SHELBY – Sophomore quarterback Brayden DeVito stayed after practice three days for extra work ahead of the Whippets home-opener at the Whippet Athletic Complex against Lexington.
That additional preparation paid off for DeVito, who threw for 387-yards and accounted for five touchdowns, as the Whippets controlled Lexington 50-19 earning their first victory in front of their home crowd, and second in as many starts this season.
“In all honesty, he’s built different,” Shelby Coach Rob Mahaney said. “I have never coached a quarterback that did as much as he did this off-season.”
DeVito-Ramsey connection
DeVito, who was responsible for five touchdowns in Shelby’s Week One victory over Madison, has 10 total scores through two games.
“He has put himself in a position to do that,” Mahaney said. “He doesn’t just talk, he does it. He shows up in the weight room. He shows up in the film room. He wants to be the best he can be.”
Shelby scored on its opening drive when DeVito connected with senior receiver Issaiah Ramsey for a 64-yard touchdown, a combination that has continued to develop since last season.
“Brayden (DeVito) and I always have to face adversity together,” Ramsey said. “When he’s down I pick him up and when I’m down he picks me up, so it’s really special for us.”
Ramsey tallied 202-yards receiving and accounted for three touchdowns Friday night.
“We watched Lexington’s film all week and realized they didn’t double-team anyone,” Ramsey said. “We really saw an opportunity for Brayden and I to have that special connection again.”
The Whippets jumped to a 19-0 lead by the end of the first quarter, which was when Lexington began to see life.
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Minutemen searching for consistency
Following an interception which set the Minutemen offense up at their own 48-yard line, sophomore quarterback Joe Caudill rushed in for a 1-yard touchdown to give his team its first score of the game.
The Minutemen failed the two-point conversion and entered halftime with a 22-6 deficit on a night where consistency was an issue.
“The kids never quit,” Lexington coach Andrew Saris said. “We gave ourselves some opportunities when we could, we just have to put the whole game together.”
Defensively, the Minutemen forced four interceptions but were unable to generate points from those opportunities.
Caudill threw for 173 yards and racked up three touchdowns, two through the air and one on the ground, but faced pressure all night from the Shelby defensive front.
“We’ve got to protect our quarterback,” Saris said. “It makes it really difficult sometimes when you’re running for your life out there.”
What’s next for both teams
Following a season-opening loss in overtime to Ontario, the Minutemen will look for their first win of the season next week against Clear Fork.
“I think we have to try and keep our focus on the small tasks,” Saris said. “Our next task is to come in Saturday morning, have a great lift, great run, watch film and get ready for Clear Fork.”
Shelby will travel to Bellevue next week to face the Redmen, who opened their season with a loss to Clyde, but defeated Wauseon 26-3 Friday night.
Mahaney said the focus for his squad will be to clean things up on both sides of the ball.
“That’s the biggest thing moving forward,” he said. “But obviously, to come out here and win a game like this against a rival like Lexington, you’re happy with that one.”
Scoring
Shelby scoring: DeVito (four passing TDs, one receiving TD), Ramsey (three receiving TDs), Homan (one receiving TD), Lantz (16-yard FG), Winters (two rushing TDs)
Lexington scoring: Caudill (two passing TDs, one rushing), Newman (two receiving TDs)