SELINSGROVE - It's all the rage these days to follow trends, and nobody was willing or able to buck the trends surrounding Selinsgrove. Having won their last 31 contests at home and their last 13 against Jersey Shore, Ryan Keiser's trend of finding the end zone helped keep Selinsgrove's trends alive as the Seals upended the Bulldogs 35-7 Friday night in the District 4 Class AAA title game.
The Seals (11-1) wasted no time pouncing on a sloppy Jersey Shore offense early, returning an interception and scoring on the possession following a Chad Wheeler fumble, giving them a 14-0 lead over the Bulldogs (5-7) less than three minutes into the contest. That turned out to be enough to lead the surging Seals, winners of their last 11 contests, to capture the District 4 championship and a game vs. the District 6 champ next week in the PIAA playoffs.
The star of the evening was Seals wide receiver Ryan Keiser, who hauled in six of Cody Briggs' well-thrown balls for 167 yards and two touchdowns. Those scores give Keiser 19 for the season, a number he himself wasn't even aware of after the game. Instead, he chose to heap praise on those who helped him reach those gaudy numbers.
"It all starts with the offensive line and the great job they did up front," said Keiser. "They helped get the wheels in motion for us to have the success we had tonight and get us a District title."
Aside from the game's first three minutes, Jersey Shore played a tight game. Quarterback Tyler English took to the air early and often for the Bulldogs, but was under constant pressure from the experienced Selinsgrove defensive line and was thus unable to get into a rhythm.
"I have the utmost respect for Coach Eck and the program he's built down there in Jersey Shore," said Selinsgrove coach Hess. "They're a great football game and had we not gotten a few lucky turnovers early on, it's a whole different football game."
The Bulldogs' lone touchdown came on the first play of the fourth quarter, as they capped their longest drive of the game with a Tyler English 10-yard toss to Logan Shea for the eventual 35-7 final.
Along with the championship the Seals' netted for themselves with the win last evening, they also have earned a date with Hollidaysburg, who eliminated Johnstown from the playoffs and position themselves for a shot at Selinsgrove.
"They're a great football team," Keiser said. "So we'll celebrate this win tonight and then turn our attention to Hollidaysburg and continuing to move forward."
Other notable performances included running back Kyle Reinart carrying 15 times for the Seals, who also featured a two-touchdown performance from short-yardage specialist Bryant Trautman.
Not a single member of Jersey Shore's sizable turnout appeared to leave the stands after the contest, opting instead to watch the team sing a swan song in tribute of their departing seniors.
