The Jersey Shore Bulldog football team has just completed one of the most memorable and productive seasons in its long, proud history. They bowed unfortunately to Aliquippa in the PIAA state semi-final game. Still, this loss does nothing to diminish the accomplishments of the fine young men of the Bulldog football program and their coach, Tom Gravish.
Under Coach Gravish, they have been a football dynasty. This year they made their third consecutive appearance in the PIAA Final Four, winning four straight District 4 titles, five in the past six seasons, and compiling a scintillating 31-2 record in their past 33 games. This season they went 14-0 before losing to Aliquippa.
The mentorship and leadership of Coach Gravish have been key to this success; however, he is the last to shine the light on himself. We at Webb Weekly asked Coach Gravish to give a rundown as to what produced the success of this year’s Jersey Shore football team, and some of what he says may also be reflective of what produces the success of previous Bulldog teams. In his summary, he did not shine the light on any particular players because he saw the Bulldog success as a team success produced by the efforts and hard work of an entire 40-man squad, not just on a few individuals. What follows is what Coach Gravish had to say.
“I am extremely proud of each of our Bulldog players. They did everything that we have asked from them. We had a great offseason. I applaud their commitment. Our guys played Bulldog Ball for 48 minutes in each of our games. They played with tremendous effort right to the final whistle against Aliquippa. Our team played with one heartbeat while they represented their respective unit on the field.
“It all starts with the leadership of which our seniors displayed throughout the season in the classroom, community, and on the football field. The torch was passed to them after our game with Thomas Jefferson in Hershey last year. We will miss them greatly. They have been a part of four straight District 4 AAAA Championships, PHAC Division 1 Championships, and three straight PIAA Final Four appearances. They are now passing the torch to the next group of Bulldog leaders. What a great example and standard that they set in 2021! Wow! They were unbelievable!
“Our Assistant Coaches did another fantastic job getting our guys to play at such a high level of performance after losing 18 seniors from 2020. They are extremely dedicated throughout the year and coach their guys up each week during the season. The guys who played on the offensive, defensive or special teams scout teams should really be commended for getting our team to play well on Friday nights.
“We could not have had the success that we had this year without the great support and generosity of our community, administration, booster club, trainers, managers, Jersey Shore Band, and Cheerleaders. We believe in ‘Tradition never graduates’! The torch has been passed to a new group of Bulldogs, and we look forward to a successful 2022 season.”
