SHELBY — Blaine Bowman wasn’t at all surprised to see his career receiving yards record fall.
The former Shelby great realized long ago it was just a matter of time before Issaiah Ramsey supplanted him.
A senior, Ramsey became the first receiver in program history to top 3,000 career yards when he caught 11 passes for 249 yards in last week’s wild 71-41 win over Van Wert in the Division IV, Region 14 quarterfinals.
He has 3,086 yards on 155 catches heading into Friday’s regional semifinal showdown against defending state champ Cleveland Glenville at Elyria’s Ely Stadium.
Bowman, who still owns career marks for receptions (172) and receiving touchdowns (35), was a high school sophomore the first time he saw Ramsey play.
“I remember watching Issaiah when he was in the eighth grade and saying, ‘He’s going to be special,’ ” said Bowman, who graduated in 2022 and is now an assistant on coach Rob Mahaney’s staff. “He turned out to be better than me. It’s awesome to see.”
The 6-foot-3 Ramsey played a supporting role during Bowman’s record-setting senior season of 2021. Ramsey caught 31 passes for 570 yards and five touchdowns that fall, while Bowman and Andre Hill each topped 1,000 receiving yards.
“They taught me everything I know,” Ramsey said of his one varsity season with Bowman and Hill, who plays at Division III powerhouse Mount Union. “To play with Blaine and to have him as a coach now is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.
“I took everything I’ve been taught by those guys and applied it to what I already knew and that’s how I became who I am now.
“They taught me a lot and I’m so grateful to not only have them back then, but to have coach Bowman as a coach now.”
Ramsey took over as the primary target after Bowman and Hill graduated. He caught 54 passes for 1,110 yards and seven touchdowns last fall with freshman quarterback Brayden DeVito pulling the trigger.
“Issaiah was able to play for us as a sophomore on a really good football team, then really was our main guy last year,” said Mahaney, who has piloted the Whippets to the playoffs in each of his five seasons at the helm. “There’s no doubt that Issaiah made Brayden’s transition to the varsity level a lot easier and Brayden would be the first one to tell you.”
DeVito, who has thrown for 5,816 yards in his first two seasons, couldn’t have asked for a better security blanket.
“He makes my job a lot easier. He’s a stud,” said DeVito, who has completed 178-of-273 passes for 3,352 yards and 28 touchdowns this fall. “If I throw a bad ball every once in a while, I know he will go up and get it. I love having him.”
Ramsey and DeVito hooked up on the biggest play of Shelby’s season — with a little help from Casey Lantz — in a 37-31 win over Ontario in Week 9. The Whippets trailed 31-29 and were facing a fourth-and-long with less than a minute remaining when DeVito found Lantz on a slant. Lantz immediately lateraled to a streaking Ramsey to complete the hook-and-ladder for the game-winning score.
“I was kind of shaky about that. We tried it against River Valley and it didn’t work,” Ramsey said. “When I caught the ball and I saw the Ontario defense shift the other way, I knew I was gone. It was the best feeling I’ve ever had in my high-school experience.”
If the Ontario game is the highlight of Ramsey’s sensational senior season, last week’s offensive explosion is a not-so-distant second. The 71 points scored were the most since the historic 83-82 overtime loss to Tiffin Columbian in Week 8 of the 2014 season and, unofficially, the fifth highest scoring output in program history.
Shelby trailed 34-28 in the second quarter before outscoring Van Wert 43-7 the rest of the way. Ramsey’s 87-yard TD reception late in the third quarter gave the Whippets a 64-34 lead.
“Everything went right offensively,” Ramsey said. “It was a matter of our defense and our halftime adjustments. Our coaches came in and really preached to us what we had to do and we did it perfectly. We only gave up a touchdown in the second half.”
While his physical attributes are easy to spot on the field, what separates Ramsey are the intangibles.
“Issaiah is a special kid. He can take the top off and stretch a defense vertically better than anyone we’ve had,” Mahaney said. “What most people don’t see is how great of a leader he is. He might not be the most vocal guy, but he’s going to do everything right.
“He’s going to show up early and bring guys with him. He’s going to do everything you ask him to do day-in and day-out. Nobody works harder than him and he leads by example every day.”
The Whippets will need to be at their best Friday evening. Glenville won its first state title last fall and boasts a roster full of major-college recruits, including Ohio State-bound cornerback Bryce West and tight end Damarion Witten.
“These are the challenges you look forward to,” Ramsey said. “We want to go out and compete against the best.”