The Shelby Whippets opened their postseason run the way they played all fall — fast, balanced and dominant — routing Firelands 42-3 on Friday night in a Division IV, Region 14 quarterfinal to stay unbeaten and set up a semifinal showdown of 11-0 teams.
Shelby wasted little time taking control, as quarterback Michael Shepherd connected with Brady Bowman on a 47-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring, according to the Shelby Daily Globe’s report of the game. Firelands answered with a 22-yard field goal from Landon Becker, but the Whippets responded with 35 unanswered points.
Shepherd scored on a 1-yard run late in the opening quarter before Shelby erupted for 21 second-quarter points. Gavin Baker scored on runs of 1 and 5 yards, and Shepherd found Casyn Koch for a 15-yard touchdown pass, sending the Whippets into halftime with a commanding 35-3 lead, according to the Shelby Daily Globe. Shepherd capped the scoring with an 11-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.
The numbers behind the rout were lopsided. Shelby finished with 388 yards of total offense, including 237 on the ground, and averaged 10.2 yards per play, according to the Shelby Daily Globe. Baker led the rushing attack with 115 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries, while Shepherd completed 8 of 10 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns and added two rushing scores. Bowman caught five passes for 90 yards and a touchdown.
Shelby’s defense was just as decisive. The Whippets held Firelands to minus-7 rushing yards on 11 attempts and 213 yards of total offense. Falcons quarterback Liam Tobicash completed 19 of 39 passes for 220 yards but was intercepted twice, with Koch and Conner Hartz each recording a pick, according to the Shelby Daily Globe.
Firelands finishes its season 7-5, while Shelby improves to 11-0. The Whippets, the defending Division IV state runners-up, have now outscored their opponents by wide margins throughout an unbeaten run through the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference and into the second round of the playoffs.
Next comes the game Richland County has been pointing toward for weeks: Shelby hosts Sandusky Perkins, also 11-0, in a Region 14 semifinal on Friday, Nov. 13, with both teams putting undefeated records on the line. The winner advances to the Region 14 championship game, one step from a return trip to the state semifinals.
Photo: Randybroderick, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons