The Jersey Shore Bulldogs will head out on the road to face off against the Shamokin Area Indians at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Jersey Shore is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Friday. They claimed a resounding 73-14 win over Athens. That 59 point margin sets a new team best for the Bulldogs this season.
Bo Sechrist continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 286 yards and six scores while picking up 15.9 yards per carry. He really tore up the turf during one magnificent 74-yard run. Another player making a difference was Nolen Pauling, who threw for 197 yards and a pair of TDs.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Jersey Shore was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 336 rushing yards. They are a perfect 6-0 when they've run for more than 200 yards.
Jersey Shore didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off three passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Carson Watkins and Carter Rhinehart.
Meanwhile, Shamokin Area strolled into their game on Friday with a perfect record and they left with the same. They blew past Shikellamy 37-7. Given the Indians' advantage in MaxPreps' Pennsylvania football rankings (they are ranked 102nd, while the Braves are ranked 313th) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
This one was won in the trenches and the lion's share of the credit has to go to Noah Ringes and Zakem Clinton. Ringes rushed for 141 yards and two touchdowns while Clinton rushed for 131 yards and a pair of scores on only 15 carries. What's more, Clinton posted two rushing touchdowns, the most he's had since back in September.
One reason for the win was Shamokin Area's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for four sacks. Shikellamy's QB won't forget Ringes anytime soon given he sacked him 2.5 times.
Shamokin Area's victory bumped their record up to 11-0. As for Jersey Shore, their win bumped their record up to 8-3.
Friday's game might be decided on the ground. Jersey Shore has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 244 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Shamokin Area struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 314.3 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Jersey Shore and Shamokin Area were neck-and-neck in their previous matchup back in September, but Jersey Shore came up empty-handed after a 43-42 defeat. Can the Bulldogs avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
