Panthers win Morton Jones Memorial Trophy.

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From the beginning, the annual Morton Jones Memorial game between Wellsboro and North Penn had all the earmarks of a competitive contest.

Wellsboro wanted the win to retain their possession of the trophy but more importantly the Green Hornets needed the win to ensure a winning season.

The Panthers (7-3), on the other hand, needed the win for a chance at the Eastern Conference playoff bid.

Although the Panthers blanked the Hornets 20-0, there were many factors in the first half of play that hampered both teams equally.

Wellsboro was penalized nine times for 70 yards while the Panthers received 65 yards in penalties.

For the Panthers, penalties helped Wellsboro earn two first downs. For the Hornets, a penalty caused a first quarter score to be negated.

"We had a lot of penalties but we made mistakes," North Penn skipper Tom Dickinson said. "In the first half we gave Wellsboro back the ball due to penalties on punts. Wellsboro definitely controlled the clock in the first half."

"We played like I expected in the first half. I'm only disappointed we didn't score; we should have twice," Wellsboro coach Russ Manney said. "A couple missed passes made a difference in big gains."

During the first half, Wellsboro held North Penn to only 13 yards rushing on 10 offensive plays, due in part to the size and determination of the Wellsboro defense controlling the line.

The Wellsboro defense, behind the efforts of Nate Compton, stifled the North Penn offensive effort in the first half and held the visiting Panthers to only 13 yards on the ground.

Matt Kaufmann and Scott Wheeler led the Panther rushing game with 57 and 49 yards, respectively, to help build the Panther's rushing total to 153 yards.

In the second half the tide turned and North Penn began building momentum. The Panthers didn't give up a first down to Wellsboro in the second half and held them to a total of 80 on the night. Wellsboro was paced by Matt Priset, 18 carries for 49 yards, Brandon Keck, eight carries for 25 yards.

The Panthers got a big boost on their first series when they achieved their first down of the night on a Robbie Brant pass completion to Scott Wheeler on third-and-long.

The key to the game, according to both coaches, was a pass completion by Brant when he scrambled left after being flushed out of the pocket, then fired a pass to Scott Wheeler who pulled it in for a first down.

"The key to the game was the sideline catch on third-and-long. That was a key first down," Manney said. "When that happened the kids heads went down. That probably turned around and was the first down they made. Until that point we had pressure on them."

Two plays later Brant connected with the perfect leading pass to Shawn Wheeler along the left sideline again. Wheeler pulled in the reception and raced into the end zone to earn the Panthers a 6-0 lead with 5:50 remaining in the frame. Sam Kreger added the extra point for a 7-0 lead.

"That was a big pass and it got us going," Dickinson said. "Brant laid it right in his hands."

Brant had a shaky first half due to the pressure of the Wellsboro defense but, after a halftime pep talk, the Panthers linemen stepped up.

"I told the linemen at halftime time. He took a lot of shots in the first half," Dickinson said.

Brant overcame the crushing force of Compton in the second half due to the Panther offensive line's fortitude and ended the night completing two-of-nine passes for 49 yards and one touchdown.

Not only did the North Penn offense begin to make the big plays in the second half, the defense did as well. On Wellsboro's ensuing offensive series, the Panther defense stopped their progress and forced a third-and-long situation.

In an attempt to get out of the hole, Wellsboro quarterback Pat Coolidge fired a pass to Compton which was broken up by North Penn cornerback Dean Slaymaker and forced the Hornets to punt.

"On Wellsboro's second series Dean made a big play when he broke up that pass," Dickinson said.

The Panthers maintained their momentum and returned to the end zone on their next offensive series.

Scott Wheeler set up a Matt Kaufmann score with a 38 yard run to the Wellsboro two-yard line.

"Zack Osborne and Shawn Wheeler made big blocks for Scott," Dickinson said.

Kaufmann finished the drive with a two yard plunge into the end zone with 1:58 remaining in the third quarter. Kreger added the extra point to build North Penn's lead to 14-0.

 On the following kickoff, Kreger booted the ball into the end zone, giving Wellsboro a start at their own 20-yard line.

"Sam (Kreger) made a huge contribution to the game with his kickoff into the end zone," Dickinson said.

After stuffing the Wellsboro offense, North Penn returned to the end zone again with 9:20 remaining in the game.

Kaufmann capped the drive with a 12 yard run to build North Penn's lead to 20-0.

The Panthers maintained the momentum on both sides of the ball which helped them secure the win by holding Wellsboro.

Wellsboro's Pat Coolidge's passing night was continually contested by the North Penn secondary.

Three of Coolidge's passes were intercepted by North Penn's Shawn Wheeler to lead the night's defensive efforts. Coolidge ended the night completing five-of-18 passes for 52 yards.

"It was only his second game starting and he came out and played football," Manney said of Coolidge.

The Panthers regain possession of the trophy for a year until the two teams meet again.

"What a way to end the season," Dickinson said. "We got the win and we get to bring the trophy back."