‘Shore’s Sechrist leads Bulldogs to 62-0 win over Central Mountain

Wildcat Report – By John Lipez

JERSEY SHORE, PA – Jersey Shore senior running back Tate Sechrist set the tempo early at a packed Thompson Street Stadium Friday night. He took the opening kickoff around and through multiple Central Mountain would-be tacklers on the way to a 68-yard kickoff return. And Sechrist didn’t stop until into the fourth quarter with a final 39-yard touchdown burst. At that point Jersey Shore led 55-0, on the way to a 62-0 win over Central Mountain High School.

A thousand-yard rusher a year ago, Sechrist needed 160 yards to hit that mark this season. He achieved that milestone by halftime and didn’t stop until well over the 300-yard mark Friday on 14 carries, scoring four touchdowns along the way.

Meantime, the Bulldog defense completely shut down Central Mountain, holding the Wildcats to less than 50 yards and only three first downs. Central Mountain had possession seven times in the first half and went three-and-out and punted on every possession.

The Wildcats’ 1,000-yard rusher Rocco Serafini found no room to operate, held to 18 yards on 23 carries. Quarterback Thomas Sprague completed 6-of-18 passes for 22-yards but was under constant pressure from the ‘Dog defense.

Wildcat coach Travis Thompson acknowledged the Sechrist kick-off return’s importance, calling it “one of those early daggers that set the tempo for the game.” He complimented ‘Shore, “They continued to execute…play tough.” He said his team “showed some heart” moving the chains in the third quarter and not giving up.

Jersey Shore moves into the District 4 Class 4A semifinals next weekend, likely hosting 9-1 Milton. Central Mountain will take its 3-7 regular season mark into the District 6 Class 5A title game next weekend, the opponent Hollidaysburg (4-5). The Golden Tigers downed DuBois (4-6) by a 44-23 score on Friday.

Friday’s game was marked by a moving pre-game ceremony when the senior members of the Jersey Shore team were introduced, the last recognition for Max Engle, the Bulldog football player who lost his life earlier this season after collapsing on the sideline at a September game. His parents were on the field as their son was honored along with his fellow senior teammates.

Both the Jersey Shore and Central Mountain football teams dropped to one knee before each ran an offensive play to start the game, in tribute to the fallen Bulldog.

CM  0   0 0   0 = 0

JS  28 21 0 13 = 62