GREENWOOD – Win or lose, Shelbyville football head coach Scott Fitzgerald desperately wanted to see the Golden Bears play one game where their own mistakes did not make a big difference in the outcome.
As it turns out, Fitzgerald did not see the game at all. The second-year coach did not travel with the team to Greenwood for its Class 4A, Sectional 23 opener Friday. The Shelby County Post could not confirm the reason behind Fitzgerald not being at the game.
Pat Parks, Shelbyville football’s winningest coach and current defensive coordinator, served as head coach at Greenwood.
Shelbyville not only played without its head coach, injuries sidelined starting quarterback Tyler Gwinnup and starting linebacker Brayden Schultz. And starting running back Donavon Martin was injured early in the first quarter Friday and missed the rest of the game.
A 2-win Greenwood team is getting healthy at the right time and showed that against the Golden Bears. Starting quarterback Ayden Houseman completed 13 of 15 passes for 293 yards and two touchdowns and consistently burned the Golden Bears’ secondary deep down the field in a 37-0 victory.
“They were able to get over the top of our defense in the back half and we just couldn’t match their speed back there,” said Parks (photo).
Houseman connected on a short pass to Parker Doolin, who found room down the Greenwood sideline to race 55 yards before being dragged down. Three plays later, Ajay Weathers rumbled into the end zone for a quick lead.
Martin fumbled on the kickoff return and Greenwood needed just one play to get Anthony Scaramazzo into the end zone from 30 yards out.
Just under three minutes into the game, Greenwood had a 14-0 lead and Shelbyville was without one of its top offensive threats in Martin.
“We gave up that quick one over the top then boom, boom and we fumble and give up a big run and it just kind of snowballed from there,” said Parks. “I thought we settled in from there for a little bit in the second quarter and moved the ball.”
Sophomore Jackson Myers started at quarterback and spent much of the night putting the ball into Grantland Fitzgerald’s hands. The sophomore racked up 133 yards on 22 carries.
The Golden Bears (1-9) moved the ball well in the middle of the field but never reached the red zone in the first half.
Shelbyville defensive lineman Sebastian Monzon (70) tries to drag down Greenwood quarterback Ayden Houseman (18) before he gets a pass off in the first quarter Friday at Greenwood.
Meanwhile, Greenwood kept extending its lead. A 38-yard field goal pushed the lead to 17-0 after one quarter and Houseman connected with Davion Jones for a 60-yard scoring strike early in the second quarter.
Gunner Ruppert finished off a 14-play drive late in the second quarter with a 4-yard touchdown run. The extra-point kick failed and the Woodmen held a 30-0 lead at halftime.
Shelbyville’s best chance to score came on its second drive of the third quarter but a 13-play drive stalled at the Greenwood 7-yard line when Myers’ fourth-down pass attempt was batted down.
Greenwood needed six plays to score and activate the running clock for the rest of the game. Houseman hit Joshua Carroll for a 47-yard touchdown reception.
With the win, Greenwood (3-7) will host Bedford North Lawrence (2-8), a 38-6 winner over Jennings County Friday, in the sectional semifinal round on Nov. 1.
The top half of the Sectional 23 bracket will feature Class 4A, No. 4 Martinsville (9-1), a 56-0 winner over Charlestown, traveling to Silver Creek (5-5), a 40-20 winner over Connersville.
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