JERSEY SHORE – All win streaks come to an end eventually. Afterall, that’s what makes the biggest ones so momentous.

On Friday night, the Jersey Shore football team did all it could to keep its 42-game regular season win streak alive, stuffing a potential game-sealing third down attempt from Shamokin to give itself a chance down by two.

But after two completions, a heave from Shore starting quarterback Elijah Jordan fell into the hands of defensive back Andre Bell, and the game was over. The Indians kneeled out the rest of the clock from there, earning their first win over the Bulldogs since 2012 by a score of 30-28.

The loss marked Shore’s first in the regular season since Oct. 4, 2019, where it fell to Southern Columbia at home before rattling off three straight wins and keeping the streak going from there. Head coach Tom Gravish gave Shamokin a lot of credit following the loss.

“Coach Marc (Persing) does a great job, as do his coaches. Give all the Shamokin players credit. They battled their tails off and they deserve the win tonight,” said Gravish following the loss. “We had one heck of a streak going and now it’s time to start another one.”

Though the Bulldogs controlled much of the first half, obtaining leads of 13-0 and 20-7 and totaling 227 yards through their first six drives, Shamokin settled in throughout the second quarter.

When Shore made it 13-0 off a Bo Sechrist fumble recovery and 18-yard touchdown run from Elijah Jordan, on top of forcing a turnover on downs to get the ball back, Shamokin responded by forcing a quick three-and-out before quickly getting down the field.

A 46-yard connection from Shamokin quarterback Logan Steele to Chase Pensyl and a few more completions did the trick, as tight end Jenssyn Shuey capped the drive by shaking multiple Shore tacklers on a seven-yard score.

When the Bulldogs quickly bounced back with a 7-play, 77-yard touchdown drive, Shamokin would do the same, this time with Pensyl taking another long reception the distance. Shore would have one last chance to go into the half up by two scores, but Pensyl continued to plague it by intercepting a pass in the endzone.

From there, the Indians continued to turn the dial their way, running the ball with relative ease in the second half after struggling in the first.

Running backs Jayce Ginck and Za’Kem Clinton combined for 79 yards on 18 attempts through the half and Steele showed off more of what he could do on the ground as well, most notably on a 13-yard touchdown run late in the third.

“They ran the ball more consistently than we did with a different style,” said Gravish when asked about what Shamokin did to turn the tide. “That quarterback (Steele) made some great runs with his feet and bought enough time, was athletic enough to make some plays and give his receivers a chance to make some plays. He played one heck of a game as so many of their players did.”

The result was two scoring drives in which Shamokin bulldozed its way down the field.

An 8-play, 60-yard drive gave it its first lead of the game at 21-20. Then, when Shore fired back with an 8-play 66-yard touchdown drive of its own, it didn’t take long for the Indians to answer right back.

The Bulldogs had multiple occasions work in their favor that could’ve given them a chance to scrape by, starting with a missed PAT that left them with a 28-27 lead heading into the fourth.

A costly interception gave Shamokin great field position near midfield, but Shore would force it to settle for three to keep itself a field goal away from taking back the lead. A great punt deep inside its territory effectively flipped the field and when the Indians had an opportunity to ice the game, Trent Severino and Owen Vandruff stuffed Ginck at the line to force them to punt.

But when Shamokin’s offense picked it up the pressure, so did its defense. 66 of Shore’s 145 yards in the second half came on one drive and the drives that followed ended in a three-and-out, interception, three-and-out and another interception – the game sealer.

“Someone had to win, and someone had to lose, and we were on the short end of it,” said Gravish. “The interception there at the very end, the last two, those kids made incredible plays so give them credit.”

Shore receiver Paul Hale had a career day, catching ten passes for 124 yards and two touchdowns from 55 and 15 yards out and Elijah Jordan combined for four scores on the day, two on the ground and two in the air. The end result may not have been what they wanted, but there’s plenty to look forward to as this team prepares to bounce back.

“Definitely stuff to work on for sure. Got to get back on Monday and focus on the next game against Shik,” said Hale. “A little more film time, focus on reading our keys right. We’ll be seeing (Shamokin) again in the district championship.”

“We’ll learn from this like men do,” said Gravish. “We’ll get back. We’re sticking together. Tonight, when we watch the film, we’ll evaluate it and I’m sure we’ll see some mistakes. We’ll try to highlight the positives and the negatives.”

It’ll look to bounce back on the road next Friday against Shikellamy, with that matchup set for 7 p.m.