Evan Snyder understands the intricacies of what it takes to win. As one of many Jersey Shore players that plays both offense and defense-and is relied on heavily at wide receiver and cornerback–Snyder is having a standout early part of the season.

The season is still early, being just two games in, but given Jersey Shore’s opponents–a 4A state finalist and a 5A state quarterfinalist–it seems as if the Bulldogs have played more games than what their record states. A big part of that is the way they have won and how they have stuck it to their opponents during critical times.

Jersey Shore pulled off a miraculous, 14-point comeback against Dallas to open the season and its defense aided it to a four-point win in its home-opener on Friday night. Snyder has played intricate roles in both of those wins on both offense and defense. As one of Jersey Shore’s returners, he feels a need to step up. That stepping up is playing his part, and when he does that, he’s a threat against any guy in front of him on either side of the football.

Snyder was one of Jersey Shore’s biggest playmakers in the Bulldogs’ 14-10 win over Delaware Valley on Friday night. He caught eight passes for 104 yards and a touchdown and also registered three tackles on defense. But what doesn’t show up in the stat sheet–his pass deflections, his ability to sit in receivers’ lanes to disrupt routes and the fiery energy he has after making plays–is what truly makes him who he is.

“I just know that we all have a job to do, and if I don’t do mine, they can’t do theirs.”

Snyder had six receptions in the August 23 season-opener at Dallas, and that went along with two touchdowns. He made an opening statement of who he was against state-caliber competition.

Snyder has flown under the radar in the past year. He played on last year’s team that experienced quite a lot, including grief and a District 4 title game loss on the road at Selinsgrove. He remembers that feeling, along with catching 11 passes for 179 yards.

And while he wasn’t exactly the focal point of that offense then–Dathan Tyson had almost 900 yards and Cody Stetts and Elijah Jordan both had over 300 yards rushing–he still had a name for himself in the shadows. Now he’s breaking out, and he’s putting folks on notice.

Snyder had six receptions in the August 23 season-opener at Dallas, and that went along with two touchdowns. He made an opening statement of who he was against state-caliber competition.

He also used this offseason as a stepping stone to not only prove to himself what he could do for one final season, but to his coaches and teammates that he’s a reliable guy. It’s all beginning to pay off.

“I was working on my hands and my speed,” Snyder said about his offseason workouts. “It’s been working out. So, I’m just going to keep on doing it. “I’m just trying to make plays on defense and offense to show everyone that they can trust me and that I can be a guy that they can look to.”

‘TIRED OF LOSING’

Bellefonte has put an end to the losing early on in the season and has made itself a standout team in the Laurel Highlands Conference (LHAC). The Raiders, who haven’t begun the season 2-0 since the 2018 season, defeated Chestnut Ridge, 28-11 at Rogers’ Stadium on Friday night.

Raiders’ senior quarterback Liam Halterman continues a strong start to his season. He completed 9 of 13 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns. He threw one interception but heaved a 50-yard pass down to senior wide receiver Jaeden Gabrovsek, one of Bellefonte’s go-to receivers for this season. He also had two receiving touchdowns to go with his 104 yards. Senior halfback Nathan Benner picked up 42 yards to help balance out Bellefonte’s game through the air.

Arguably even more impressive in Bellefonte’s win and 2-0 start is what looks like the beginning of an established run game. Last season was now-graduated Sherman Lowry’s ground game and it was the Raiders’ bread-and-butter, so to speak. With questions of how Bellefonte would establish that, sophomore Ashten Howell carried the ball just six times but rushed for 106 yards (17 yards-per-rush) and one touchdown.

Bellefonte is beginning to answer questions that people have had since last season cameto a close: What will the run game look like? How much better will Halterman be? The glue is beginning to stick in Bellefonte. Winning solves a lot of problems, and when you’re tired of losing, there is only one option.

HE’S BACK

Bald Eagle Area senior quarterback Carson Nagle suffered an apparent neck injury in Week 1’s opening-season loss at Bishop Guilfoyle in a 21-0 shutout. To make matters worse, Nagle was carted off the field with many questions and no answers about where Bald Eagles’ season was headed with its loss.

Nagle erased all of the doubts he would miss Week 2 as BEA rolled to a 39-14 win over Central Cambria in its home-opener at Alumni Stadium in Wingate. Nagle finally settled in, completing 22 of 33 passes for 380 yards and three touchdowns with an interception. Junior Gradyn Fisher was the Eagles’ standout receiver with 210 yards on six receptions. Junior Beau Taylor caught 10 passes for 96 yards.

Bald Eagle Area answered questions about its run game, similar to Bellefonte, that needed answered. Junior back Carnell Noone, in his first season of football, rushed for 135 yards on 15 carries. He added a 100+-yard run along with a pair of touchdowns in his Bald Eagle Area home debut.

That’s a great sign to help out opponents’ front defensive line from constantly attacking BEA’s all-state quarterback.

Cam Dubbs took on the heavy load last year as a senior back that was reliable. His efforts flew under the radar last year but they helped balance out the passing game to BEA’s plethora of wide receivers.

Bald Eagle’s win puts it back on track with some confidence boost from its offense.

STILL RUNNING AND GROWING

Central Mountain dropped its second game of the season when the Wildcats fell on the road, 41-7 at Bloomsburg. It was a tough all-around game as the Wildcats had its work cut out against it and got caught up in giving up some big plays.

In the loss, senior quarterback Hunter Hoy completed 4 of 10 passes for 39 yards and threw his first touchdown pass of the season.

Central Mountain’s go-to all last season was its run game. It established it in this game, although the score didn’t affect it, which may be pivotal moving forward. Sophomore Kole Corman, who stuck out in the Week 1 opener, was held to just 13 yards but his teammates came to aid.

