SHELBY — He’s the younger brother of Shelby quarterback McGwire Albert, but calling Marek Albert little is a misnomer.
The 6-foot-3, 225-pound junior defensive end has the game to match his frame.
The Richland Bank Athlete of the Week, Marek Albert had a whopping six sacks in Shelby’s 42-7 win at Ontario on Friday. The Whippets (3-1) limited the Warriors to 51 yards of total offense and held Ontario to minus-56 yards rushing.
“They just created a ton of pressure on us,” Ontario coach Chris Miller said. “They posed some mismatch problems for us.”
The younger Albert has 11 sacks on the season. He registered three in Shelby’s 21-14 loss at Big Walnut in Week 3.
“I was able to use my speed to set up some power moves and the coaches called some stunts,” Marek Albert said after Friday’s game. “I thought we practiced really well this week.”
First-year coach Rob Mahaney has been impressed with his junior sack artist.
“Marek is a heckuva player,” Mahaney said. “He did such a good job of creating havoc back there. He had a ton of sacks.
“It wasn’t just Marek, but our guys did such a good job that they had to block Marek one-on-one and we like that matchup.”
Albert and the Shelby defense will have to be at its best again this week. The Whippets hosts Marion Pleasant in what is shaping up to be a wild chase for the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference championship. Shelby joined the league for football this season.
Through four weeks, the seven MOAC schools have a combined record of 20-8. All seven schools are at .500 or better.
Pleasant boasts the MOAC’s leading rusher in Patrick Blubaugh. The senior became the program’s career rushing leader earlier this season and rumbled for 524 yards and nine touchdowns through the first three weeks of the season.
“We get Pleasant (this) week and traditionally, it is a very good team,” Mahaney said. “So we have to have a great week of practice and get ready for them.”
