SHELBY — The battle of Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference unbeatens Friday night provided a playoff-like atmosphere at the Whippet Athletic Complex.
Both teams entered Week Nine with unblemished records. Shelby (9-0, 6-0 MOAC) and Ontario (8-1, 5-1 MOAC) went pound-for-pound — but the Whippets won the battle 50-36.
Shelby overcame an early 14-0 deficit to earn a share of the program’s 30th league championship.
Senior receiver Nic Eyster said his team isn’t looking to share this year’s MOAC title, which the Whippets did last season with Ontario.
“It’s the hardest we’ve practiced all year,” Eyster said of the past week’s preparation.
“We knew what we had to do. We came in and we did it. I can’t feel any prouder about these guys (teammates).”
The senior caught four passes for 117 yards and one TD. He also was the kicker on perhaps the game’s biggest play.
Leading 43-36 with just over two minutes remaining, Eyster filled in for Shelby’s primary kicker, Michael Shepherd. The line-drive kickoff settled around the 10-yard line and was recovered by the Whippets.
“It worked out,” Eyster said of his only kickoff of the season. “I kick in practice all the time. I just have fun.”
Gallery: Ontario at Shelby
‘Unfortunately, someone had to lose’
After weeks, possibly months, of anticipation, Ontario wasted no time showing it meant business Friday.
The Warriors quickly roared to a 14-0 lead with 5:30 left in the first quarter thanks to two rushing touchdowns from Mason Vantilburg. A 7-yard rushing score from Shelby quarterback Brayden DeVito sliced the deficit in half after one quarter.
Both teams continued to trade blows in the second quarter. DeVito connected with Eyster early for an 83-yard TD. Eight minutes later, the Warriors reclaimed the lead via a 2-yard score from James Mahon.
A 1-yard DeVito rushing TD right before halftime — followed by a successful two-point conversion — gave Shelby a 22-21 edge at halftime.
Shelby coach Rob Mahaney said he believes fans got their money’s worth.
“You’re talking about two really good football teams that came out here and gave everything that they had,” he said. “Unfortunately, someone had to lose and that was Ontario tonight.
“But I tell you what, they fought all the way to the end,” Mahaney said of the Warriors.
Fourth-quarter fireworks
After Shelby scored on its first drive of the second half, the Warriors tied things back up via a one-yard TD run by senior QB Bodpegn Miller, an Ohio State commit.
The Whippets scored about a minute later on fourth down when DeVito found receiver Brady Bowman in the back of the end zone giving Shelby a 35-28 advantage with 12 minutes remaining.
Mahaney said his team has something special — a level of grit which shined in the final quarter.
Merely inches from the end zone, Shelby’s defense halted Ontario’s fourth-down attempt with seven minutes remaining.
A few plays later, Miller intercepted DeVito and set up his own 4-yard score. After a successful two-point conversion, the Warriors were back on top 36-35.
Miller completed 7-of-9 passes for 49 yards — but the ground game was where he thrived, running for 278 yards and 3 TDs. Defensively, he intercepted DeVito twice.
Ontario coach Aaron Eckert said his QB left everything he had on the field.
“He (Miller) did everything you could ask of a kid to do,” he said. “He punts, he kicks, he played safety, he played (defensive) end tonight, he played quarterback.
“He’s (Miller) special. You feel good when the ball is in his hands.”
With time dwindling, DeVito marched Shelby down the field and completed a critical two-point try to Eyster, putting the Whippets back on top 43-36 with two minutes to play.
After recovering Eyster’s kickoff, Shelby iced the game 50-36 with a 6-yard score from its junior quarterback.
DeVito ‘proud of the team’
While DeVito stood behind him, Mahaney shared high praise for his three-year starter.
“It’s hard not to say that this guy (DeVito) was not the best player in Richland County,” he said. “I think he’s earned that. He made the plays again tonight to get us the win and I think he is a special kid.”
DeVito completed 20-of-27 passes for 304 yards, 3 TDs and two interceptions. On the ground, he ran for 185 yards and 4 scores.
After the action, the junior said Friday’s win was a surreal feeling.
“All the hype that went into this game and all the outside noise, for our guys to be able to drill that all in and come out here and play Shelby football, I’m so proud of the team,” DeVito said. “We’re going to enjoy this one.”
Helping the program earn a share of its 30th league title was meaningful for Shelby’s all-time career passing yards leader.
“I know the tradition here,” DeVito said. “It’s truly special because it’s almost like here in Shelby, you had a failed season if you don’t bring an MOAC championship with the tradition we have here … I’m just glad I got to do that for the community.”
‘This one should hurt’ says Eckert
Eckert said the Warriors tried not to think ahead after going up 14-0.
“You knew it wasn’t going to last,” he said. “They’re (Shelby) too good. They’re going to come back or something. We just kept trading blows.”
Shelby’s kickoff recovery with time winding down wasn’t the only reason the Warriors fell short Friday, he said.
“That mistake hurt, but that play doesn’t win or lose the game for us,” Eckert said. “We had plenty of opportunities tonight to get a fourth-down stop down here at the end of the first half.
“We hurt ourselves on offense in the first half a couple of times.”
Despite the loss, Eckert said the game’s result could be a good thing for the Warriors moving forward.
“We lost tonight, but there’s a good chance that we may see these guys (Shelby) again, on a neutral field at that point,” he said. “We’ve got to learn from it.
“We’ve got to see how much we can learn from this game as we go forward. It can go one of two ways, we can get better or we can get worse.”
