SHELBY — The backfield of the future is ready to compete today.
Shelby opened the season with an untested sophomore quarterback and a freshman running back and the spotlight didn’t seem to bother either of them in last week’s 48-10 win at Madison.
McGwire Albert completed 8 of 12 passes for 114 yards and three touchdowns, while Owen Fisher rushed for 118 yards and a score on 12 carries. Tyshaundre Hall, another of Shelby’s talented freshmen, caught three passes for 46 yards and a TD.
“I’d be lying to you if I said I didn’t have butterflies,” Albert said afterward. “Having athletes who can go out and make plays, it’s great.”
The Whippets will have to contend with one of the best players in the state when Lexington invades W.W. Skiles Field on Friday. Lex junior Cade Stover already has offers from Ohio State and Oklahoma among others.
Lexington (0-1) at Shelby (1-0): The Minutemen lost a wealth of talent to graduation and started slowly in last week’s 21-20 loss to Ontario. Lex trailed 14-0 at halftime and 21-6 midway through the third before rallying. In his first high school game at quarterback, Stover completed 3 of 7 passes for 67 yards and rushed for 82 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.
Albert did an admirable job in his first start in place of the suspended Brennan Armstrong. He threw a pair of third-quarter touchdown passes to athletic junior receiver Uriah Schwemley as the Whippets scored 27 unanswered point in the second half. Senior Carter Brooks was a force on both offense and defense. He caught a pair of passes for 37 yards from his tight end spot and had a sack and an interception. Brady Hill averaged 17 yards on punt returns and a whopping 50 yards on a pair of kickoff returns.
Bellevue (1-0) at Clear Fork (1-0): The Redmen sent shockwaves across the state with a 21-17 win over defending Division V state champ Canton Central Catholic last weekend. Bryce Ray rushed for 143 yards and all three touchdowns for Bellevue. Bryce McMurray set up the game-winning touchdown with an interception midway through the fourth quarter.
The Colts sputtered offensively in a 27-6 win at Fredericktown. Quarterback Blake Dinsmore rushed for 70 yards and two touchdowns, while speedy junior Trevon Trammell returned the second half kickoff for a score. Clear Fork’s stingy defense limited the Freddies to 79 total yards, most of which came on a 65 yards scoring pass in the fourth quarter. The Colts held Fredericktown to minus-15 yards rushing.
Hillsdale (1-0) at Crestview (0-1): The Falcons had their hands full for three quarters before pulling away in a 49-21 win over Mapleton. The game was tied 21-21 going to the fourth quarter before Hillsdale scored on four consecutive possessions and picked off four passes. Junior Alex Becker had a pair of picks and rushed for 67 yards on 12 carries. Quarterback Trey Williams completed 10 of 17 passes for 132 yards and four touchdowns. Williams connected with Josh Vinsack for a 13-yard scoring strike to give the Falcons the lead for good in the fourth.
The Cougars had no answer for Northmor quarterback Meechie Johnson in last week’s stunning 21-14 loss. Johnson rushed for 257 yards including touchdown runs of 85 and 58 yards, and sealed the win with an interception return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Crestview held the ball for more than 30 minutes, but turned it over three times.
