North Penn-Mansfield struck first, as Colton Pellett returned the opening kickoff 94 yards for the score and Brody Grinnell’s extra point gave the Panthers a 7-0 lead just 14 seconds into the 63rd annual rivalry game. 

A fumble recovery by NPM on Wellsboro’s first offensive possession set the Panthers up on the Hornets’ 14-yard line with a chance to add to their early lead, but the first of four interceptions by Wellsboro’s defense on the night gave the Hornets the ball back deep in their own territory. 

Wellsboro put together a nine-play drive, highlighted by a Griffin Morral-to-Kody Enck 38-yard hook-up and 19 and 17-yard runs by Morral that set the Hornets up at the Panther 30, but on a 4th-and-8 at the 28, NP-Mansfield held Morral to a 6-yard gain and took the ball back.

Morral finished the night with 196 yards rushing and a score on the ground and completed 7-of-8 passes for 172 yards and four more TDs through the air. The sophomore QB threw his first after the Hornet ‘D’ forced a NPM punt and Morral would find Gideon Lawton with a 38-yard strike with 40 seconds left in the first quarter. Finn Matthews kick tied the game up at 7-all.

Another NPM punt led to another Morral TD pass, this time from 14 yards out and to Dylan Copp. Matthews made the extra point and Wellsboro took their first lead at 14-7 with 5:26 left in the first half. 

After forcing a quick North Penn three-and-out, the Hornets struck again as Morral hit Marek Mascho for a 40-yard TD with 2:26 left. Mascho would run in the two-point conversion and Wellsboro led 21-7.

NP-Mansfield’s Charles Aumick returned the ensuing kick all the way to Wellsboro’s 15-yard line, however, to give the Panthers a chance to cut into the Hornet lead before the break. Brody Grinnell would make a 32-yard field goal with just over a minute left to make it 21-10, but Wellsboro would answer quickly.

Starting at their own 27, the Hornets gained 22 yards on a Morral-to-Marek Mascho completion, and after a pair of holding penalties on Wellsboro, they faced a 1st down and 30 at their own 29. Morral scrambled for a pair of long gains and then hit Mascho for 10 more yards to set them up at NPM’s 10 with just seconds remaining. Morral connected with Enck from there and while the extra point kick failed, the Hornets took a 28-10 lead into the locker rooms.

Marek Mascho finished the night with 147 yards rushing and two touchdowns on 20 carries and caught three Morral passes for 72 yards and a score. Enck had two catches for 48 yards and a score and came up with three of Wellsboro’s four picks on the night. 

Wellsboro was flagged nine times in the game for 65 yards .. more than their defense allowed North Penn-Mansfield to gain. 

Luke Kreger led the Panthers with 37 yards rushing on 15 attempts while the senior and freshman QB Peyton Greene combined to go 7-for-21 through the air for 32 yards. NPM’s leading receiver was Sudan Benner, who caught three passes for four yards. 

Wellsboro came out of the break and scored two third-quarter touchdowns as Morral ran the first in from 58 yards out and Marek Mascho punched the second one in from the 1-yard line with 41 seconds left in the 3rd. Two Matthews’ extra points gave Wellsboro a 42-10 led as the game headed to the final frame. 

With just over seven minutes remaining, Mascho got the Hornets down to the 2-yard line on a 31-yard gain then finished off the drive with a TD. The missed extra point would provide the 48-10 final.

In holding North Penn-Mansfield’s offense to just 58 yards, Wellsboro’s defense collected four sacks .. two each by Levi Champaign and Hayden Stevens .. to go along with their four interceptions .. three by Enck and one by Lawton.

Stevens had seven tackles while Marek Mascho had six, Levi Champaign had five, Izaya Campbell had four and Morral, Enck and Reed Richardson had three each. 

Benner led the Panther defense with 10 tackles and a sack while Conner Lewis and Skyler Everetts had five each and Keaton Manikowski had an interception. 

The Hornets' win snaps a three year losing streak in the Jones Trophy Game and they take ‘Morty’ back to Wellsboro for the first time since 2021. The win is Wellsboro’s 40th in the 63 year history of the rivalry meeting. 

Wellsboro improves to 6-4 on the season with the win. With the No. 6 seed in the upcoming District 4 AA playoffs, the Hornets are slated to face No. 3 seed Troy.

North Penn-Mansfield finishes their season with six straight losses to go 4-6 and out of the playoff picture. 

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