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ALLENTOWN--As Jersey Shore set up its victory formation, senior captain Cayden Hess turned toward the Bulldog fans and raised his arms, asking for more noise.
And Bulldog nation gleefully obliged.
Once again, Jersey Shore had traveled the long road and made an opponent’s home field feel just like Thompson Street Stadium. Once again, Jersey Shore won a hard-fought state tournament game.
Haydn Packer ran for 130 yards, the defense did not allow a point over the final three quarters and Jersey Shore erased a four-point halftime deficit Friday at J. Birney Crum Stadium, defeating Allentown Central Catholic, 20-7 and winning its fifth Class AAAA state tournament game over the last two seasons. Just as it did at Crestwood and Lampeter-Strasburg a year ago on its way to the state final, Jersey Shore (13-0) embraced the challenge and took down an excellent challenger with all those hungry dogs leaving their paw prints on this victory.
Up next is a state quarterfinal showdown against either District 10 champion Meadville or District 6 champion Juniata. Those teams play Saturday.
"It feels great to play another game with this senior class," Packer, who went over 1,000 yards this season while shining again at linebacker, said. "It’s a very hard working group and we have really hard-working plays all the way around on this team. Everyone can rely on each other."
"It’s huge how we go about doing this. It’s a lot of running at practice," defensive end Tate Sechrist said following a super 10-tackle, two-sack performance. "That’s kind of what you can give it to. We work hard to do this stuff. It’s paying off."
It especially paid off in the second half as Jersey Shore dominated all facets against the District 11 champions. The Vikings (9-4) took a 7-3 first-quarter lead on Caiden Shaffer’s 6-yard run in the final minute but never scored again. The defense kept turning away Central Catholic despite it having good field position in the first half and the offense broke out over the final two quarters.
Jersey Shore overcame deficits in both state tournament victories last year and was hardly rattled at halftime. They had mostly won blowouts since Week 4, but the Bulldogs again proved as tenacious as talented, scored 10 third-quarter points, went up 13 on Packer’s 1-yard touchdown with 7 minutes, 59 seconds remaining and kept turning a nasty defense loose.
"That was our whole idea coming into this game. We just wanted to wear them out. We knew they they were big and had some big linemen and we were just going to try and take it to them," linebacker Karter Peacock said after a sensational 10-tackle performance. "We were going to keep pounding the rock until it crumbled."
Jersey Shore did not smash it with one mighty blow, but a series of hammer shots which started taking a toll on this big, physical team. The Bulldogs flipped the script from the first half when, after Breck Miller drilled a 37-yard field goal on their second possession, they punted four straight times and produced just two first downs.
There were no dramatic adjustments either. The only thing which changed was Jersey Shore playing much better.
"At halftime we said we’re not changing anything. The only thing we’re changing is our execution," Jersey Shore coach Tom Gravish said. "We said we’re going to kick deep, hold them down and then we’re going to change the field position. We got a good kick and some good defense followed up by some offense. It was good, complementary football."
Jersey Shore did exactly as told.
After Miller boomed a long kickoff and the special teams swarmed, the defense forced a quick three-and-out. Kooper Peacock provided a jolt, returning the punt 14 yards to Central Catholic’s 39-yard line. From there, linemen Luke Springman, Zach Rooney, Dierk Stetts, Jared Palski and Donald Steinbacher started imposing their will and Jersey Shore produced a well-conceived, go-ahead touchdown drive. Packer ripped off a 12-yard run and Cayden Hess made two defenders miss on a 12-yard reception to the 10. Three plays later, Jordan (100 total yards) ran in for a three-yard touchdown and Jersey Shore led 10-7.
"At the half we just knew had to keep going. We had to keep hammering the rock," Packer said. "When everyone keeps pounding the rock together, eventually it crumbles."
Jordan softened the rock a bit more by delivering a jarring hit later in the quarter. The safety came flying in from the secondary on a short pass route, stoned the receiver and forced a fumble which was recovered at the 3. Central Catholic protected the endzone, but Miller again delivered and his 22-yard field goal put the Bulldogs ahead, 13-7.
