SHELBY – Shelby scored so fast Friday night its marching band hadn’t taken its seats yet from the pre-game show.
The Whippets used a 21-yard, pick-six by senior linebacker Griffin Yeager on the first play of the game to set the tone in a 54-0 win against the visiting Madison Rams in the launch of the 2026 high school football season.
The Whippets, fresh from a 14-1 record in 2025 and an appearance in the Division IV state title game, had strong performances from two senior leaders on offense.
Quarterback Michael Shepherd notched 293 total yards – 229 passing, 64 rushing – and four touchdowns (one on the ground) in replacing All-Ohio QB Brayden DeVito. He completed 13 of 17 passes as Shelby rolled up 378 yards on offense.
His primary target was senior wide receiver Brady Bowman, who had six catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns offensively. He also notched two interceptions on the night he set the Shelby all-time record for receiving yards.
Bowman was thrilled to see the interception return for a score by Yeager on the first play from scrimmage.
“Starting off with a pick-6 is probably the best scenario you can have,” Bowman said. “Especially in the first game of the year, that’s what you need.”
It was a rough day for Madison sophomore QB Carson Cook, who completed eight of 20 passes for 32 yards. He had three interceptions as the Rams produced just 70 yards in offense.
Shelby led 33-0 at the half and the second half featured a running clock.
(Below are photos from Shelby’s 54-0 win against Madison on Friday night at the Whippet Athletic Complex. The story continues below the photos, which were taken by Carl Hunnell.)
Shelby coach Rob Mahaney praised the work of his defense.
“Our kids did a great job of playing fast and playing physical,” Mahaney said. “Our defense is predicated on everyone doing their job … When we can play sound defensive football, we can have nights like this.”
Shelby’s next drive stayed on the ground following Shepherd’s interceptions. Two quarterback keepers, followed by chunk plays from senior wide receiver Branson Reed and senior running back Gavin Baker, set up Shepherd’s second pass of the game. An 8-yard touchdown pass to Bowman put Shelby up 12-0 after a failed 2-point conversion.
Bowman didn’t stop making plays. Two Madison snaps later and he’d collect his second interception of the game. Shepherd would find him deep two plays later for a 47-yard touchdown, his third of three total in the game, putting the Whippets up 19-0.
Another stalled Madison drive set Shelby up on its own 40-yard line. Shepherd would do it himself with the Whippets, completing three straight passes, converting a third down with his legs, then pushing it into the endzone. The quarter ended shortly after, Shelby up 26-0.
“The first play (interception) was kind of something we thought we were going to hit. I don’t even put that on Michael,” Mahaney said. “I thought Michael did a great job of operating and didn’t let that early mistake, you know, cost us anything.
The second quarter saw little improvement for Madison. The Rams ended the first half without a first down conversion. Shelby would add another score towards the end of the half, with Shepherd finding senior wide receiver Kayden Paz for a 13-yard touchdown, putting the first half score at 33-0, Shelby.
The second half was much the same. Shelby’s opening drive featured four consecutive first downs to set up a five-yard touchdown run from Gavin Baker. Whippets, 40-0.
“We wanted to come out and have a great drive offensively to start the second half, and that really put the game away,” Mahaney said.
Madison’s next drive would concede another touchdown to Shelby. Senior Casyn Koch took away an attempted pitch and returned it for a touchdown, putting the Whippets up 47-0.
Shelby notched back-to-back defensive touchdowns on the next drive. Senior Brady McQuillen came up with a jump ball, running through would-be tacklers for the final score of the game.
| TEAM | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 |
| Shelby | 26 | 7 | 21 | 0 |
| Madison | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
