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Hughes helps Williamsport defeat Jersey Shore on the road

By Chris Masse 9 min read

JERSEY SHORE--As Zion Hughes raised the Route 220 Trophy high into the night sky, jubilant teammates soared even higher around him. Next, those happy Millionaires sprinted toward the bleachers and let all the students who packed the visiting bleachers witness the prize first-hand.

Friday’s Williamsport-Jersey Shore game was filled with big plays, hard hits, enough twists and turns to make Stephen King smile and a riveting ending.

Yet it is moments like those after the game which so many Williamsport players will remember just as much as the years go by. High school athletes dream about opportunities like these and the Millionaires cashed in; experiencing the kind of excitement which makes all the grueling two-a-day practices when no one is watching so rewarding when it feels like two entire communities are.

Hughes totaled 409 total yards with five touchdowns; Trey Damschroder played the best game of his decorated high school career and Mha’si Strickland’s late interception helped seal victory as Williamsport edged Jersey Shore, 32-28 in front of an overflowing crowd at Thompson Street Stadium. The Millionaires (5-1) won the "Battle of 220" Trophy for the first time in the series three-year history as Damschroder ignited a game-winning 72-yard drive which Hughes (19 of 29 for 340 yards) capped with his second rushing touchdown, an eight-yarder.

"I knew we definitely had it in us. These games are the kind of things you think about when you’re a kid in Pee Wee," Damschroder said after catching a career-high eight passes for 185 yards and two touchdowns. "I’m just glad I could be here; glad I could be here to help us win. It was definitely a great win."

A great game, too.

Jersey Shore (3-3) erased a six-point third quarter deficit and took a 28-20 lead with 10 minutes, 50 seconds remaining when quarterback Nolen Pauling went 33 yards for a touchdown and found Connor Winters for the ensuing 2-point conversion. After tying it twice before, Jersey Shore took held its first advantage.

But in this game no lead was safe as Williamsport and Jersey Shore combined for 914 yards and 39 first downs. Pauling totaled 430 yards and four touchdowns and both teams showed the kind of heart which would make a cardiologist blush.

"For our kids to battle and see the success of battling, I hope this teaches them what it takes to win," Williamsport coach Kevin Brown said. "I’m just so proud of the guys for fighting and fighting and fighting and seeing the result of their effort."

Ultimately, this cliff hanger just needed an ending and Williamsport looked toward its senior leaders to start delivering a memorable one.

Williamsport took over at its 28-yard line, trailing 28-26 with 3:31 remaining. Long-time friends, Hughes and Damschroder had played out moments like these so many times before. It just happened that those times were in the backyard. This time, they turned those long-held dreams into reality.

Hughes threw a 43-yard dime on the first play and Damschoder made another terrific catch over the middle, moving the ball to the Jersey Shore 28. Following a short run, Damschroder took an intermediate pass 14 yards and a penalty tacked on seven more yards. From there, Hughes burst up the middle and produced his fifth touchdown as the Millionaire fans jumped for joy, shook the bleachers and Williamsport grabbed a 32-28 lead with 2:01 left.

"I just got chills when you said that because Trey has been my life-long best friend and that’s been stuff in the backyard … 3, 2, 1 and throw the ball up and imagine we won a game like this,” said Hughes after throwing for a 2026 District 4-high 340 yards. “It’s crazy. I can’t begin to explain how proud I am of this team; how proud I am of Trey. It’s heartwarming."

The seniors helped give Williamsport the lead and a freshman preserved it. Pauling completed a 13-yard pass to Dalton Rehrig and Jersey Shore reached its 48. Seconds later, though, Strickland made a fabulous catch, keeping his feet in bounds as he balanced the sideline and intercepted the next pass. Two Hughes first down runs forced Jersey Shore to burn its timeouts and the celebration was on as Williamsport moved to 5-1 for the first time since 2020.

"Mha’sai Strickland is my little cousin so I get on him a lot during the week and I hugged him when he got that pick and said, ‘This is what we do. It’s in our blood’" Hughes said. "(Sophomore) Jaylen (Williams) comes up with two picks that are huge for us. I’m just glad knowing that whenever I leave this program I know it’s in good hands with the younger guys."

Veterans and the first-time starters came together as Williamsport delivered its biggest win over the past two seasons. Anthony Manley and Kason Ulmer both collected two sacks; Cordoza Minor added another and Williams ended Jersey Shore’s opening drive with an interception at the 1-yard line.

Junior linebacker Eli Weaver helped set the comeback wheels in motion when he forced Jersey Shore’s late punt, tacking Pauling for a one-yard loss on third-and-10. Sure, Williamsport made mistakes, including 18 penalties for 143 yards, but it excelled when the pressure was highest and gutted out a win against a similar resilient team which never backed down.

