SHELBY — The 90-minute bus ride for 15th-seeded Elida didn’t prevent the Bulldogs from pushing second-seeded Shelby on Friday night.
Elida showed it would be a tough out from the beginning, winning the opening toss and marching downfield to score on a 3-yard A’mari Wash touchdown.
Still, undefeated Shelby eventually showed why its the second seed in Division IV, Region 14. The Whippets reeled off 36 unanswered points to earn a 49-21 win in the playoff opener.
“Our kids wanted to make sure they got another opportunity to play and they did that tonight,” Shelby coach Rob Mahaney said.
Fresh off an undefeated regular season and Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference title, the Whippets responded to that opening salvo with a 52-yard rushing TD from quarterback Brayden DeVito.
Each team scored again on their second offensive drives of the quarter. However, a blocked point after attempt left Elida on top 14-13 after 12 minutes.
“Our kids were excited,” Elida coach Kyle Harmon said. “They’re not scared of anybody. We came out and started fast and got our athletes the ball in space and made some plays.”
The Whippets found their strike in the second quarter to outscore Elida 36-7 during the game’s remaining 36 minutes.
Shelby improved to 11-0 and will host a second home playoff game next Friday when it hosts Ottawa-Glandorf.
The Titans defeated Galion 13-7 in their playoff opener Friday.
Gallery: Shelby 49, Elida 21
Strong end to second quarter
Facing fourth down inside its own 20-yard line, Shelby attempted a fake punt which was stopped inches short of a first down.
The Bulldogs scored on the ensuing play when Wash scored on an 11-yard run, giving his team a 21-13 advantage.
Elida would not score again.
Mahaney credited his teams’ response to close out the first half.
Whippet running back Marcus Gumbert ignited a 21-0 second quarter run with a 5-yard rushing TD. Michael Shepherd and Nic Eyster connected on the two-point try to tie the game 21-21.
Moments later, DeVito threw a strike to sophomore speedster Brady Bowman for a 72-yard score to take the lead. Shelby closed the first half on a double-pass play where Eyster tossed a 15-yard TD pass to DeVito.
The Whippets’ run to end the half deflated Elida’s momentum, Mahaney said.
“The message at halftime was come out here and finish,” he said. “We understand that at this point of the season, we’re playing for our lives every week.”
DeVito scores four different ways
Shelby added two scores to its lead in the third quarter to finish it. As usual, the Whippets’ standout junior quarterback played a significant role.
While absorbing a hit from a Bulldog defender, DeVito rocketed a 32-yard TD pass down the sideline to Avery Lambert. A few plays later, he snatched his second interception of the night — this time returning it 15 yards for a score.
“We knew we had some different ways to get him (DeVito) the ball,” Mahaney said. “Give a lot of credit to our kids, because we throw a ton of stuff at them.
“Some people think high school kids can’t handle too much and we live by the exact opposite of that. We’re going to throw our kids a ton of stuff and have fun and do different things like that. Our kids executed really well tonight.”
‘No one thought I was going to be a quarterback’
DeVito threw, caught and ran for touchdowns Friday, along with a pick-six defensively. He completed 7-of-8 passes for 158 yards, two TDs and one INT.
On the ground, he ran for 104 yards and two scores. DeVito also caught two passes for 64 yards and one TD.
Recording his first two picks of the season, the junior said a pick-six has been a quiet goal of his this year.
“Our defensive line was getting pressure on their (Elida’s) quarterback all game,” DeVito said. “It really opened up the opportunity for me to make a play.”
Known for his ability to scramble and make plays outside the pocket, Shelby’s all-time career passing yards leader feels his throwing game is sometimes overlooked.
“Coming into my high school career and coming out of middle school, no one thought I was going to be a quarterback,” he said.
“They thought I’d move right to a skilled position like running back or receiver. For me to be able to come out here and show that I can pass feels great because I know I can deep down.”
Gallery: Shelby and Elida marching bands
Bulldogs to use loss as learning experience
Harmon was proud of the way his players fought Friday.
He said the Bulldogs started their season a little slow, but continued to improve as the year progressed.
“We kind of went punch-for-punch there with them for a while and they made some adjustments and we struggled to make our adjustments,” Harmon said.
“But our kids played extremely hard the whole game and it’s good moving forward for our young guys getting out there and competing with a high-level football team.”