Curtain drops for Allentown Central Catholic
Vikings bow to Jersey Shore in first-round game
The preseason challenges facing Allentown Central Catholic in 2021 were quite noticeable.
This season’s Vikings returned only six seniors to their roster. They were replacing both coordinators. And they were coming off back-to-back District 11 Class 4A championships, so the outside expectations would be lofty.
Coach Tim McGorry liked what his team accomplished this season. He did not like a lot of what he saw in Friday night’s 20-7 loss to unbeaten District 4 champion Jersey Shore in a PIAA first-round showdown at J. Birney Crum Stadium in Allentown.
Central Catholic, which closed out its season with a 9-4 overall record, rushed for 53 yards and passed for 107 against the No. 1-ranked Class 4A team in the state.
“There wasn’t much to like at all on offense,” McGorry said. “We struggled to protect, we struggled to run the football and those are two things you can’t do in these types of games. A lot of what it comes down to is they beat us on the line of scrimmage.”
The Vikings led Jersey Shore 7-3 at intermission. Coach Tom Gravish’s Bulldogs then scored 17 straight points in the second half to pull away.
Jersey Shore, now 13-0, scored on its initial possession in the second half.
Quarterback Brady Jordan capped the short 39-yard touchdown drive with a 3-yard run.
The Bulldogs added a 3-pointer late in the quarter when Breck Miller connected on his second field goal of the evening, this one a 21-yarder.
They capped the scoring with 7:59 remaining when Hayden Packer powered in from the 1 a play after he rumbled for 37 yards. Packer finished with 130 yards rushing on 21 carries.
“Defensively, we played well,” McGorry said. “We gave them the ball on the one and forced that field goal. Other than the one they popped, I thought we played outstanding on defense and outstanding on the D-line.”
Jersey Shore moves on to play the winner of Saturday’s matchup between District 10 champ Meadville and District 6 champ Juniata. That PIAA quarterfinal is scheduled to be played next weekend at a site and time to be determined.
The first half was a throwback to yesteryear as the defenses dominated and field position was paramount.
Central Catholic forced the Bulldogs into six punts and only three points. Jersey Shore went 50 yards on its second offensive possession, gouging the Vikings for plays of 14 and 19 yards. But, the District 11 champs stiffened and yielded just the 37-yard field
goal by Miller.
Later in the opening period, Central Catholic turned an 11-play, 59-yard drive into six points and Luke Myers added the extra point to make it 7-3 with 39 seconds remaining in the quarter. Sophomore Tamlin Ferguson passed 31 yards to freshman Jareel Calhoun to set up the Vikings in the red zone.
Junior Caiden Shaffer, who carried 21 times for 61 yards in the first half, converted a fourthand-2 play with a 6-yard run, then capped the possession with another 6-yard burst to the end zone.
Shaffer missed several series
in the second half after suffering an injury. He returned and led the Vikings with 65 yards rushing on 26 carries.
Central Catholic’s offense couldn’t get going in the second half and the Bulldogs rallied behind Packer and a dominant ‘D’.
“I’m proud of our kids. For anyone to think we were going to be here with only six seniors after all the guys we lost to graduation from last year, I don’t think anyone could’ve expected that.”