North Penn-Mansfield Retains Morton Jones Trophy On Blocked Field Goal

By: Ed Weaver  /  October 26, 2024  /  Photo: Dr. Robert Bair

North Penn-Mansfield blocked a Jonathan Carl 27-yard field goal attempt with 3 seconds remaining to edge rival Wellsboro and win their third straight Morton F. Jones Memorial Trophy game on Friday, October 25.

"This senior class has been through heck and back and they've went through adversity," head coach Matt Hildebrand said. "At any point this year it would've been very easy to pack it in and quit. As a whole team they never did that, they continued to buy in, they continued to show up every week, they continued to do everything we asked of them. It stings, and we obviously wanted a different outcome. We gave ourselves a shot but we just didn't do enough in between the four quarters. I don't think we played a complete game and that's really what it comes down to. We started the first quarter well, up 14, then we let off the gas and it came back to bite us."

The game started off well for the Hornets as senior Evan Ingerick recovered a Panther fumble on their very first play from scrimmage as a result of a bad snap at the North Penn 23. The very next play senior Ryder Bowen carried the ball the distance and Carl converted the extra point, giving Wellsboro a nearly 7-0 lead not even three minutes into the game.

The Hornets found the end zone for the second time of the evening on their third drive of the quarter. Starting at their own 35, Bowen ripped off a 20-yard run into Panther territory, then a pair of throws by freshman Griffin Morral, both to Carl, moved the ball all the way down to the 7. From there, Bowen ran in his 2nd touchdown of the evening with 2:52 left in the quarter. Carl's extra point was wide, giving Wellsboro a 13-0 lead.

That's when the Panthers' offense finally came alive with Cooper Shaw. Shaw scored the game's next three touchdowns, breaking off a 63-yard run with 2:21 left in the first quarter, started the 2nd quarter with a 56-yard pass to a wide-open Keaton Manikowki, then ran in from 10-yards out with 8:34 left in the half, capping a 21-0 run to put North Penn-Mansfield in front.

After Shaw's last touchdown run Wellsboro's offense woke back up and put together an 11-play drive that culminated in Morral finding fellow freshman Kody Enck on an 11-yard pass that tied the game up at 21-all with 4:26 left before the half. Both teams traded drives as time wound down in the half, with both teams still tied at 21-21. Following a Hornet punt, Shaw again turned to the ground game and called his own number on a 67-yard score that put the Panthers back up a score, 28-21 just before the half ended.

Neither team scored in the third quarter as both team's defenses tightened up. However, the Hornets had an opportunity midway through the quarter, but the drive ended in an interception down at the Panthers' 10. With the game still 28-21 in favor of North Penn-Mansfield heading into the season's final frame, Wellsboro's offense came back alive. Wellsboro, on the backs of Morral, Bowen and Enck, marched all the way to the Panthers' end zone, with Bowen running in from 10 yards out for the last time in his career. The Hornets decided to go for two rather than kick the extra point, and came up short.

Still trailing by a point the Hornets had one last shot for the win with 4:19 remaining. Starting at their own 17, the Hornets again moved down field on the ground with Morral and a 37-yard run by Bowen, to get down to the North Penn 35. Bowen eventually got Wellsboro down to the 8-yard line. Wellsboro were eventually pushed back to the 10, where they would settle for a field goal after they were forced to take a timeout with 10 seconds remaining. Following the timeouts, the Panthers' defense made the play of the game as they broke through the middle to block Carl's field goal attempt.

Shaw finished 7-for-17 through the air for 117 yards and a score, but was most effective on the ground, carrying the ball 19 times for 155 yards and three scores. George Perry also carried the ball 6 times for 31 yards. Manikowki led the Panthers with 56 yards receiving. Riley Oakes caught three passes for 35 yards, Luke Kreger caught one pass for 15 yards, and Colton Pellett caught 2 passes for 11 yards. Defensively, George Valentine had 10 tackles. Shaw and Pellett made the interceptions.

For Wellsboro, Morral completed 13-of-26 passes for 221 yards and a score. He also carried the ball 9 times for 32 yards. Bowen led all ball carriers with 201 yards on 27 attempts. Enck hauled in 7 passes for a career-high 143 yards and a score. Carl caught 3 passes for 46 yards, Bowen caught one ball for 26 yards, and junior Marek Mascho caught 2 passes for 6 yards.

Defensively, senior Lincoln DeCoursey led the Hornets with 7 tackles in his final game while Bowen added 6 tackles, and Ingerick and junior Hayden Stevens finished with 5 tackles each. Sophomore Levi Champaign also added 4 tackles and a sack.

Morral surpassed the 1,000-yard mark on the season, finishing with 1,112 to go along with 15 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. Bowen became the latest Wellsboro running back to reach the 1,000-yard mark, finishing with 1,059. Bowen ends his career with 2,240 yards and 18 touchdowns. On the defensive side of the ball he finished with 297 stops, 3 forced fumbles, 5 recovered fumbles, and 2 sacks.

"That kid (Ryder) has been a tank for the last four years," continued Hildebrand. "He's a problem every week for defenses, and if there isn't a hole he makes one. The kid just has a heart. I wish I had 11 guys with the same size heart as Ryder's. I can't say enough about him, he's a great kid, he's a great role model off the field, and everybody sees what he does on Friday nights. He has a bright future and I don't believe football is done for him."

North Penn-Mansfield finishes the season 3-7 (3-6 NTL Large School Division) while the Hornets finish 2-8 (2-7 NTL Large School Division).