Trending
It was roughly 50 degrees on a late October day back in 2013 when Jersey Shore's football program changed forever. The leaves in the Susquehanna Valley were turning, and so too were the Bulldogs.
The sting of a 14-6 loss to Selinsgrove on homecoming was fresh and raw. The Seals were a top team in Pennsylvania, and Jersey Shore hung in with a 6-0 lead at the half and held Selinsgrove to under 200 total yards of offense.
The Bulldogs showed potential. They just lacked a sense of direction.
Tom Gravish, then in his third year at the helm of the program, had his coaching staff bring in a 60-foot long, 1.5-inch diameter rope. That, and a message.
"We need to pull the rope in the same direction," Gravish told his players.
Play as one. Play for 48 minutes.
"If we're pulling the rope in the same direction, if we have everybody's backs and play 185 to 205 plays, we have a chance to win it," Gravish said.
Some players stared at the rope. A few took it in their hands. But everyone understood.
Jersey Shore went on to win its next four games, including a rematch against Selinsgrove in the district championship. It was Gravish's first district title with the Bulldogs, and Jersey Shore's first since 1997.
Fast forward to 2021. Gravish's Bulldogs have won six district championships -- four straight as of Friday -- four league titles, made it to the Class AAAA state final last year and they've now gone two consecutive regular seasons undefeated.
In that time, no one forgot that particular homecoming.
"That was the defining moment for our program," Gravish said.
As Jersey Shore transformed into a perennial powerhouse in Pennsylvania, it naturally groomed great talent. Seventeen miles east of Thompson Street Stadium is Lycoming College, where Bulldogs alum Elijah Shemory is QB1.
A 2018 grad, Shemory has put together a prolific career for Lycoming. He became the fifth player in school history to throw for 5,000 yards, his 213.4 yards of total offense per game is the highest in program history and he has two MAC offensive Player of the Week awards to his name -- all with a missed season due to the pandemic.
But Shemory is a lot more mobile now than when he was four years ago. Mostly a pocket passer, he'd still roll out in high school, but wouldn't pick up big yardage on keepers the way he does now.
He uses his legs more. Shemory still slings it, but he's a dual-threat college quarterback who fits right into Lycoming's system.
"He's pretty special, and I'm sure everyone at Lycoming, their coaches will tell you he has a good idea of exactly what they want to do and their approach," Gravish said on Shemory.
Shemory had a good idea of Gravish's offense too.
"He keeps his stuff simple. Our offense is super simple," Shemory said on Gravish. "As long as everyone is on the right page and doing what you're supposed to do. Doing it the right way is the best way to go about it."
Simple. No huddle and over 90 plays per game simple. The Bulldogs don't just know what they want to do on offense. They know how to do it and waste no time.
A two-year starter in high school, Shemory fell right in line. He threw for 4,395 yards and 54 touchdowns, setting school records at the time. His 33 touchdowns are still the third most in a single season in area history, and he was a first-team all-state selection.
But having grown up in Jersey Shore, Shemory recalls those losing seasons before he played high school ball. Over and over. Year in, year out.
"Coach Gravish really turned things around because before, Jersey Shore, all my years growing up, maybe their best team was a six-win team," Shemory said. "A lot of the years were one, two wins. Wasn't a lot."
After coaching stints at Williamsport, Bellefonte and East Juniata, Gravish's first season with the Bulldogs was an 0-10 campaign that, at the time, was on brand for the school district.
That was before Jersey Shore had cohesion. No one was pulling in the same direction.
Low numbers didn't help things either. Gravish's first Bulldogs roster was in the high 20s. But when the wins started coming, Gravish stepped up his efforts off the field. He'd ask students in the hallways about playing football. The turnout increased, nearly doubling by 2018. Kids were intrigued.
"He's a super personable dude," Shemory said.
On Oct. 29, the grass field at Thompson Street Stadium was reverted to a quagmire in the midst of a monsoon. The Bulldogs left Central Mountain stuck in the mud via a 24-0 shutout to cap off their second straight undefeated regular season.
Attending the game out in the storm was another current Lycoming player. One who also spent four years on that field, albeit in much nicer weather conditions.
"It was good to see them keep winning," Shore grad David Tomb said. "We weren't really that good in the past, but since 2013, we've been really stepping it up. I couldn't be more proud of those guys."
Tomb -- a 5-foot, 9-inch, 180-pound defensive tackle -- is built like many of the Bulldogs. Short, but strong as an ox. And he likes what he sees from today's players. He likes what he sees from Brady Jordan and Cayden Hess. He likes what he sees in Hadyn Packer, Kooper Peacock.
Most of all, Tomb enjoys the fact that Jersey Shore is beating strong teams on a difficult schedule, such as a 9-7 win over Selinsgrove, or a big turnout over defending District 4 Class AAA champ Danville.
"It's all about discipline," Tomb said. "It's all about discipline."
Tomb remembers leading the Bulldogs out on the field alongside his brother, Kyle, for every game and practice. Everyone else remembers Tomb's physicality.
"He's a maniac out on the field," Shemory said. "A lot of the kids on our team had a physical mentality. None of the kids on our team were afraid to hit or get hit."
Tomb loved it. He still does. A berserker on the defensive line, the college junior has been named to the D3football.com Team of the Week multiple times and had a second-team All-MAC special teams selection in 2019.
A three-year letterwinner in high school, Tomb was a two-time all-state defensive lineman, a two-time all-area and a first-team all-league pick on offense and defense. Tomb was also named the Sun-Gazette Defensive Lineman of the Year twice and was the 2018 Sun-Gazette Player of the Year.
"What a kid, man. He has a motor and is all go all the time," Gravish said.
A small frame with a large engine. But that's how many Jersey Shore players are. It's how they continue to be when they move on to college.
"We want to recruit as many good players on film as possible. I think what you get with the Jersey Shore kids is they're really blue collar, physically and mentally tough," Lycoming coach Mike Clark said. "Just guys who are willing to do whatever you want."
Lycoming's latest Bulldog recruit is Lee Springman on the defensive line. He was a huge part of a stout defense that saw Jersey Shore all the way to the Class AAAA state championship game last year.
"I know Lycoming would like to have more guys from our team," Gravish said. "Steve Wiser is a great recruiter for the Lyco football program."
Gravish and his players talk a lot about the program's history. Many alumni return to Thompson Street Stadium to watch today's Bulldogs.
They come back, and don't want to leave.
"Our security personnel has to kind of shoo everybody out of the stadium at the end because they keep hanging out with their families and these kids keep coming back, and it's great to see them. A lot of special people we've had over this time," Gravish said.
Tradition doesn't graduate at Jersey Shore. And for the players who do, they're never far away.
"I think when some of these younger kids see some of the older kids, older young men, it means a lot," Gravish said.
They see how those before them pulled the rope.
They're still tugging it now.