Wellsboro football squad drops home opener.

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The Wellsboro Green Hornets dropped their first game of the season last Friday night in their home opener against the Bulldogs of Jersey Shore in a what was a defensive dogfight.

Neither the Hornets or the visitors could rally a score in the first three quarters of the game as both defences shut down any chance their respective offensive foes had to score.

Momentum builded for the Bulldogs in the fourth quarter however, and Wellsboro soon found themselves in serious trouble. The Green Hornets drove the ball deep into Bulldog territory early in the fourth quarter only to be stopped on a fourth down and 17 at the Jersey Shore 26-yard line.

Wellsboro Head Coach Russ Manney made the gutsy call to go for it, sensing that he needed to score. Wellsboro's pass blocking broke down though and Wellsboro quarterback Kyle Norton found himself lying in a heap, sacked six yards behind the line of scrimmage at the Jersey Shore 32-yard line.

"It was one of the turning points in the game," Manney said. "That and all the other times that we drove down inside their 20-yard line and couldn't make it. When its fourth-and-one we should be able to drive the ball with the line that we have."

Another turning point occurred earlier in the same quarter Norton was sacked and took a shot from a Jersey Shore helmet in the chin. His chin was cut, and he had to exit the game for an offensive series while Jarred Regina took over the helm. When Norton did return, he looked tentative and unsure.

The Bulldogs took over possession from their own 32-yard line and put together the only offensive scoring drive of the night. The Hornets helped this drive though with a 15 yard conduct penalty and a defense that showed signs of tiring.

"I don't know if we got tired or if we just gave up," Manney said.

Jersey Shore lit up the scoreboard with six points after their 11 play scoring drive on a counter play against the gram of the Wellsboro defense.

The snap on the extra point was no good, resulting in a broken play in which the Bulldogs could not complete a desperation pass into the end zone for the two-point conversion.

With six minutes left to play, the Hornets found themselves down by one score. Wellsboro's hopes at a touchdown to tie the game and an extra point to go ahead were dashed just minutes later.

Wellsboro got a good start toward the Bulldog end zone but with three minutes left in the game, Jersey Shore's Matt Newberry picked off a Norton pass and returned it deep into Wellsboro territory. A clipping penalty against the Bulldogs moved the ball back to their own 40-yard line, giving the Wellsboro defense some breathing room. It did not matter as Jersey Shore put together a drive and scored on five plays. The point after attempt was no good to make the score 12-0.

With three minutes left in the game, Wellsboro went to the air in a last ditch effort to salvage their home opener. It was to no avail. Norton was picked off again by the Jersey Shore secondary.

This time the Bulldog defense did not wait for the offensive unit to come onto the field as Chris Dauber, Bulldog defensive back, returned the ball 62 yards for the final touchdown of the night. Jersey Shore converted on the extra two points to make the final score 20-0. The Bulldogs raise their record to 3-0. Wellsboro drops to 2-1, but are still undefeated in league play.