Victories in the Hoosier Heritage Conference over the last seven seasons have been few and far between. With its runaway 49-21 win over Mt. Vernon last Friday, the Golden Bears are 5-47 since putting together a 5-2 mark in 2017.
Shelbyville (4-4, 2-4 HHC) will play its final HHC game Friday at Class 4A, No. 6 Pendleton Heights (7-1, 5-1 HHC).
The goal? Maintain the momentum built from a stellar second-half performance at McKeand Stadium against the Marauders.
“This is an opportunity to play against a top 10 (Class) 4A team,” said Shelbyville head coach Scott Fitzgerald. “Let’s go play the way we played in the second half … with that same enthusiasm, that same drive and that same efficiency. If we can do that, let’s see where we are at and see if we can play with (the Arabians). I think we can.”
A late touchdown by the winless Marauders tied the game at halftime, 14-14. Mistakes and an uninspired first half on Senior Night were disappointing. The second half was the culmination of years of rebuilding the football program to compete in the HHC and in the postseason in Class 4A.
Shelbyville scored touchdowns on all five of its second-half possessions. The 49 points were the most scored since a 52-31 win over Greenfield-Central on Sept. 16, 2016.
Senior Donavon Martin (photo) rushed for 216 yards and four touchdowns to become the first Golden Bear to rush for more than 1,000 yards in a season since Damon Lux in 2017 (1,228 in 10 games).
“Going into this game (against Mt. Vernon), I’ve been watching the stats,” admitted Martin during his postgame interview Friday with GIANT fm. “I knew how close I was to 1,000 (yards). That was my goal, to get as close to that in this game. I think we did a pretty good job.”
Martin now sits at 1,003 rushing yards and has eight rushing touchdowns. He has eclipsed at least 100 yards rushing in five of Shelbyville’s eight games behind a much stronger offensive line of center Jack West, guards Ben Bailey and Nolan Cord, tackles Lamberto Leon (photo) and Anthony Stafford and reserves Ethan Griffin and Clayton Watson.
“The biggest part for a running back is you have to trust the offensive line,” said Martin. “You have to make sure they know you are doing good. I have to make sure they know I appreciate them and am grateful.”
A consistent running game that also includes Grantland Fitzgerald (photo) amassing 392 yards on the ground and five touchdowns has taken pressure off freshman quarterback Layden Fitzgerald, who is learning on the fly after taking over in week one following the knee injury suffered by Tyler Gwinnup.
Layden Fitzgerald did not play well early against Mt. Vernon, missing on four of his first six pass attempts and throwing two interceptions. He rallied to finish 10 of 16 for 176 yards and had two touchdown passes to fellow freshman Camden Thoman (photo), who now has a team-high 415 receiving yards (Grantland Fitzgerald has 409 yards and seven TDs) and six touchdowns.
The Golden Bears’ third quarter dominance, two long scoring drives of 80 and 71 yards while limiting the Marauders to 31 yards of offense on three possessions, allowed for a victory lap in the fourth quarter for all the seniors on the roster.
“We definitely got all the seniors in for almost the whole fourth quarter,” confirmed coach Fitzgerald. “We were able to get those guys in. It was a testament to those guys that they stuck around as long as they have. Even the guys that don’t get a lot of playing time on Friday nights.
“They do a lot for us on the scout team getting us prepared. Them and the junior varsity guys are giving us such a great look this year and making us better where we weren’t getting that in years past. That’s made a huge difference for us.”
The entire program produced Shelbyville’s most lopsided win since a 44-13 victory over Franklin on Aug. 28, 2015.
“To see the kids go out and finally put it all together, we’ve done that in stints where we’ve been able to do that but that was the longest period we were able to do it,” said Fitzgerald of the final two quarters. “Now we have to do it for four quarters.”
A slow start Friday in Pendleton is not advisable. The Arabians’ only loss this season is to Class 5A, No. 1 New Palestine, 42-6 on Sept. 19.
Junior quarterback Brandt Gray (photo) has the Pendleton Heights offense averaging 33.6 points per game.
