ONTARIO — Shelby earned some vengeance Friday night.
After being knocked out of the playoffs by Ontario (4-4, 2-3) in shocking fashion last season, the Whippets (8-0, 5-0) responded with a 42-0 shutout of the Warriors on the road in Week 8.
Alone atop the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference standings, Shelby has earned the opportunity to clinch at least a share of the conference title next week when it hosts Marion Pleasant.
The win also earned Shelby a top-four seed in the Division IV, Region 14 playoffs — meaning the Whippets will boast a first-round bye.
Offensively, the Whippets piled up 431 total yards while holding Ontario to 86. It was Shelby’s third shutout of the season.
Shelby quarterback Brayden DeVito, who’s bound for the Air Force Academy next fall, was responsible for about 81 percent of those 431 yards of offense.
The senior completed 18-of-22 passes for 305 yards and three TDs. On the ground, he tallied 46 yards and two scores on nine rushes. Four Whippet receivers — Brady Bowman, Avery Lambert, Michael Shepherd and Gavin Miller — hauled in at least three catches for 50 yards or more.
Bowman, Lambert and Casyn Koch each had a receiving TD.
DeVito’s 300-plus yard performance through the air earned him more than just a win. With 11,501 career passing yards, the stellar senior now sits at sixth on Ohio’s all-time career passing yards list for high school quarterbacks.
Once he exceeded 233 passing yards, DeVito passed current Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
Shelby will host Pleasant (1-7, 0-5) next week. Ontario will hit the road to face Highland (3-5, 2-3), who knocked off Clear Fork in overtime on Friday 13-10.
Below are photos of Friday’s Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference meeting between Shelby and Ontario. Credit: Tom Theodore