Central Catholic did not necessarily move the ball well throughout the first half, but it sustained drives long enough to consume time and force Jersey Shore into having to navigate long drives. The line was complemented by Division-I recruit and 320-pound tackle Lavon Johnson lining up at fullback. Jersey Shore, however, kept flying to the ball, wiped out the running game in the second half and surrendered just three second-half first downs.
Defensive end Connor Davis played a strong game and a big hit at midfield on a third-and-three forced a punt a series before Jordan’s perfectly-time licked led to the field goal. Peacock dropped Caiden Shaffer (4 second-half yards) for a two-yard loss, forcing another punt a series later and the next time Central Catholic had the ball it was down 13.
Hess (4 second-half catches, 42 yards) hauled in consecutive big third-down catches, totaling 21 yards which kept a 68-yard scoring drive going before Packer exploded through a big hole and rumbled 37 yards to the 1. A play later, Packer scored and the Bulldogs led, 20-7.
"Even when we were down it was like, ‘We’ll pick it up for the offense and get them going,’" Sechrist said. "Sooner or later everything will click at once and that’s what happened."
"We had two more quarters to play and we just had to do everything we could in those two quarters to keep them out of the end zone," Peacock said. "That gives our offense momentum as well."
The momentum continued building from there as the rock softened even more. Packer opened the next Central Catholic with a sack and Sechrist produced another four plays later before breaking up a screen pass. On fourth down, the line crashed through and forced an incompletion. Central Catholic had one last chance when it took over at its own 15 late. Sechrist collected another sack but the Vikings moved to the Jersey Shore 32, the only time they crossed the 40 in the second half. Hess broke up a pass in the end zone on third down before Stetts and Springman dropped the hammer and sacked Tamlin Ferguson for a 13-yard loss with 90 seconds remaining.
That rock finally crumbled.
"We made them play our defense instead of us playing their offense, so they had to switch things up because we made things happen to stop certain things," Sechrist said. "One thing led to another and we were on a roll."
Central Catholic produced a 31-yard play in the first quarter and a 53-yarder in the fourth. On 60 other plays, Jersey Shore surrendered just 76 yards.
It was not easy, but at this time of year it almost never is. The Bulldogs remembered all the conditioning, all the weight lifting all the sacrifices. It all led to a moment like Friday and Jersey Shore owned this moment.
"We had a talk with each other at halftime and got ourselves hyped up," Karter Peacock said. "We came out and we played well."
Jersey Shore 20, Allentown Central Catholic 7
First Quarter
J--Breck Miller 37-yard field goal, 8:00
A--Caiden Shaffer 6 run (Luke Myers kick), :39.6
Third Quarter
J--Brady Jordan 3 run (Miller kick), 9:09
J--Miller 22-yard field goal, 2:16
Fourth Quarter
J--Haydn Packer 1 run (Miller kick), 7:59
TEAM STATISTICS J A
First Downs 14 8
Rushes-yards 45-167 40-50
Passing yards 73 110
Total yards 240 160
Comp-Att-Int 7-20-0 7-22-0
Fumbles-lost 0-0 1-1
Penalties-yards 5-45 3-25
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING: Jersey Shore, Haydn Packer 21-130, TD; Brady Jordan 19-27, TD; Elijah Jordan 5-10. Central Catholic, Caiden Shaffer 26-64, TD; Travis Foster 5-12; Griffin Partridge 3-5; Matt Keyes 1-3; Tamlin Ferguson 5-(-34).
PASSING: Jersey Shore, B. Jordan 7-20-0, 73 yards. Central Catholic, Ferguson 7-22-0, 110 yards .
RECEIVING: Jersey Shore, Cayden Hess 4-42; Dathan Tyson 2-23; Kooper Peacock 1-8. Central Catholic, Partridge 3-24; Jareel Calhoun 2-30; Armonie Torres 1-53; Shaffer 1-3.
SACKS: Jersey Shore, Tate Sechrist 2, Packer, Dierk Stetts .5, Luke Springman .5.
Records: Jersey Shore 13-0. Central Catholic 9-4.