“He is a runner. They will use him a lot as a runner,” said Fitzgerald. “He can throw the ball too. He is very accurate. I’ve been impressed with him being able to put the ball in some tight spaces.”
Gray is his team’s second-leading rusher (523 yards, 10 TDs) behind sophomore Joel Weaver (648 yards, 10 TDs).
Gray also has completed 69% of his pass attempts for 944 yards and nine touchdowns.
Pendleton Heights’ defense is allowing 14 ppg and kept Yorktown in check last week in a 24-22 win that kept the Arabians in second place in the HHC standings. Nate Luzadder, who ran for 151 yards and five touchdowns against Shelbyville, was limited to just 32 yards Friday in the loss to the Arabians.
They are different,” said Fitzgerald of the Pendleton Heights defense. “As far as athletically, they don’t have as many athletes on the field (as Yorktown) but they have some big guys up front that Yorktown didn’t have.”
The challenge for Shelbyville is don’t let the second-half performance against Mt. Vernon be its crowning moment of the season. Repeating that at Pendleton Heights will be difficult, but being competitive from the opening kickoff should not be a problem.
“That has to be a starting point. We know what we are capable of doing. We know how we are capable of playing,” said Fitzgerald (photo). “Yes, the opponent and the ability steps up (this week). That means we have to step our game up just a little bit more and I think we are capable of doing that.”
Shelbyville is seeking its first winning regular season record since 2017 and now knows it will return to McKeand Stadium on Oct. 24 to face Connersville (3-5) to try and break a 10-game postseason losing streak. The Golden Bears are currently an 18-point favorite to defeat the Spartans and win their first sectional game since 2015.
“I didn’t feel like there was anybody I didn’t want to draw (in the sectional),” said Fitzgerald of the Sectional 23 field. “Getting Connersville at home was good for us. We get that extra home game and have an opportunity to go out and play well and then test ourselves against probably a good Bedford team that has done well this year.”
The Shelbyville-Connersville winner will face the Bedford North Lawrence-Jennings County winner on Halloween (Oct. 31). The Stars (6-2) defeated Jennings County (2-6), 63-0 on Sept. 26.
If Shelbyville and Bedford North Lawrence win, the game would be played in Bedford. The Stars would be an 8-point favorite if the game was played this week.
SHELBYVILLE (4-4) AT CLASS 4A, NO. 6 PENDLETON HEIGHTS (7-1)
SITE: Broughton Field.
GAME TIME: 7 p.m.
BROADCAST: GIANT fm (96.5 fm, 1520 am, 106.3 fm, or online at giant.fm) will air the game live from McKeand Stadium. The pre-game show with Johnny McCrory and Jeff Brown begins at 6 p.m.
COACHES: Scott Fitzgerald, 8-20 in third year at Shelbyville; Jed Richman, 61-44 in 10th year at Pendleton Heights, 96-74 in 16th year overall.
SAGARIN RATINGS: Shelbyville, 57.07, 119th overall, 29th in Class 4A; Pendleton Heights, 82.44, 25th overall, fourth in Class 4A. Pendleton Heights is a 28-point favorite.
LAST MEETING: Pendleton Heights defeated Shelbyville, 42-14, on Oct. 18, 2024.
SERIES ALL-TIME: The two programs met twice before becoming HHC foes with each team winning a game in the mid-1980s. The Arabians have won eight straight in the series to hold a 17-15 advantage in 32 total meetings.
AROUND THE HHC: Greenfield-Central (5-3, 3-3 HHC) at New Castle (2-6, 1-5 HHC); Class 5A, No. 1 New Palestine (8-0, 6-0 HHC) at Delta (3-5, 3-3 HHC); and Class 4A, No. 11 Yorktown (6-2, 4-2 HHC) at Mt. Vernon (0-8, 0-6 HHC).
CLASS 4A, SECTIONAL 23 PAIRINGS: Bedford North Lawrence (6-2) at Jennings County (2-6); Connersville (3-5) at Shelbyville (4-4); Martinsville (3-5) at Greenwood (2-6); and Silver Creek (3-5) at Charlestown (6-2).
