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Bellefonte falls to tough Jersey Shore team in season home opener

By Kenny Varner

BELLEFONTE – Coming into a new and refurbished Rogers Stadium, the Bellefonte football team was hoping to end the near perfect night with a win over a very talented Jersey Shore team.

However, the Bulldogs had every intention of spoiling the evening for the hometown team and its fans.

What looked like a blow out early on by Jersey Shore was thrawrted by a strong comeback by the Red Raiders in the second and third periods before the Bulldogs picked up the pace and was able to make the most of some ill-timed miscues by the special teams.

“This is my fault. My responsibility. I’m the special team’s coach and special teams were not good tonight and that’s my fault,” Bellefonte coach Shanon Manning said. “This is on me. We will do a much better job next week.”

In the end,Jersey Shore went home the winner of a 55-35 contest Friday night.

“I thought Tanner played very well tonight. We emphasized a lot tonight that we just want to get a first down. We want to move the sticks,” said Bulldogs coach Tom Gravich. “For the most part they did that. Tanner did a nice job managing some plays and he will have to continue to do that.”

Leading the way for the Bulldogs was quarterback Tanner Lorson who threw for 212 yards and ran for 101.

His quarterback counterpart Ethan Rossman threw for 118 yards while running back CJ Funk muscled out 75 yards on the ground.

Lorson got the game started quickly hitting Stanton Westlin minutes into the game on a 20-yard TD reception.

After hold the Red Raiders on its firs possession, the Bulldogs made it 14-0 as Lorson found Cayden Hess, upping the lead to 14-0 as the game went into the second quarter.

CJ Funk got Bellefonte on the board in the second as he cashed it in from one yard out, cutting it to 14-7.

However Lorson scores on consecutive drives to open up a 28-7 advantage as the game went into the final seven minutes of the half.

But the Red Raiders refuses to go out of the half without a fight as they battled their way  back into the game with touchdowns by Nathan Way as he caught a Rossman pass for a 8-yard TD strike.

On Bellefonte’s next possession, it cut it to a touchdown before the half when Jalen Emel scores on a 10-yard scamper, closing it to 28-21 at the half.

Early in the third, the Red Raidrs ties things when Rossman found Mason Grey tying it at 28.

But it was all Jersey Shore from there as they outscored the Red Raiders 23-7 the rest of the way en route to the victory.

Jersey Shore 55, Bellefonte 35

JS 14 14 14 13 – 55

BE  0  21   7   7 – 35

Scoring

First quarter

JS – Tanner Lorson 20-yard pass to Stanton Westlin, (Cameron Allison kick) 10:07.

JS – Lorson  35-yard pass to Catden Hess (Allison kick), 3:25.

Second quarter

BE – CJ Funk 1-yard run (Ethan Rossman kick), 11:33.

JS – Lorson 2-yard run (Allison kick), 9:26.

JS – Lorson 12-yard pass to Hess (Allison kick), 7:41.

BE – Ethan Rossman to Nathan Way (Rossman kick), 5:13.

BE – Jalen Emel 10-yard run (Rossman kick), 2:04.

Third quarter

BE – Rossman 54-yard pass to Mason Grey (Rossman kick), 9:51.

JS – Lorson 11-yard pass to Westlin (kick failed), 6:30.

JS – Lorson 4-yard run (2-point conversion successful),3:01.

Fourth quarter

JS – Lorson 4-yard run (Allison kick), 9:15.

JS – Lorson 8-yard run (kick blocked), 4:27.

BE – Emel 26-yard pass to Trae Bauman (Rossman kick), 1:10.

Team statistics   JS        BE

First downs          24       20

Rushes-Yards 42-204 36-187

Passing -yards 16-212 9-118

C-A-I                   16-27-1 9-23-0

Fumbles              0-0        4-0

Penalties -yards 7-55 5-39

INDIVIDUAL LEADERS

Rushing – JS – Dawson Sechrist 8-29, Josh Maliky 18-72, Caden Hess 1-2., Tanner Lorson 15-101. BE – CJ Funk 12-75, Jalen Emel 13-51, Ethan Rossman 4-20, Nic Capperelle 6-35, Chris Paloskey 1-6, JJ Saunders 1-0.

Passing – JS  – Lorson 16-212. BE- Rossman 8-22-92, Emel 1-1-26.

Receiving – JS – Sechrist 1-12, Maliky 2-31, Hess 5-80, Brett Guthrie 2-14, Owen Anderson 3-24, Stanton Westlin 2-31, Anthony Sheaffer 1-6. BE – Funk 1-5, Emel 1-(-1), Bauman 2-34, Mason Grey 4-72, Nathan Way 1-8

Interceptions – JS – None. BE – Way.

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