Jersey Shore Caps Off Their Season In Style: Beating Central Mountain on Senior Night 63-26

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

Ryan States | October 25, 2025

Jersey Shore, PA. — Senior night is always an emotional one, tack on the pressure of a must win game and the stakes were high at Thompson Street Stadium. It seems fitting that the Jersey Shore Bulldogs (7-3) opponent for such a big game would be their biggest rival in the (0-10) Central Mountain Wildcats. Coming into the game Central Mountain had not beaten Shore since 2012, and that streak would continue on Friday as the Bulldogs pulled off a 63-26 win. 

The reason why Friday was such a must win game for Jersey Shore, is that they are in the midst of a footrace between them and the (9-1) Athens (PA) Wildcats to capture the No. 2 seed in the District 4 AAAA playoffs. Only four teams make the AAAA playoff, with the top two seeds playing host. Coming into Friday’s game Jersey Shore was in third, being separated from Athens by one one thousandth of a point. A Shore win would likely push the Bulldogs back into the No.2 seed and the right to host the first round.

Before the game Jersey Shore honored their seniors on the roster, in total honoring eight Bulldog legends. Talyn Lope, Brayden Swales, Mason Larson, Carson Watkins, Luke Ryan, Bo Sechrist, Luke Thompson, and Braiden Raborn were all given their flowers pre-game in what may be their last at Thompson Street Stadium. 

It was a blistering fast start for Jersey Shore on the field, putting up 42 points in the first quarter. Bo Sechrist was the hammer that did most of the damage, scoring on the first two drives of the game on one-yard touchdown runs. In total on those first two drives the Bulldogs did not throw a single time, giving carries to running backs Sechrist, Kash Herrit, and quarterback Nolan Pauling as they marched down the field. 

That does not mean they did not throw down the field however, as Pauling connected with receiver Carter Rhinehart for an 85-yard catch and run on their third drive of the game. Add a Herrit 11-yard score, a Carson Watkins catch in the endzone, and a pick six from linebacker Luke Thomson to end the quarter. 

Then in the second quarter the Shore continued to press, adding another TD from Herrit and Sechrist to explode out to a 56-0 lead. Central Mountain would not lay down quietly however, as they began to pull some trick plays to try and find scores of their own. The Wildcats pulled out multiple reverses on kickoffs, while (fittingly) also showing multiple Wildcat formations on offense with running back Dalton McDermott taking snaps at QB. Before the end of the first half Central Mountain would find their score, as quarterback Kyle Everett led them down the field before McDermott punched in a 2-yard score as the half came to a close. 

Both Everett and backup QB Alex Johnson both saw snaps on Friday’s game, each showing flashes especially with their legs.

As the second half got underway it began to move quickly as there was a running clock for the entirety of the second half. While Jersey Shore began to play many backups in the second half, they would find one more score, with Sechrist getting his fourth of the day. Coming into the game Sechrist became the first 1,000 yard rusher for the Bulldogs since his brother Tate in 2023. And after a great individual performance Bo is pushing 1,200 yards as the regular season comes to a close. 

Central Mountain did begin to find their groove in the second half, finding the endzone three times and having some fantastic individual efforts. McDermott found the endzone two more times in the final 24 minutes of game time, one from 80-yards out, while receiver Mario Serafini would also grab a 30-yard receiving touchdown. 

Serafini made some head turning catches on Friday, in total making two one handed snags, and nearly a third on a play that was called out of bounds on an incredibly close play. 

After the game Jersey Shore head coach Tom Gravish talked about the win and what it meant to get a bounce back game after last week’s loss to Scranton Prep. 

“Last week wasn’t our best game. We learned from it and moved on. Central Mountain is a rival, and they have shown some impressive things in the last couple of weeks. We all said it was going to be a challenge, but I’m a firm believer that if you practice great, you have a chance to play great, and they did. So hats off to our players and assistant coaches.”

Things are always emotional after senior night, and that was the case on the field after the win when senior starting wideouts Carson Watkins and Luke Ryan talked about what it meant to get a big rivalry win in what may be their last game at Thompson Street Stadium.  

“Four years of playing here, you have a million memories, and thinking about leaving it for the last time is pretty crazy.” Ryan said. “ [I] love it here, I love the fans, love the town.”

“It is crazy it’s my last time playing here,” Watkins added. “Its our last time as seniors. I have so many good memories, so many bad memories on this field, but it’s just unbelievable how much we have accomplished in our four years of high school.”

For Jersey Shore, even though senior night is behind them, there is still more football to be played. Their win on Friday moves their season total to 7-3, and now they await the playoff seeding. (10-0) Shamokin has locked up the No.1 seed, but the main focus for Bulldogs fans is the battle between them and (9-1) Athens for the No.2 seed in the D4 AAAA playoffs. Athens did come into the game as the two seed, being ahead by one one thousandth of a point in the standings, and they also managed to win their game on Friday against a winless 1A school in Sayre. Time will tell whether Shore will travel to Athens for their first round game, or vice versa.

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