SHELBY — Shelby’s opening drive of the season was stopped inside the 5-yard line by a gritty Madison defense.
The Whippets responded with a 50-yard touchdown on the first play of their ensuing drive with 2:48 remaining in the first quarter.
Friday’s season opener between the two longtime rivals was a series of checkmates — until Shelby hit its stride in the second half of the second Grant Milliron Game, defeating Madison 40-14.
The new-look Whippets led by a score heading into halftime, but outscored the Rams 27-8 in the final two periods at the Whippet Athletic Complex.
Shelby coach Rob Mahaney, who enters his sixth season at the helm, said several of his players stepped up to increased responsibilities Friday night.
“What was nice is that we had kids make mistakes and then bounce right back,” he said.
“Brady Bowman, Brock Fisher, Kaden Price, Avery Lambert (are) all new guys playing on Friday nights and I thought they did a great job. Nic (Eyster) is our rock and played really well for us.”
(Photos from Shelby’s 40-14 win at home Friday against Madison in the first week of the Ohio high school football season. The gallery includes images from both school marching bands.)
Whippets unveil new-look offense Friday
Losing 17 players to graduation, including the program’s top wide receiver, Shelby found ways to spread the ball Friday.
Junior quarterback Brayden DeVito, who earned first team All-Ohio honors last season, sparked new connections with several Whippet receivers in Week One — including Bowman, Lambert, Eyster, Fisher, Price and Michael Shepherd.
Bowman, a sophomore, led Shelby in receptions, catching seven passes for 119 yards and a score.
Devito, who passed for more than 3,500 yards last year, completed 21-of-32 passes for 405 yards, two TDs and one interception. He also ran 14 times for 75 yards and a pair of scores.
Junior Marcus Gumbert, another new addition to this year’s Whippet offense, rushed for 81 yards and a TD.
“Marcus (Gumbert) kind of got into the flow through the second half, which obviously helped us,” Mahaney said. “We were doing everything we could to try and score on the goal line and the fourth touchdown, Marcus just hit it hard.”
“The biggest thing is we’ve got to get better on the goal line, but we’ll continue to work on that.”
Growth mindset is key, says Mahaney
With 33 seconds remaining in the third quarter, a Madison score trimmed the Whippets’ lead to seven.
Before the period ended, Shelby hustled down the field and capped off its drive with a 10-yard rushing touchdown by Gumbert. The Rams would not score again.
Mahaney said learning moments are important for the growth of his team.
“Anything that makes us grow, that’s going to make us better in the end,” he said. “The team we are now, in Week One, is not going to be the team we are later in the season.”
“Tonight was a great learning experience. We had to make plays in the fourth quarter, which is great for us and we made some mistakes that we’ve got to learn from.
“I think you saw the potential of what this team can do. Now, we’ve just got to continue to grow and develop. As we get better, hopefully we won’t have three empty trips into the red zone.”
Madison shows ‘grit’ despite week one loss
Despite the loss, Madison’s defense flexed its strength Friday — stopping Shelby three times on fourth down from inside the 10-yard line.
Entering his second season of leading the program, coach Brent Besancon said he was proud of the Rams’ effort Friday night.
“Obviously the objective is not to allow them to be at the 10-yard line, but we showed some grit down there and that’s good to see,” he said.
Offensively, Madison’s two scores came via a one-yard rush from senior Ja’karri Favers and a 15-yard TD pass from junior Colton Adkins to junior Justin McCraney.
Junior running back Kaleb Gordon rushed 17 times for 67 yards.
“We didn’t quit,” he said. “We had some costly penalties that really effected the drives and we’re not built to overcome them right now.
“But to never give up and stay together as a team, I thought those are two factors you don’t see. The score doesn’t reflect that. I’m very proud of the kids for that.”
Madison will play River Valley, who fell to Ashland 41-27 Friday, next week at home — part of a series of events leading up to the district’s Centennial anniversary.
Shelby will play on the road at Lexington, who fell 31-14 to Ontario.
(Below are pictures of Shelby senior cheerleaders, football players and their parents, who were recognized Friday night.)