"I told them all week, I know they’re hurt and wounded but they’re not going to lay down. They’re going to make you earn it and a couple times I thought we began to unravel but somehow we kept it from unraveling all the way," Brown said. "I was proud after the Shikellamy game (two weeks ago) but the scoreboard didn’t look how we wanted it to look. This one worked out for us."

"That’s definitely something Coach Brown, Coach (Keith) McCabe have built into us over the summer and this season, to have a ton of heart," Damschroder said. "Come out and play with a lot of heart; a lot of grit. We’re definitely a tougher team than last year."

Jersey Shore was equally tough. In fact, in what was a 12-round heavyweight battle, it felt like Rocky Balboa was facing Rocky Balboa. The Bulldogs have been hit hard by injuries and were missing several key starters Friday, but played with the passion which has defined one of the district’s most successful programs over the last 14 seasons and nearly pulled out the win.

Zeke Sechrist was a beast on defense, Winters (5 catches, 70 yards) made two fantastic touchdown catches and Khani McCray (4-78) hauled in a 40-yard scoring strike. Rehrig added six catches and Pauling’s tackle of Hughes on a two-point attempt early in the fourth quarter preserved Jersey Shore’s 28-26 lead.

"They just made a few more plays than us, but I’m really proud of our kids battling for four quarters and playing right to the last play," Jersey Shore coach Tom Gravish said. "Eventually, I think it will pay big dividends."

Pauling continued his big junior season, topping 300 total yards for a sixth straight game. He ran for a game-high 177 yards and threw for 253 yards with three touchdowns. Remarkably, Pauling handled the ball on 71 of Jersey Shore’s plays, while also breaking up a potential touchdown pass, punting and making that two-point stop.

"We count on him for a lot. He made a lot of plays," Gravish said. "He’s a special player."

So is Damschroder who pulled Williamsport within two points following Pauling’s go-ahead touchdown. Za’Mire Hopkins ripped off a 26-yard run on the first play of the ensuing drive before Damschroder caught a pass 10 yards downfield from Hughes.

Not satisfied with just a first down, Damschroder went into beast mode and ran over multiple defenders, turning it into a dazzling 36-yard score, his second of the night after capping Williamsport’s opening drive with a 28-yard touchdown catch.

"I had to get in there; I had to," Damschroder said. "I wanted this game a lot, just as our whole team did."

That will was exemplified all night as both rivals exchanged scores and big plays. After Damschroder opened the scoring, McCray sprinted by his defender and hauled in Pauling’s 40-yard strike before a Hughes 8-yard score put Williamsport up, 14-6. Jersey Shore then put together a super drive late in the first half, Pauling throwing a 16-yard laser to Winters, who made a highlight-reel catch, staying in bounds of the back of the end zone. Pauling’s 2-point pass to Conner Yingling tied it, 14-14 with :19.4 seconds remaining in the half.

Jersey Shore nearly took the lead before halftime after Rehrig recovered an onside kick and Pauling found Yingling for a 14-yard completion inside the red zone. However, Williamsport made one of its four red zone stops and kept it tied, 14-14 at halftime.

After Delantae Haberstroh-Stotts, who had a big game with six catches for a career-high 115 yards, hauled in a 54-yard Hughes touchdown to make it, 20-14, that gutsy Williamsport defense made its best stand. Jersey Shore had a first-and-goal at the 3-yard line but Ulmer and Manley made consecutive stops which resulted in two yards lost before Manley forced a hurried throw on third down. A fourth down pass from the five was incomplete and Williamsport stayed ahead.

But just when it seemed the Millionaires had the momentum, Jersey Shore fought off the ropes and landed a haymaker. The Bulldogs forced a punt, Sechrist gained 16 punishing yards and Winters made a leaping 17-yard touchdown catch as Pauling fit the ball between two defenders and tied it, 20-20.

Like Williamsport, Jersey Shore short-circuited itself at times, committing 16 penalties for 137 yards, but like Williamsport it also found a way to put that behind it and keep moving forward.

After the game concluded, Jersey Shore maintained that same mindset.

"Williamsport was very classy afterward and there was a lot of mutual respect and that makes it special," Gravish said. "It’s a tough one to lose, but all we can do is set the countdown clock here (in the locker room) and get ready for our next opponent."

Williamsport expressed a similar mindset as it prepares to face Shamokin next Friday. Still, Friday night was a moment to savor. High school goes by quick and players long for moments like these.

Williamsport will long remember the night it seized this big 220 Trophy moment.

"That’s a great win," Brown said. "Everybody stepped up and made plays today."

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