Season Preview: Shelbyville looks to continue rebuild following 3-win season in 2023

For many high school football programs, the loss of a strong senior class signals a forthcoming rebuilding year. At Shelbyville, the rebuilding process has been in full swing for two seasons now.

Second-year head coach Scott Fitzgerald is not starting over despite losing his quarterback, two strong offensive linemen and a pair of talented receivers to graduation. There are players to fill those voids – just not a lot of them.

“This is a brand new team. It starts that way every year,” said Fitzgerald. “We have to find out what we are, what this group will be about. What their strengths and weaknesses are.

“Can they handle adversity when adversity shows because we know adversity will happen. It will happen in week one at some point in time. How do you handle that adversity? What do they do in that situation and where do we go from there?”

While Shelbyville’s aerial attack may not be as potent as it was last year with quarterback Eli Chappelow (1,701 yards and 14 touchdowns), a strong offensive line and the potential for a breakout season from junior running back Donavon Martin could help the Golden Bears at least match a three-win season in 2023 or go beyond.

“I really feel talent-wise, we have some great young men if we can stay healthy,” said Fitzgerald (photo). “We are not going to be the deepest team by any stretch. We are still working at that. I think we have some depth that will be coming but we don’t have it right now. We have to go out and play with what we have.”

After finishing 7-3 in 2017, the football program bottomed out, winning just one game over the following three seasons. Brian Glesing took over the program in 2021 and won one game in each of his two seasons before Fitzgerald helped elevate the program to three wins in 2023.

An offensive line built around junior center Jack West (6-0, 212 pounds), senior right tackle Michael Creech (6-2, 240) and the combination of seniors right guards Avery Murnan (5-9, 190) and Brayden Schultz (5-10, 205) will be key to punching holes for Martin (5-10, 190) and protecting sophomore quarterback Tyler Gwinnup (6-0, 172).

“We have some veterans and we have some young guys like (freshman Nolan) Cord who will be a pretty crucial part for us,” said West (photo). “I think we will be good as an offensive line and be able to protect (Gwinnup) back there. He will be fine.”

The youth is on the left side of the offensive line with sophomore left tackle Anthony Stafford (6-2, 246) and freshman left guard Nolan Cord (6-2, 236).

Martin rushed for a team-leading 395 yards last season, including a season-high 111 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-14 win over New Castle in week four.

“I really like my offensive line this year. We have some young guys that will be stepping up to play big positions,” said Martin (photo). “I trust them that they can be in those positions. We have returning guys that I’ve played with since middle school and elementary school. I know they can do what they do. It doesn’t matter if the other dude is bigger than them. I know they will provide for me.”

Prior to taking over the high school program, Fitzgerald was coaching at Shelbyville Middle School so he already has a good understanding of the abilities of Gwinnup, who did not attempt a pass at the varsity level in 2023.

“He is a really smart young man,” said Fitzgerald. “He has been through a lot of things already in terms of seeing different defenses and doing different things. I can see the growth in those three years I’ve had him. I think he will continue to grow for us.”

Gwinnup understands the assignment as his first varsity start nears.

“There is a lot of pressure going with a sophomore quarterback,” said Gwinnup (photo). “There is a lot of pressure on me but I think I can handle it well. I want to show them what I got.”

Graduation hit the receiving group hard but sophomore Grantland Fitzgerald (5-9, 158), son of the head coach, returns after hauling in 19 catches for more than 300 yards as a freshman. He will be joined by newcomers Gavin Reed (6-0, 172), Wes Bailey (5-10, 167) and Ben Bailey (5-11, 213).

“Wes had some smooth feet and good hands. He has a lot of speed,” said coach Fitzgerald. “He might be the fastest kid we have. Utilizing him out there will be big.”

Fitzgerald’s stated goal is to play the “best 11 players” as much as possible which means several athletes will be active on both sides of the ball.

Creech, Murnan and West will start on the defensive line along with senior Sebastian Monzon (6-1, 215).

Schultz returns along with junior Julian Eads (5-10, 183) as the starting linebackers.

“We lost a couple of people but we gained a good amount of people,” said Eads (photo). “Talent wise, I think we are better than we were last year. It’s just being able to work as a team and finding the correct formations.”

