LOCK HAVEN – One sensational play after the other.
That seemed to be the theme for Central Mountain and Jersey Shore’s clash at Lock Haven University Friday night.
That seemed to be the theme for Central Mountain and Jersey Shore’s clash at Lock Haven University Friday night.
In the end, the Wildcats’ plays were just a little bit more spectacular.
Up 30-22 in the fourth, a series of three consecutive flags forced the Wildcats to put something together on first-and-35 at their own 16-yard line. Cody Dolan hooked up with Scott Zuback for an 84-yard touchdown reception, and CM rode the momentum wave to a 43-28 win over the Bulldogs in both teams’ season opener.
Dolan hit most of his targets on the night, going 9-for-16 with 261 yards passing. Zuback was on the receiving end five times for 154 yards.
“We knew this was a big game coming in,” Zuback said. “Even though we beat them with a bunch of deep plays, we knew that we couldn’t do that. We have been playing together since junior high. We know each other pretty well. He knows where to pass and where I am going to be, so it works.
“It’s pretty important to get a win your first start because it gets the nerves out.”
Central Mountain had a couple of impressive runs from Matt Overdorf, who ended the night with 175 yards on 20 carries. He had a 59-yard rush for a touchdown in the second to put CM up 10-0, then had a 6-yard scamper in the fourth after the Dolan-Zuback connection took the wind out of Shore’s sails.
To go along with his two TD catches, Zuback also had a 47-yard run in the second.
“That was what we were hoping for. That’s what we were hoping to accomplish with that 1-2 combination,” CM head coach Steve Turchetta said. “Scott was out at wideout, then we put him in at tailback. He did a nice job opening things up.
“They played well. You have to give Jersey Shore a lot of credit because they played very well. They never quit and kept coming at us. Our kids made some big plays down the stretch.”
On his first varsity start, Shore’s Taylor English was quite impressive.
The junior signal-caller connected on 17-of-36 passes, throwing for 237 yards. He put a touchdown pass in the hands of Eli Skinner in the fourth, and also led several Shore charges down the field in the second half.
“Taylor worked his butt off. I certainly didn’t expect to throw the ball that much,” Shore skipper Steve Eck said. “I thought we could control them a little better up front. But he stepped up and did a good job.
“We just gave them too many big plays. I think four plays were over 50 or 60 yards. The kids came back. At 30-22, I really thought we had a shot at them. They got pushed back toward their own endzone. That play there was a killer. For us to win the game, we had to stop them right there and get the ball back and score. That was huge there.”
English had three interceptions – two by Logan Houtz and one by Nick Turchetta. Dolan was picked off once by Kyle Stabley in the first quarter.
A killer for Shore was rushing yards, as CM was able to stop most of the plays on the ground. Shore only accumulated 11 yards on the ground, putting a stop to most rushes. Jake Potter had 29 yards on 11 carries, while Logan Shay picked up six.
“The Skinner kid was pretty tough,” Turchetta said. “That one whole series they just took the ball right down the field with him. We have to go back and look at that and go from there.”
Shore will move on to face Shikellamy next week, while the Wildcats will travel to Williamsport.
