MARK NANCE/For the Express Jersey Shore's Kash Herritt (0) runs the ball against Shamokin in the first quarter of the District 4 Class 4A championship game at Shamokin on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025.

As Jersey Shore football’s 2025 season wrapped up last Friday, it’s safe to say the team and its fans left Shamokin’s Kemp Memorial Stadium feeling disappointed. In a district title rematch against the Indians that warranted high expectations, an early injury halted its typically potent offensive attack, as the Bulldogs fell in shutout fashion, 37-0, one week removed from their best scoring performance under head coach Tom Gravish.

However, with that disappointment came plenty of justified pride. The fact that the Bulldogs were in the District 4 Class 4A final to begin with, having won eight games to get there, was something Gravish and his players were not quick to forget, especially when considering the team’s youth and tough schedule.

“Losing as many players as we lost last year, I think they should feel proud of winning eight football games, making it back to the 12th championship in 14 years as a program,” said Gravish after the loss. “I’m proud of all these guys.”

“We always set our goals high, to win a championship and every game that’s played. But playing our schedule, and then having the injuries throughout that schedule, made it difficult,” he added.

Entering the campaign, Jersey Shore (8-4) had just nine seniors on its roster, having just parted ways with an impactful senior class headlined by standout quarterback and Express Player of the Year Elijah Jordan.

Optimism still surrounded the team as it often does, as it returned heavy hitters such as two-way standouts Bo Sechrist, Carson Watkins and Talyn Lope. But much of its roster featured question marks, most notably at quarterback. And before the season even kicked off, standout defensive end Zeke Sechrist endured a season-ending injury, adding to the number of holes it’d be forced to field.

The overarching expectation with that all in mind was a down year for the program where it’d be more building for the future than anything. It was entering Year 2 of the toughest two-year cycle it’s scheduled in some time, one that it had scraped out eight wins through in the previous year.

However, it took just one game to quiet that doubt and a few more to completely diminish. The Bulldogs started 3-0 with wins over esteemed programs in Dallas, Delaware Valley and Selinsgrove before giving a Shamokin team with most of its 2024 standouts back all it could handle in a two-overtime instant classic.

With hard work over the offseason, sophomore quarterback Nolen Pauling adjusted immediately to his heightened role, throwing for over 150 yards in his first six starts while racking up 17 combined touchdowns through the stretch.

His play, coupled with the versatile one-two punch of Sechrist and Kash Herritt in the backfield and strong play from his experienced receiving core, made Shore’s offense one of the most potent in District 4, as it averaged over 45 points and 480 yards entering Week 7 and over 40 points and 400 yards per game entering Friday’s championship.

It wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, Shore. Its defense surrendered over 40 points in three of its first six games, and the closing stretch of its regular season presented more adversity for the team to overcome.

The Bulldogs lost another strong defensive end in sophomore Conner Yingling, who totaled six sacks through seven games, to season-ending injury and two-way standout Kash Herritt also missed multiple games with injury. And in the midst of those injuries, the program suffered two of its most imposing losses in some time, falling to Hollidaysburg and Scranton Prep by scores of 52-7 and 51-19 respectively.

But the team bounced back strong, posting record-breaking performances in its last two affairs at Thompson Street Stadium to give itself momentum heading into Friday’s matchup.

Against Central Mountain in its regular-season finale and nine-win Athens in the district semifinals, Jersey Shore scored a combined 126 points – a record for Gravish-led squads through back-to-back games. Its 73 points against Athens were the most it’s scored in any game under Gravish. And in that semifinal, Sechrist broke the program record for rushing touchdowns with six while rushing for 286 yards.

On the season, Sechrist finished just ten rushing yards under 1,500 while averaging just under seven yards per carry and scoring 26 total touchdowns. Herritt, as a sophomore, added 698 yards and 11 touchdowns, setting things up for what should be a prolific two years as the team’s lead back.

Pauling wrapped up his first campaign at starting quarterback throwing for over 1,900 yards, 17 touchdowns and just nine interceptions while completing over 63 percent of his passes and adding 527 yards and ten touchdowns on the ground.

His top three receivers – Carson Watkins, Luke Ryan and Carter Rhinehart – surpassed 350 yards and 20 receptions. Watkins and Ryan surpassed 50 catches, and Watkins led the team in receiving yards (768), receiving touchdowns (9) and interceptions (9) as a senior.

Defensively, Talyn Lope, Luke Thompson, Conner Yingling and Kash Herritt finished with ten or more tackles for losses, with Sechrist notching over 100 tackles for his third straight season. Alongside Yingling, Lope and Thompson also surpassed five sacks on the season, each finishing with seven or more as seniors.

All’s to say, Shore’s senior class led a strong campaign despite its size, proving the program’s saying ‘Tradition never graduates’ valid. On top of that, its juniors and underclassmen laid the foundation for what could certainly be a promising future for the program.

“They have excellent sophomore and junior classes on the uprise. So next season, I’m excited to see what they can do,” said Luke Ryan on the program’s future.

“Nolan at quarterback, he’s a stud, Kash at running back, a promising offensive line coming up, and guys like Carter Rhinehart, Conner Yingling and Connor Winters are going out there with them. They have very promising years to come, being sophomores as they are.”

It’s a long way until the start of next season, but with plans for winter workouts already in the works, Shore’s climb towards building on 2025 begins here. It’ll be back to work shortly, preparing to put an end to the program’s three-year district title drought.

Henry Huber is the sports editor for the Lock Haven Express. He can be reached at hhuber@lockhaven.com. Follow him on X/Twitter at @HenryHuber_.