Defensive stand sends Galion past Shelby

SHELBY — The fireworks display expected at W.W. Skiles Field never materialized Friday night as two of the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference’s most prolific offenses took a backseat to a pair of often-overlooked defenses.

Galion came up with a defensive stand inside its own 10 yard line as time expired, holding on for a 13-12 win on Homecoming night at Shelby.

The Whippets (5-2, 3-1) took possession of the ball at their own 26 yard line with 1:40 remaining and quickly marched into Galion territory. A pass interference penalty on the Tigers (6-1, 3-1) prolonged the drive, giving the Whippets a first and 10 at the Galion 11 with 17 seconds remaining. The Whippets took a couple of shots to the end zone but the Galion defense stiffened and on the final play of the game Shelby quarterback McGwire Albert was tackles near the 5 yard line. The Whippets couldn’t get reset in time to stop the clock, sending the Galion faithful into a frenzy.

“Man, that’s amazing,” Galion quarterback and defensive back Wilson Frankhouse, who broke up a potential touchdown pass in the end zone on the final drive. “I thought it would be close, but I did not know it would come down to the last 20 seconds of the game.”

The game was scoreless after the first quarter before Galion struck with 5:28 remaining in the half. A screen pass from Frankhouse to Jackson Staton gave the Tigers a first and goal at the 2 and Trevor O’Brien plowed into the end zone on the next play for a 2 yard touchdown.

Shelby answered when Albert hooked up with Blaine Bowman for an 18 yard score with 2:50 to play before halftime. The PAT was no good, however, and the Tigers led 7-6 at the half.

The Tigers extended their lead to 10-6 midway through the third quarter when Dominic Pittman booted a 25 yard field goal before Shelby took a 12-10 lead on McGwire’s 3 yard keeper with 3:07 to play in the third quarter. Pittman would give the Tigers the lead for good with a 32 yard field goal with just 5 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

“At Galion we have a history of kickers,” Galion coach Matt Dick said. “We have a lot of confidence in them.”

Frankhouse completed 10 of 24 passes for 135 yards and rushed for 73 yards on 13 carries. O’Brien rumbled for 58 yards on 17 carries, while shifty wideout Isaiah Alsip had seven catches for 83 yards.

Albert completed 15 of 32 passes for 246 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 27 yards and a score. Owen Fisher rushed for 58 yards on 16 carries.

“I’m proud of the way our guys fought all the way to the end,” Shelby coach Rob Mahaney said. “It’s never a lack of effort. Our kids busted their butts on every play for 48 minutes.”