Shelby rallies to knock off Edison in playoff opener

SHELBY — The wind was at his back, so McGwire Albert decided to take a shot.

Shelby’s veteran quarterback hooked up with wideout Blaine Bowman on a stunning 92 yard touchdown pass early in the fourth quarter as the Whippets rallied for a 31-21 win over Edison in the opening round of the Region 14 playoffs Saturday at W.W. Skiles Field.

As the fourth quarter got underway, The Whippets (8-3) found themselves facing a third and 25 from their own 13 yard line. Albert flipped a screen pass to Owen Fisher, who electrified the crowd with an 87 yard catch-and-run for what appeared to be the go-ahead touchdown. The score was nullified by penalty, however, backing Shelby up to its own 8 yard line.

“We weren’t really frustrated after having the first one called back,” said Albert, who didn’t complete a pass in the first half, but threw for 215 yards after intermission. “It was third and 30, so we knew they were going to play zone. I saw Blaine over the top and I knew I had a strong enough arm with the wind at my back.

“I threw up a prayer and it was answered.”

Albert lofted the pass down the home sideline and hit Bowman in stride at midfield. The speedy sophomore took care of the rest, outrunning the Edison defense the final 42 yards to give the Whippets a 28-21 lead with 11:31 remaining in the fourth quarter.

“We stayed composed,” Bowman said. “We’ve got a lot of fight, so we’re always in the game.”

On Edison’s next possession, Albert recovered a fumble from his safety spot at the Shelby 24 yard line and the Whippets put together one final scoring drive. Marshall Shepherd booted a 24 yard field goal with 3:25 remaining for a 31-21 lead.

“Our team has such great character and heart,” Shelby coach Rob Mahaney said. “After you have that big play called back, it would have been easy to hang your head. That (92-yarder) was the play that kind of turned it in our favor.”

The Chargers (7-4) controlled the first half thanks to a rugged rushing attack led by bruising fullback Jacob Brewer. The 6-foot, 215-pound senior rumbled for 138 yards on 21 carries. His 1 yard touchdown plunge spotted the Chargers to a 7-0 lead, but Fisher responded with an 81 yard run moments later to cut Edison’s lead to 7-6.

The Chargers extended their advantage to 14-6 late in the first quarter on Noah Staley’s 9 yard run before the Whippets pulled even midway through the second quarter on Albert’s 2 yard run and a two-point conversion pass from Albert to Evan Bogner. Edison reclaimed the lead with just 11 seconds remaining in the first half on Joe Stoll’s 1 yard run for a 21-14 advantage.

The Chargers received the second-half kickoff and quickly marched into Shelby territory, but a Fisher interception on a halfback pass gave the Whippets life. Shelby cashed in when Albert hooked up with Bowman on a 31 yard TD pass with 6:01 to play in the third.

“We’ve been working on that all week,” said Fisher, who rushed for 125 yards on 17 carries. “We knew it was coming and luckily we were prepared for when it actually happened.”

The Whippets, whose playoff hopes were in serious jeopardy after losing back-to-back games in Weeks 7 and 8, won for the third straight week and are in the regional semifinals for the first time since reaching the Final Four in 2017.

“It’s amazing,” said Bowman, who had three catches for a jaw-dropping 173 yards and two touchdowns. “I was in the stands in middle school watching (former Shelby All-Ohio quarterback) Brennan Armstrong and his class. It’s crazy to be out here playing in a playoff game as a sophomore and making a difference.”