SHIPPENSBURG >> If Shippensburg’s win over West Perry Friday night seems like a repeat of previous weeks, there’s probably a good reason for it.

That’s because the Greyhounds have found a formula for success and have used it to near perfection all season.

The Greyhounds jumped all over the Mustangs right out of the gate, ran the ball with extreme efficiency and played sound defense in a 39-13 Mid Penn Colonial victory.

Isaiah Houser – Shippensburg

Ship (7-0, 4-0 MPC) won the coin toss and elected to receive, and Isaiah Houser instantly put the Hounds on the board with a 95-yard return for a touchdown. After a three-and-out by West Perry (4-3, 1-2 MPC), Ship needed just three plays to make the score 12-0, capped off by a 56-yard run by Alex Sharrow.

“I’m proud of the way we played tonight,” Ship coach Eric Foust said. “We came out strong again and took it to them right away.”

The Mustangs answered with a 16-play, 62-yard touchdown drive that took over nine minutes of game clock, but the Hounds didn’t let up and scored two more times in less than two minutes to go into halftime with a commanding lead. Jacob Loy scored on a three-yard run to cap off an 11-play drive for Shippensburg after the Mustangs’ long drive, and Sharrow broke off another big play, a 37-yard run, to send the Greyhounds into the break with a 25-7 lead.

West Perry didn’t score again until late in the third quarter, and that touchdown was sandwiched between touchdown runs by Sharrow and Loy for Shippensburg.

In total, West Perry managed just 113 rushing yards on 42 carries and did not complete a pass in five tries. Kenyon Johnson finished with 21 carries for 52 yards, and Adam Thoman had 60 yards on 17 rushes.

Said Foust, “We did what we’ve been doing all year. We ran the ball extremely well and played great defense.”

For Ship, Loy finished with 17 carries for 106 yards, while Sharrow added 129 yards on 10 carries. Zack Manning finished 6 of 10 for 51 yards passing.

And while Shippensburg will celebrate the win, it will quickly look ahead to next week. The Hounds will face their toughest test of the season in Northern York and running back Kyle Swartz, who has been terrorizing opposing defenses all season.

“We just have to contain him and tackle him,” Foust said. “I know it’s easier said than done, because nobody else has been able to do it this year. But our guys will be excited for the challenge.”

SHIPPENSBURG 39, WEST PERRY 13

West Perry          0              7              6              0              –               13

Shippensburg      12           13           7              7              –               39

First Quarter

S — Isaiah Houser 95 kickoff return (Kick failed), 11:46

S — Alex Sharrow 56 run (pass failed), 9:07

Second Quarter

WP — Kenyon Johnson 5 run (Zack Quaker kick), 11:54

S — Jacob Loy 3 run (kick failed), 5:48

S — Sharrow 37 run (Blake Orndorff kick), 4:25

Third Quarter

S ­­— Sharrow 6 run (Orndorff kick), 7:14

WP — Tad Ziegler 1 run (pass failed), 0:43

Fourth Quarter

S — Loy 3 run (Orndorff kick), 9:13

TEAM STATISTICS

First Downs: WP 8; S 14. Rushes-yards: WP 42-113; S 33-255. Passing: WP 0-5-0; S 6-10-0. Passing Yards: WP 0; S 51. Penalties-yards: WP 3-38; S 6-45. Punts-yards: WP 4-37.75; S 1-28. Fumbles-lost: WP 1-0; S 1-0.

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

Rushing: West Perry, Adam Thoman 17-60, Johnson 21-52, Tad Ziegler 3-1, Zack Quaker 1-0; Shippensburg, Sharrow 10-129, Loy 17-106, Max Kalb 5-16, Zack Manning 1-(-6).

Passing: West Perry, Johnson, 0-5-0, 0 yards; Shippensburg, Manning 6-10-0, 51 yards.

Receiving: Shippensburg, Houser 3-26, Nick Gustafson 3-25.