Wellsboro Hornets take Dawgs to the pound.

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The Wellsboro Hornets pulled a little con job on Jersey Shore this Friday night. It's no secret that Derek Harsch has led the Hornets' ground attack the past two weeks by gobbling up 649 yards rushing and scoring nine touchdowns.

The Wellsboro coaching staff knew the Bulldogs would be keying on the stealthy running back. Therefore, they decided to use that to their advantage.

"A team would be crazy not to key on Harsch and we felt they would be watching him," Wellsboro coach Russ Manney said. "We thought we'd use that to our advantage and load up with things. Then we come back with another."

Although Harsch turned in another impressive night as the workhorse of the Wellsboro offense, 23 carries for 190 yards, the other, Matt Priset, stepped forward and showed that he is a viable Wellsboro rushing element and amassed 113 yards on 14 carries and three touchdowns that led to the Hornets 32-0 non-league win.

Also, during their third outing of the season, the Hornets showed how they are maturing into a very versatile team. Not only did the Green Hornet ground attack devour the field for 360-yards rushing, they also had their first productive night at passing the ball.

Sophomore signal caller Will Osgood completed seven of his 10 passes on the night for 110 yards in the air.

"We planned on and practiced throwing the ball," Manney said. "We just hadn't had to do it up to now."

Nate Compton was one of the first recipients of an Osgood pass and was second on the receiving list by pulling two passes for 39 yards. Priset led with two receptions for 44 yards.

The combination of running and passing kept Jersey Shore off balance; a basic game plan. "We combine elements and it becomes a guessing thing. A lot of times it's basic football. You open up throwing the ball and that worked out for us," Manney admitted. "One thing people don't realize is that we don't run offense just to give the ball to Derek (Harsch), we take what the defense gives us."

After coughing up the ball on their first offensive series, Jersey Shore's 5-3 defense held the Hornets. But the strong stand wouldn't last long.

An Osgood pick on defense got the ball back for the Hornets and they capitalized on the opportunity. Wellsboro's offense dominated Shore with their versatility and it paid off midway through the first quarter when the Hornets' Matt Priset stung the 'Dawgs when he pounding the ball across the goal line for the score with 6:31 remaining. Pat Coolidge added the extra point to give Wellsboro a 7-0 lead.

Four minutes later the Hornets stung the 'Dawgs again. This time Harsch burst out of the backfield and scampered 25 yards for the Hornets second touchdown of the first frame. Coolidge's placement was off on the follow-up extra point kick but Wellsboro held a 13-0 lead.

The line came through again for the Hornets, broke open the holes for the running backs and provided a foundation around the Wellsboro passing game. Wellsboro knew what to expect out of the 'Dawg's 5-3 defense.

How did Wellsboro know what to do in order to dominate Jersey Shore? They had simply done their homework.

"We have a junior high coaching staff that never sees varsity game. The coaches for junior high are out on Friday night scouting," Manney said. "When they came back they have a basic defense and offense seen in at last two games. They break down and report on the defense, offense and put that together and come up with game plan."

Not only did the Wellsboro offensive line overpower Shore, the D-line did as well. With a few changes the Hornets defense was able to hold the 'Dawgs to only 98 yards rushing on the night. The Wellsboro defense did give up 115 yards in the air.

Jersey Shore quarterback Jordan Pauling completed 12 of his 27 passes on the night. Adam Wrench was the big receiver for the Shore pulling in nine passes for 102 yards. But Manney admitted the Hornet's defense hasn't reached the level they need to remain competitive against stronger teams.

"On the defensive line we changed people and gave a different look," Manney said. "We concentrated more on our pass rush and we had a team ready to go there and put pressure on Pauling. This week we had more sacks and hurries but the secondary still has to play more aggressive to the football. We have to be ready to do more in that area."

"We're far from being a good defensive team. That sounds crazy but we know what we need to be to be at the top," Manney added.

But Friday night, the Wellsboro defense did the job but it was the offense that really glowed. Wellsboro continued to grind out productive drives in the second quarter. Priset gave the Hornets a larger lead when he took the handoff and dozed into the end zone from four yards out with 5:02 remaining in the first half. The extra point placement was not on target again and the Hornets held a 19-0 halftime lead.

Early in the third quarter, Osgood got his first taste of a rushing score when he kept the ball on a quarter back sneak and punched the ball over the line from one yard out with 7:45 remaining in the third frame. This time the extra point split the uprights and Wellsboro continued on the road to a shutout with a 26-0 lead.

Wellsboro's final score of the night was due to the performance and guts of the special teams. After the Wellsboro defense held the 'Dawgs again, Priset received the punt and raced 59 yard for the score and the 32-0 lead.

"Our special teams haven't had a chance to work a lot and we're still concerned on the punt team. I was surprised Priset broke for a touchdown," Manney admitted. "The defense had set the block to the outside but he ran through a bunch of white shirts and caught Jersey Shore by surprise. You have to have the guts with punt returns to take a shot."

Wellsboro resumes league play when they travel to Canton Saturday for a 1:30 p.m. game.