 Shamokin (3-0)

 

Saturday, September 13

6A HM Easton (3-0) vs. 4A Bethlehem Catholic (3-0)

 

ROUNDTRIP – 298 MILES

 

Thursday, September 11

I had grand plans last week for a four-game weekend and then I got hit with the flu.  While I struggled through a soggy Thursday night 45-0 Pocono Mountain East victory over Scranton the remaining three games I intended to attend last week unfortunately had to be shelved in lieu of health.  With bigger plans for games this season across the state there’s always more contests down the road.

And more games there was this week…three to be exact for me!

While a couple 1-2 record teams facing off isn’t usually on my regular rotation of games to attend I always enjoy a visit to the picturesque Jim Thorpe area and also covering the patriotic Olympians of District 11 as they battled Tamaqua on a crisp early-Fall evening in Northeastern Pennsylvania!

The location of Jim Thorpe, PA in the Pocono Mountains of the Commonwealth is the burial place of it’s namesake…Jim Thorpe often referred to as the greatest athlete to ever live.  Jim Thorpe, the man, was an Olympic gold medalist and played professional football, baseball and basketball.  Interestingly, Thorpe had no direct connection to the area and he is only buried there due to a deal struck by his third wife, Patricia, with the formerly-named towns of Mauch Chunk and East Mauch Chunk to merge and rename as “Jim Thorpe, PA” and to build a proper memorial for him in exchange for his remains which were moved there in 1954.  A memorial crypt and statue stands in the town in his memory and as his final resting place.

I arrived in town with a few minutes to spare and spent some time at the gravesite and memorial for Jim Thorpe to pay my respects to one of the greatest athletes the world has ever known…here’s some images from that visit.

 

For a Thursday contest, sometimes options are limited by both the quantity of quality contests and also the location of those games in proximity to how far I can travel for a game and get there by kickoff.  Thankfully, an evenly-matched encounter between Jim Thorpe and Tamaqua fit the bill on both accounts!

What seemed like a mid-week blowout early in the second quarter with JT leading 21-0 slowly saw the Raiders of Tamaqua begin to close the gap to 21-7 at halftime.  Here’s a couple first half highlights…

 

 

Tamaqua came out of the break hot and by the end of the 3rd quarter we were knotted at 21-21 with just the final frame remaining to determine the outcome of the game.

 

The two teams traded scores in the 4th quarter until Jim Thorpe took the lead for good with a tally in the final minute of play to capture the victory at home!

 


Friday, September 12

How do you top a last-minute game-winning Thursday night score for a Jim Thorpe win?  How about a double-overtime donnybrook between undefeated 4A stalwarts Shamokin and Jersey Shore in a battle of District 4 state-ranked squads!

Last season, Shamokin and Jersey Shore squared off twice with Shamokin proving victorious in both contests…a stunning 30-28 win in the regular season for the Indians and then an electric 28-27 triumph in the 4A District 4 Final.  There was no place else I was going to watch a game on Friday night other than Jersey Shore visiting Shamokin in what will likely be the first of two meetings again this season.

A jam-packed crowd witnessed another dandy matchup with the two teams fighting back and forth for four quarters and another two overtime periods.  The visiting Bulldogs broke the ice first with a TD strike in the first three minutes of the game before Shamokin answered on a 96 yard jaunt by thumper Zakim Clinton.  Check out the first quarter highlights…

 

 

The visiting Bulldogs quieted the crowd in the second quarter with two tallies including a score just before half for a 21-7 advantage headed to halftime.

 

Shamokin came out of the locker room hot in the second quarter getting a crucial kickofff return for touchdown by Ryan Bickert to open the scoring in the second half.

 

A Jersey Shore TD was answered by two more from Shamokin do-it-all athlete Logan Steele and RB Clinton and we found ourselves smack in the middle of another instant classic between the two District 4 giants and headed to extra frames.

 

 

In the first overtime, both teams were able to cross the goal line…Shamokin on a Logan Steele rushing TD and Jersey Shore on a tremendous grab by Carson Watkins…on to a second overtime tied 35-35!

 

 

In OT2, Jersey Shore held serve taking a 42-35 advantage on a rushing tally.

 

Shamokin would answer quickly and the hometown Indians put the game away on a thrilling leap for a 2 point conversion by superstar QB Logan Steele that sent the fans into a frenzy and to their homes as winners!

 

Read all about the Shamokin vs. Jersey Shore double-OT face-off here…

 

 

Saturday, September 13

My Week Three triple-header wrapped up in Bethlehem for another undefeated matchup this time between District 11 foes Easton and Bethlehem Catholic in an early-season battle for EPC-Steel Division supremacy.

Before the game, I got a close up look at the Easton Bulldogs mascot “Will” getting in a light run as his team took the field!

 

The Easton squad wouldn’t disappoint its Bulldog mascot Will or the team’s fans racing to an early lead and never looking back in a dominant 35-9 victory.

Check out some highlights from the Easton vs. BECA game…

 

 

 

 

Enjoy some post-game comments from Easton Head Coach Matt Senneca and running back Chris Martinez…

Take a look from every angle in this photo gallery from Easton vs. Bethlehem Catholic…

 


A full weekend of PA high school football games complete and more than 400 miles driven I wrapped up my second of 16 weeks and headed home to plan for next weeks schedule of contests.

Follow along next week as Travelin’ Matt takes you across the state on another PA High School Football journey.

 

 

2025 SEASON RECAP – 1145 TOTAL MILES (15 GAMES)

Week 0

North Allegheny 28 – Woodland Hills 26

LaSalle College 23 – Pittsburgh Central Catholic 6

McKeesport 51 – Delaware Valley 24

Westinghouse 22 – Steel Valley 12

Elizabeth Forward 28 – West Mifflin 14

 

Week 1

Northern Highlands 27 – Holy Spirit 12

Ocean City 32 – Oakcrest 0

Bergen Catholic 22 – East St. Louis 21

IMG Academy 35 – Winslow Township 14

Abraham Lincoln 43 – Germantown Academy 34

LaSalle College 42 – Malvern Prep 35

 

Week 2

Pocono Mountain East 45 – Scranton 0

 

Week 3

Jim Thorpe 35 – Tamaqua 27

Shamokin 43 – Jersey Shore 42 (2OT)

Easton 35 – Bethlehem Catholic 9

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