Pottsgrove opens PIAA 4A playoff run against Jersey Shore

After meeting its nearest neighbors in last week’s District 1 Class 4A championship, the Pottsgrove football team’s scope expands much wider this weekend. So far, it sounds out of state.

In reality, the Falcons’ PIAA Class 4A playoff first round opponent, Jersey Shore, is the District 4 champion, located 15 miles west of Williamsport.

Their paths converge at Northern Lehigh High School in Slatington, 7 p.m. Friday.

How They Got Here >> Pottsgrove (11-1) completed their three-peat as District 1 Class 4A champions last Friday in topping cross-town rival Pottstown, 40-6. The Falcons survived a scare from Bishop Shanahan, 14-13, in a class 4A semifinal the previous week.

Jersey Shore (7-5) outlasted 2017’s District 4 champion, Selinsgrove, 20-17 in overtime last Saturday night. The Bulldogs’ playoff journey started with a 52-0 thrashing of Columbia Montour Vo-Tech.

Overview >> The winner of this one will take on the District 11 champion next week—either Bethlehem Catholic or Saucon Valley—in a state quarterfinal. The Bulldogs come in on a three-game winning streak, having topped Central Mountain 40-14 before beginning their playoff journey.

For Pottsgrove, after two straight years of losses to Bethlehem Catholic in the opening round of states – two years ago at Northern Lehigh, the site of Friday’s contest – it may be something of a relief to see a different opponent across the field this Friday. But the Bulldogs present challenges the Falcons haven’t seen in weeks.

When Jersey Shore has the ball >> The Bulldogs, with almost 22 pass attempts per game, throw the ball more than any team Pottsgrove has seen this year, save for Pope John Paul II. Back in September, PJP quarterback Kamal Gray completed only 11 of 30 passes against Pottsgrove, but accumulated 265 yards and three touchdowns through the air as the Golden Panthers took the Falcons to the limit before succumbing, 35-28.

A similar performance represents a likely best-case scenario for Jersey Shore, completing only 46 percent of their pass attempts on the season. With 40 grabs and 612 yards on the season, senior Koby Peacock is the favorite target of quarterback Tanner Lorson, who takes care of the football (only seven INTs on his 241 pass attempts.)

The Bulldogs aren’t afraid to mix in a wrinkle here and there, evidenced by leading receiver Peacock’s five pass attempts this season.

But things start to get interesting when you look at the other half of the Bulldogs’ offensive profile. Four different players carried the ball more than 50 times for Jersey Shore this season, led by Kyle Tomb, who went for 158 yards and a score in last week’s district championship victory over Selinsgrove. On the season, Tomb’s grinded out 731 yards on 184 carries (four yards per carry) to go along with 10 rushing touchdowns.

Tomb is joined in the backfield by two juniors whose stats are nearly indistinguishable, Dawson Sechrist (82 rushes, 578 yards, 2 TD) and Josh Malicky (92 rushes, 590 yards, 7 TD). Quarterback Lorson isn’t afraid to take off either, averaging about six yards a carry on 51 totes this season.

“They have a stable of capable running backs, with the ability to be more diverse out of the I or offset-I formation,” said Pottsgrove coach Bill Hawthorne. “Then they’ll spread out on you and have everything at their disposal. It’s challenging to play a sound defense against them.
“A lot of their drives are methodical, run the ball down your throat—then hit you with a play-action pass once you’re lulled into stopping the run.”

Add it all up and you have an offense averaging about 320 yards per game with an approximately 60-40 run/pass split — a balance Pottsgrove hasn’t faced yet this year. Even with the benefit of overtime, the Bulldogs snapped the ball 83 times last week against Selinsgrove, suggesting an offense that’s not afraid to go up-tempo to try to lock their opponents on the field in bad matchups with their diverse offense.

Of course, plenty of teams have believed they had the answer to the Pottsgrove defense, only to come home (nearly) empty-handed after facing the Pioneer Athletic Conference’s stingiest defense (allowing 9.8 points per contest). Nobody runs against Pottsgrove, who’s holding opposing offenses under 60 rushing yards on a weekly basis. (Even Perkiomen Valley was kept below 100 yards in the Falcons’ lone loss.)