Reed and junior Carter Dunagan (5-9, 15) are the starting cornerbacks with junior Jaylen Eads (5-9, 145) and Grantland Fitzgerald at the safety positions while Martin and senior Keagan Turner (5-10, 170) will share time as a hybrid linebacker/safety.

Shelbyville’s blueprint for success must follow the pattern of 2023 – win early before the strongest teams in the Hoosier Heritage Conference show up.

The Golden Bears open the 2024 season Friday night at McKeand Stadium against a struggling Greensburg program that went winless in head coach Wes Anderson’s first season.

“I think they are improved from last year and similar in some ways trying to build a foundation for what he wants just like we are trying to build a foundation for what we want,” said Fitzgerald.

Starting quarterback Bryson Abplanalp, now a junior, completed just 36% of his pass attempts last season for 556 yards and threw 14 interceptions.

Austin Cruz (6-0, 212) returns from a sophomore season where he led the Pirates with 356 rushing yards. Carson Miller (6-4, 207) is the leading returning receiver (14 receptions, 126 yards).

“(Cruz) is very strong. If we allow him to get loose he can be dangerous,” said Fitzgerald. “We have to make sure we are being sound with our gaps and coming up and making plays defensively.”

The Golden Bears will road trip to Rushville and Class 3A, No. 13 Delta in weeks two and three, respectively. They defeated the Lions, 26-14, and lost a heartbreaker to Delta, 21-14, last season.

Week four is again New Castle, who has won just six games combined over the last three seasons.

“I think this group can build upon what we started last year – that foundation we started last year,” said Fitzgerald. “I think we have the kids to do that. We have to be a little bit different with a younger quarterback, with some different guys up front but I think we can be better up front. I think we can do a lot of things with our skills positions. We just have to be sound with our rules and what we are doing.”

Four of the final five games on the schedule include teams ranked in the preseason top 20. Shelbyville hosts Class 4A, No. 5 Greenfield-Central on Sept. 20, travels to Yorktown on Sept. 27, hosts 4A No. 1 New Palestine on Oct. 4, travels to 4A No. 12 Mt. Vernon on Oct. 11 and closes the regular season with a home game against 4A No. 19 Pendleton Heights.

Shelbyville had the unenviable task of drawing powerhouse East Central for its sectional opener in 2023. The Trojans dispatched of the Golden Bears and rolled to their second consecutive state championship which automatically elevated the program up to Class 5A.

Class 4A, Sectional 23 now includes Bedford North Lawrence, Charlestown, Connersville, Greenwood, Jennings County, Silver Creek and 4A No. 13 Martinsville.

Greensburg at Shelbyville

Site: McKeand Stadium in Shelbyville.

Kickoff: 7 p.m.

Broadcast: GIANT fm (96.5 fm, 1520 am, GIANT fm app) will have live pregame show at 6 p.m. followed by coverage of the game from McKeand Stadium.

Student theme: Country.

Special attractions: The South Central Conference winning football teams from 1975 and 1984 will be honored before the game. There will be a reunion for both groups Friday hosted at the high school prior to kickoff. Participants in the annual youth cheerleading camp will perform Friday night during the game.

Coaches: Wes Anderson, 0-10 in second year at Greensburg; Scott Fitzgerald, 3-7 in second year at Shelbyville.

2023 records: Greensburg 0-10 (lost 49-7 at Indian Creek in sectional opener); Shelbyville 3-7 (lost 62-7 at East Central in sectional opener).

Key players lost: WR/DB Owen Meadows (15 receptions, 152 yards; 19 tackles), WR Hunter Springmeyer, RB/LB Braydin Rankin (77 carries, 214 yards; 25 tackles); OL/DL Jesse Hadler (22 tackles); OL/DL Elliot Weber (31 tackles) (Greensburg); QB Eli Chappelow (1,701 yards, 14 TDs), WR Luke Brinkman (39 receptions, 644 yards, 5 TDs), WR/DB Axel Conover (40 receptions, 419 yards; 64 tackles, 3 interceptions); OL/DL Jacob Harker).

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