Senior Cooper Bottorf carried the ball four times for 50 yards and Dakota McDermott carried 12 times for 41 yards. Those two give coach Travis Thompson options moving forward when opponents will likely try to keen on Corman.

The Wildcats will try to reboot in its second home game of the season when Williamsport (2-0) comes to Mill Hall Friday.

Bucktail was well-aware of the challenges it would be presented this season with the experience it lost last season. Therefore, it’s been all about growth at the beginning of this season–and will likely be throughout the year–and there have been growing pains.

The Bucks, who dropped a 42-20 game to Coudersport Friday night, had success in the second half. While its run defense was the problem in this one–the Bucks gave up 250 rushing yards and Coudersport threw the ball just nine times–it tightened up in the second half. Bucktail shut out Coudersport with second units battling against one another. The Bucks also scored a touchdown in the first half, although out of striking distance, and added two touchdowns in the second half.

Good sign as the Bucks keep growing.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OFFENSE: Carson Nagle, Bald Eagle Area

If there is any way of bouncing back from a Week 1 injury that appears it may have been season over and is followed up with a 300-plus yards passing performance, it’s pretty tough to do. But Nagle put the Eagles on his back Friday night in a 39-14 win over Central Cambria. Nagle dialed it back to last season, where he exceeded 3,000 passing yards. He threw 380 to go with three touchdowns in a big win to help BEA regroup.

Teams are aware of Nagle’s success, so that’s not what is stunning. What’s impressive is who he is throwing to. Nagle had at least five NCAA-bound athletes on his squad, three of which he constantly threw the ball too. But this year Nagle has had to, for the most part, get his guys up to speed. Nagle was on a mission and his teammates looked the part as well.

DEFENSE: Bo Sechrist, Jersey Shore

Each time the ball was thrown his direction, Sechrist made some great plays. Delaware Valley did a solid job of testing Shore’s secondary, tossing a lot of balls down field. Jersey Shore, for the most part, reacted well and gave up just a few big pays.

Sechrist was a big part of that. He had a game-high 14 tackles and nine of those were solo. As an experienced junior linebacker, Sechrist knows what to expect. He and Snyder, Shore’s cornerback, made some huge plays down the stretch to secure the Bulldogs’ big win.

ZP’S TOP 5 RANKINGS

1. Jersey Shore (2-0)

Jersey Shore stands atop the rankings after Week 2 because of its quality wins over two returning state-caliber opponents. The Bulldogs went to Dallas and won on the road in a 14-point stylistic comeback. In its home-opener this past Friday, Shore put on a strong defensive effort in the final 24 minutes to hold off a talented and well-coached Delaware Valley team who is young, but has an experienced QB.

Luke Snyder is Jersey Shore’s go-to player through two games and has been putting on a show on both sides of the ball. His ability to break up passes as a cornerback makes Jersey Shore dangerous to throw against. And its returning defensive line in Owen Vandruff, Slate Sechrist and Zeke Sechrist, among others, continue to make a case for best defense in the area.

Bo Sechrist led the Bulldogs in tackles last week and Elijah, “Mr. Do it all” Jordan excelled at QB, completing 50% of his passes. Jersey Shore is in a good spot as it hosts D4 rival Selinsgrove for its second game of a three-game homestand.

2. Bellefonte (2-0)

The Raiders are already on their way to history. They have matched their total wins from the 2023 and 2022 seasons (2) by picking up wins in the first two weeks of the young season. Additionally, the Raiders have started the season 2-0 for the first time since 2018. There’s still a lot of time left but the Raiders are looking up as of right now.

Halterman is leading the Raiders as a leader in what appears in dual-threat action. The senior has over 200 yards passing with a pair of touchdowns. Halterman has also rushed for 117 yards.

And his running back, sophomore Ashten Howell, stepped up in Friday’s home win with 110 yards on just seven carries. The Raiders are playing inspired football and face its biggest test yet on Saturday.

3. Bald Eagle Area (1-1)

Bald Eagle Area got back on track Friday night with a huge home win. This week it faces Penns Valley (0-2) who is having a down year. Somehow, though, Penns Valley always comes ready to play against the Eagles so they’ll have to be ready to play. Carson Nagle will be the main focal point of getting the Eagles offense going, but its young guys will be looked at to continue carrying the torch.

Gradyn Fisher and Beau Taylor (two returners from last year’s squad) combined for over 300 yards receiving last week and will need to continue that momentum. Defensively Brayden Dubbs led the charge in tackles with seven while Fisher had six and Kaleb Irion and Wyatt Spackman had five apiece.

4. Central Mountain (0-2)

Central Mountain’s loss to Bloomsburg set it back just a little bit. The 41-7 loss was a stinger against a young Bloomsburg Huskies squad they blew out at Malinak Stadium last year. Bloomsburg has learned from last season and grown up a bit, taking Central Mountain’s now-youth to an advantage.

First-year QB Hunter Hoy threw for one touchdown and showed some signs of growing. Dakota McDermott and Cooper Bottorf rushed for 41 and 50 yards, respectively. The rushing game is clearly still there, but will it be there as the season moves forward? McDermott and Khye Kissell led the squad in tackles with six apiece and Corman had five. The Wildcats will have to build on that as the season goes on.

5. Bucktail (0-2)

The Bucks are continuing their growing pains. The hope is to carry its second half success of its loss to Coudersport, which was a couple of touchdowns, to this week. Brody Pentz is in charge of both sides of the football to lead the Bucks and growing the young guys, even as a senior. It’s a tough road ahead so it’s time for Bucktail to fasten the seatbelts.

Zach Powell is the sports editor for The Express. Reach him at zpowell@lockhaven.com and follow him on X/Twitter @RealZachPowell.