By E. Shawn Aylsworth
Managing Editor
RUSHVILLE – Class 4A sixth-ranked Shelbyville didn’t spend much time on the field Aug. 29 in the first half of its Hoosier Heritage Conference opener at Rushville. The Golden Bears has six possessions, and none of them lasted as long as two minutes.
But just look at the productivity on those half-dozen offensive attempts: touchdown, missed field goal, touchdown, touchdown, punt, touchdown. Throw in a safety for good measure that helped spark a 30-6 halftime lead, and it becomes easy to see how Shelbyville posted a 40-6 win for the second straight year in each team’s conference opener.
Neither coach saw such a lopsided affair coming, however. Shelbyville, under 14th-year mentor Patrick Parks, entered attempting to provide an encore for the best season in school history (11-1), while fourth-year coach Chris Makowski’s Lions were flush with a fireworks-laden 58-28 road victory over Connersville.
But nine opening-half offensive plays that resulted in double-digit yardage – senior wingback David Brown, for example, finished with 103 yards and three touchdowns on only 11 carries in the first 24 minutes – jerked open the flood gates on this night. Shelbyville ended the night with a whopping 348-119 rushing advantage.
Rushville’s only score of the night came, ironically, on a Shelbyville-esque short drive of 1:27. That effort culminated with a four-yard run by senior running back Zach Comer that kept Rushville as close as 14-6 with 9:17 left in the first half.
Three plays later, however, Brown brought the second of his three TDs on a 45-yard run that found paydirt. Following consecutive three-and-out series, the Golden Bears benefited from another stalled Rushville drive when the snap from center sailed over sophomore punter Spencer Comer’s head and out the back of the end zone for a safety.
Upon receiving the subsequent free kick, Shelbyville needed just 1:56 to go seven plays as Brown’s third touchdown – this one from six yards out just 49 seconds ahead of the half – silenced the stunned Lion faithful with a 30-6 lead.
Any doubt whatsoever was removed on the second play of the second half, when sophomore running back Patrick Ellis went 62 yards off right tackle to put the Golden Bears up 37-6. A 25-yard field goal by junior Michael Parks with 3:52 to play provided Shelbyville with the final 34-point cushion.
Click here for video interviews with Shelbyville coach Patrick Parks and Rushville coach Chris Makowski as well as long touchdown runs from Shelbyville wingbacks David Brown and Patrick Ellis!
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