As such, passing the ball becomes the approach of choice, but the 105 yards per game allowed through the air by the Falcons are hardly inviting.
The defense is headlined by senior defensive end Ryan Bodolus (71 tackles, 39 solo tackles, 16 sacks), who dominated the district semifinal against Bishop Shanahan and added another sack against Pottstown last week. He’s joined up front by Justin Adams (sack against Pottstown), Nate Tornetta, and Darrian Seaman, while Isaiah Glover, Nijier Owens, and Jayden Tucker help to complete the area’s stoutest front seven. A secondary led by Jimai Springfield and sophomore Rylee Howard limited Pottstown to only three completions a week ago, and figures to be in for an even stiffer test this week against the Bulldogs.

When Pottsgrove has the ball >> As anyone in District 1 can tell you, the Falcons’ plan is to establish the run early, using their power game to get a lead and control the clock. Chances are word has made its way upstate.

The return of Isaiah Taylor has given the Pottsgrove ground game back its best big-play threat. Since a two-game absence at the end of the regular season, Taylor has returned to run for 401 yards and four scores in the two district games. His 221-yard game last week allowed the Falcons to attempt only one pass in the win over Pottstown.

“He’s our big-play guy,” Hawthorne confirmed. “Since his return, he’s really zeroed in on learning the little nuances of being a Pottsgrove running back. He’s finding the right holes, setting up his blocks and running the right path. Before, he used talent to overcome his deficiencies, but now he’s more cerebral out there.”

Taylor, a true workhorse, is capable of carrying 25-30 times a game—which, the way the Falcons play, still leaves another 20-25 carries up for grabs. At least a handful will go to quarterback Jay Sisko, averaging about six yards a carry and 13 rushing scores this year. Glover, Jadore Colbert, and Kayden White all see significant roles for the Falcons as well.

“I don’t know if we’d be anywhere close to where we are without Jay Sisko, who’s one of the most intelligent players I’ve ever had the privilege to coach,” said Hawthorne. “No one sees this, but every play he’s got our guys in the right position, making audibles and changes—basically reading my mind.”

When the Falcons do go to the air, WR Springfield and TE Bodolus are a couple of the preferred targets for Sisko, who’s able to utilize the element of surprise to average over 18 yards per completion this year. But make no mistake, the degree of success the Falcons enjoy in the running game is likely to determine the outcome in this one.

Details >> One hidden matchup to keep an eye out for in this one — Pottsgrove’s Michael Sereny and Jersey Shore’s Peacock are ranked 1st and 3rd respectively in Pennsylvania Class 4A football in average yards per punt. With more winter-type weather in the forecast, a field-position battle could be key on Friday night.

“If you look at our schedule, we’ve played four games in not just rain, but downpours,” said Hawthorne. “Those games are all about field position, so for Michael to consistently pin a team inside the 20-yard line makes him not just a luxury, but a weapon.”

Ball security will be paramount for Pottsgrove on offense, as Jersey Shore is adept at causing turnovers, forcing 23 of them thus far this season—16 via fumble recoveries.

Prediction >> It’s not as if there’s much of a blueprint to beating Pottsgrove, who’s dropped only three games over the prior two seasons. Perkiomen Valley topped the Falcons in the PAC title game by controlling the clock, forcing turnovers and getting a couple big special teams plays. But these things are easier said than done, and leading rusher Taylor was inactive for the Falcons in that game.

Nonetheless, Jersey Shore’s offense is fairly similar to Perk Valley’s with the run/pass balance and dual-threat quarterback, and Peacock’s do-it-all abilities give the Bulldogs a special teams threat.

As always, it comes down to the Falcons’ ability to establish their running game, and a look at the statistics is encouraging for the locals. Jersey Shore’s schedule seems split between teams that prefer the run and those that want to go to the air. As the number of carries increases for Bulldogs’ opponents, so does the average yards per carry. For example, Selinsgrove only called about 20-25 run plays last week, and was throttled to the tune of two yards per carry. Earlier this year, however, Mount Carmel ran the ball 40 times against Jersey Shore, and put up over nine yards per carry.

Guess which total Pottsgrove will likely aim for Friday night? …. Pottsgrove 33, Jersey Shore 17