Bulldogs host rival Wildcats in regular-season finale
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Central Mountain (0-9) has been much more competitive this season, highlighting that by playing Montoursville and Mount Carmel tough the past two weeks. The Wildcats would love to snap a three-season losing streak with an upset of their rival which they have not beaten since 2012.
Doing so will be difficult, but the Wildcats gained a season-high 364 yards against Mount Carmel's stout defense and were tied at halftime against Montoursville. Alex Johnson shined after moving to quarterback last week, completing 20 of 33 passes for 178 yards and a touchdown.
Conversely, former quarterback Kyle Everett made a smooth transition to running back, running for 86 yards and a score on 20 carries, while reaching 500 yards this season. Gavin Heverly continued his run of making explosive players, ripping off an 80-yard touchdown run.
Mason Masorti caught a touchdown and Caleb Stitzer hauled in a career-high six passes for 64 yards. The defense struggled last week but limited Montoursville to 234 yards in Week 8. Johnson and Heverly intercepted passes in that game.
This will be the last game for one of the best to ever wear the Blue and White in Kole Corman. Corman holds virtually every tackling record there is at Central Mountain, piling up 386.
That includes 111 this season for the senior linebacker. Corman also has five sacks and 18 tackles for loss the past two seasons.
Jersey Shore (4-5) likely will be the No. 3 seed in next week's District 4 Class AAAA semifinals and play at Shikellamy or Shamokin. If Shikellamy wins and/or Shamokin loses, that game will be at Shamokin. If Shamokin wins tonight against Mount Carmel, it would vault Shikellamy and Jersey Shore would head to Sunbury.
The Bulldogs have overcome several injuries and a demanding schedule to reach the postseason for a 14th straight season and are averaging more yards per game than any other area team except Williamsport. Quarterback Nolen Pauling has thrown for a district-high 2,185 yards and is among state leaders in total yards, producing 2,986 yards, along with 33 touchdowns.
Wide receiver Carter Rhinehart is having a big season and Connor Winters had some excellent games to help the offense keep going strong when Rhinehart was injured. Khani McCray also has helped spark the passing game in his first year playing football and Dalton Rehrig caught a 71-yard touchdown a week ago against defending Class AA state champion Southern Columbia.
Zeke Sechrist has run for 512 yards and also shined defensively, making a team-high 97 tackles, including 13 for loss. Defensive tackle Isaac Shirey missed last week's game but has had a fantastic year, producing seven sacks and 13 tackles for loss.
Senior tackle Jayce Fetzer showcased his selflessness this season, moving from the backfield to the line for the first time. There, he has played a key role in Jersey Shore averaging nearly 400 yards per game and featuring the area's leading passer and receiver. He flies under the radar, but Fetzer and those linemen help make everything go.
This game looks much more interesting than it did over the last few years. Central Mountain is playing some of its best football, so while Jersey Shore is favored, this could be closer than in seasons past.