Bulldogs Give Their All, Edged in PIAA Title Game, 21-14
HERSHEY, PA – The Jersey Shore Bulldog football team could have packed it in during the second half of their first-ever PIAA championship football game Saturday at Hershey Park, what ultimately was a 21-14 win for defending state champion Thomas Jefferson. Well into the third period, Jersey Shore had more punts, seven, than first downs, four. The Bulldogs found themselves trailing 14-0 to the Jaguars and shut down offensively for much of the game.
But the ‘Shore defense kept the District 4 champs in the game and then Dalton Dugan ignited a comeback when he returned an intercepted pass for 51 yards and a score. After Cam Allison kicked the extra point, ‘Shore trailed by seven at 14-7 and was very much in the game. The teams traded turnovers a short while later and when Thomas Jefferson scored with 5:48 to go, making the score 21-7, the Bulldogs could have called it a day. They did not.
The ‘Dog defense came up with a stop and the offense came up with a late touchdown drive, 80 yards in nine plays, the score coming on a Branden Wheary to Owen Anderson three yard pass. Allison’s extra point put the score at 21-14 for Thomas Jefferson with 34 seconds to go. An onside kick from Allison followed and ‘Shore’s Gabe Andrus recovered at the TJ 48 with 29 ticks remaining. Wheary hit Cayden Hess on a 27-yard play and Jersey Shore had a first-and-10 at the Jaguars’ 21-yard line. But four pass plays ended incomplete and the Bulldogs’ valiant comeback try fell just short.
For most of the first half and well into period three, Thomas Jefferson showed why it has been a WPIAL terror for decades. Their defense shut down Jersey Shore’s usually dynamic up-tempo offense, holding the Bulldogs to just 29 total yards in the first two quarters. Quarterback Wheary was pressured through-out, sacked seven times in all. Meanwhile the western PA team used solid running from tailback Hunter Merga (114 yards) and passing from quarterback Jake Pugh to dominate the first half. But ‘Shore’s defense kept Bulldog hopes alive and Dugan’s pick-six (his second in two games) gave Jersey Shore new life. They almost came home a winner.
Wheary, despite the constant pressure, was able to finish 18-of-34 for 163 yards and a touchdown. But TJ took away the ‘Dog ground attack; with the seven sacks, ‘Shore ended the game with minus-66 yards in 21 rushes. Kooper Peacock paced the ‘Shore defense with 9 tackles, Anderson with 8 and Gabe Packer with 8.
Following the game, Bulldog coach Tom Gravish told pennlive: “Hat’s off to these guys and give Thomas Jefferson credit and coach (Bill) Cherpak for a state championship. They are tough kids, no doubt. ‘Shore finished 11-1 and coach Gravish was already looking ahead to 2021: “We got a lot of young guys back who played specialties or certain roles and we expect to have a successful season next year as well.”
Jersey Shore was a state semifinalist a year ago and preseason this year had a No. 2 state ranking, listed right behind Thomas Jefferson at No. 1. As it turned out, that’s where both teams finished; not shabby, not shabby at all. Meanwhile the title was the fifth state crown for Thomas Jefferson; the Bulldogs made them earn it.
