SHELBY — On a night offenses lit the scoreboard like a 1970s pinball game, it was a defensive stand that made the difference for Shelby on Friday night.
The Whippets, who knocked off Marion Pleasant 54-33 in a Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference game, actually trailed the Spartans 33-28 midway through the third quarter.
Pleasant, on a drive that began at its own 6-yard line, moved 74 yards downfield in six plays, earning a first-and-10 just 20 yards away from its second double-digit lead of the night.
But that’s where the Whippets stiffened, stoning the Spartans on four straight plays, taking over on downs at their own 18. Six plays later, Shelby (4-1, 2-0) scored to take a 35-33 lead, the sixth and final lead change of a wild night.
After that key stop, the Spartans (3-2, 0-2) never scored again while the Whippets tacked on three more scores.
“That (stop) was the turning point for our defense,” Shelby coach Rob Mahaney said. “And then to get the ball back and score, that’s all we can ask for. Jon (Amicone) does a great job coaching the defense. He is able to keep the kids in there and executing the game plan.
“It may not have been working early, but to able to make those stops late speaks volumes as to what kind of a coach he is,” Mahaney said.
SLOW START: The Spartans, who came in averaging more than 40 points per game, jumped out to a 13-0 lead less than three minutes in, similar to the season-opener when Madison got a two-TD head start before Shelby rolled to a 50-14 win.
“We knew we had to slow them down … and they still scored 33 points. They are a really good football team. We did a great job of handling adversity over and over again. That speaks to the heart and character of our kids,” Mahaney said. “Our kids stayed the course.”
Senior QB McGwire Albert and junior running back Owen Fisher again provided the offensive direction.
Albert ran for three TDs (12 yards, 2 yards and 1 yard) and passed for two, connecting with Fisher (78 yards) and Blaine Bowman (62 yards). He completed 12 of 23 passes for 259 yards and rushed for 72 on 11 attempts.
Fisher, who runs harder than his 5-7, 170-pound frame suggests, rushed for three TDs (10 yards, 60 yards and 32 yards) and had the aforementioned 78 yard TD catch-and-run. He finished with 213 yards on 24 carries, wearing down the Pleasant defense in the second half.
Fisher thought a higher-tempo offense made the difference.
“It seemed like the faster we got going, the faster the pace, they just couldn’t keep up,” Fisher said. “We fought hard the whole game. We knew we could come back (from down 13-0). We have a great group of guys here.
“I love this game. Every single play I give my best. My offensive line is giving me their all so I have to give my all to them, as well,” Fisher said.
FIRST TRIP: Pleasant coach Aaron Cook, who has been with the Spartans’ program for 17 years, said it’s his team’s first trip to Shelby he can remember. The Whippets are in their first year in MOAC.
“We knew what kind of team we were battling. That is a great football game. They have athletes everywhere. They are big and physical. Our kids just ran out of gas a little bit. Our kids did a good job of executing. We just have to get better,” Cook said.
Junior quarterback Austin Shaffer sparked the Spartans all night, passing for three TDs (Noah McGinnis, Alex Joachim and Patrick Blubaugh) and rushing for two more.
Shaffer completed 13 of 25 passes for 260 yards and rushed for 70 yards on 22 carries. Joachim had six catches for 176 yards.
The wild evening will be typical of the newly reconstituted MOAC, which includes Galion (5-0, 2-0), Shelby (4-1, 2-0), River Valley (4-1, 1-1), Clear Fork (3-2, 0-1), Ontario (2-3, 0-1) and Marion Harding (2-3, 1-1).
“I said before the season that this league is as talented as I have ever seen it,” Cook said. “Any game, any night, any team can win. I don’t see a weakness in this league. You are going to have to bring it every night.”
Mahaney seemed to echo those thoughts, declining to look ahead to a week seven match at home against Galion.
“We are just worried about celebrating this win tonight and focusing on Marion Harding next week. This league is competitive. We knew that coming in and there is no doubt about it,” Mahaney said.
UP NEXT: Shelby is at Marion Harding, a team that defeated Pleasant 38-35 in week four. The Presidents were blown out by Galion 42-18 on Friday night.
Pleasant, the smallest school in the conference, steps outside of the MOAC next week to host KIPP Columbus (1-4), a team that lost 50-22 to Southeast on Friday night.
