Shelby receivers share top billing with star QB in win over Lexington

SHELBY — Quarterback Marshall Shepherd is going to get a lot of headlines for the Shelby Whippets in 2021.

Completing 39 of 53 passes for 749 yards and nine TDs in two wins to start the season will do that for a senior signal-caller orchestrating a five-wide offense. He has also rushed for three scores.

But in a 45-28 win at home against Lexington on Friday night, it was the smooth-as-silk Shelby receiving corps, led by senior Andre Hill, that shared equal billing.

Six different receivers caught passes for the Whippets and four of those six had TDs.

Hill hauled in eight passes for 190 yards, including TDs of 79 and 40 yards, and also picked off two passes on deflections for the Whippets’ defense as Shelby improved to 2-0.

“Obviously, Marshall gets a lot of the attention,” Shelby coach Ron Mahaney said. “He’s that guy. But part of the reason we knew he would be so good is the guys he has around him. 

“In my opinion, I have never coached a team with four receivers as good as the guys we have in the starting lineup (Hill, senior Connor Henkel, senior Blaine Bowman and sophomore Issaiah Ramsey). Throw in a guy like (Garrett) Baker and (Miles) Hall … and (David) Ray can help us in the passing game, too.

“I tell Shep before every game he doesn’t need to be Superman. He just has to be Marshall Shepherd and trust the guys around him and that’s exactly what he did tonight,” Mahaney said.

Lexington coach Taylor Gerhardt, whose team opened the season last week with a 45-0 win over Ontario, was impressed with the Shelby receiving corps.

“They oughta get ink, too. They run really precise routes. They’re very disciplined receivers and they can catch the football,” Gerhardt said. “That’s an impressive football team over there and they have done a heckuva job.”

Shelby built a 21-0 lead midway through the second quarter on Shepherd TD passes of 17 yards to Bowman and 2 yards to Ramsey, as well as his own 12-yard run.

Lexington got on the board with 4:33 left before halftime on a 55-yard scoring run by senior Karson Berry, who finished with 200 yards on 17 carries.

But the Whippets rebuilt the lead to 31-7 by halftime on the 79-yard strike to Hill and a 22-yard FG by Shepherd as time expired.

Shelby blew the game open in the third quarter with a 52-yard TD pass to Hall and and a 40-yarder to Hill, making it 45-7 with 2:28 left in the period.

Lexington closed the gap with three TD runs down the stretch, one by Berry and two by junior Jordan Beireis.

Shepherd, who sat out the fourth quarter, completed 23-of-33 passes for 413 yards and five TDs. In addition to Hill, Ramsey had five catches for 73 yards and Bowman had five for 47.

“(Lexington) sat back and played man against us (in the secondary). We were able to take advantage of it. We couldn’t run the ball because they kept six guys in the box, which is fine. We will just keep throwing it,” Mahaney said.

Lexington senior quarterback Cole Pauley completed 4-of-14 passes for 84 yards.

Gerhardt said the three TDs in the final quarter-plus were evidence his team battled back.

“Any team that I coach, we’re going to fight to the end. I was very honest with the kids. This was our first test, our first gut-check. We hang our hats on calling ourselves ironmen and that means you are going to have to be able to fight even when you don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel. That’s what our kids did tonight,” Gerhardt said.

Up next: Shelby (2-0) travels to former Northern Ohio League rival Bellevue (1-1) next Friday night. The Redmen opened the season with a 49-44 loss to Port Clinton, but beat Milan Edison, 21-14, in week two.

Lexington (1-1) hosts cross-county rival Clear Fork (1-1) next Friday. The Colts opened the season with a 54-8 win at Fredericktown, but fell to Granville, 28-7, in week two.