Eagles overwhelm White County

Shelbyville quarterback Tre Stewart attempts to break a tackle on the way for a nice gain. Stewart rushed for 107 yards on seven carries and a pair of touchdowns in the first half. (T-G Photo by Gary Johnson) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

The Golden Eagles (5-4) remain in the hunt for a TSSAA playoff wildcard spot. They'll close out the regular season in a huge District 8-AAA matchup against Lincoln County Friday at home on Senior Night.

"After a very disappointing performance against Tullahoma last week, we had a great team meeting and film session on Monday and I think we got a lot of things worked out. We challenged our seniors and the rest of the team and they responded with probably the best four practices in a row we've ever had. " Shelbyville coach Jason Hardy said. "It showed tonight with the way we executed.

The Eagles went back to the basics on offense -- running the football. Shelbyville racked up 417 yards on the ground, including 335 in the first half, and 51 of 52 offensive plays were on the ground.

The lone pass attempt was a 24-yard completion from quarterback Tre Stewart to Jovan Jackson in the first quarter.

Along the way the Eagles rushed for seven touchdowns and collected 19 first downs. "I want to commend coach Lee Davis (offensive coordinator) and our coaching staff for how they prepared for this game," Hardy said. "I met with the staff on Sunday and told them that I wanted to get our five or six best plays and run them all night and run them right. They responded by doing that and I think that helped a lot.

"Our upperclassmen showed a lot of leadership this week in practice as well and the result of that showed during this game as well."

Shelbyville scored a touchdown on each of its first seven offensive possessions, including six in the first half. Stewart scored a pair of TDs in the first quarter to give Shelbyville a 14-0 lead.

The Eagles put 27 points on the board in the second quarter. Freshman Marquis Morton scored a pair of TDs while Jackson found pay dirt on a 16-yard run followed by a 63-yard run by Julius Smythe.

Freshman Trevor Chaney (left) and sophomore Donta Scott (back) make a big stop for the Eagle defense. (T-G Photo by Gary Johnson) [Click to enlarge] [Order this photo]

Up 41-0 at the break, the Shelbyville coaching staff scrambled during halftime putting together a lineup of reserves to play the second half.

"We haven't had a lot of chances to play our younger guys and it was great to give them an opportunity because those guys battle in practice every day and I was very proud of them," Hardy said. "I thought they did an excellent job on both sides of the football and it was great to give them some game-time experience," Hardy said. "Those are the guys that are going to have to step up next year for us."

Those reserves drove the ball down the field on Shelbyville's first possession of the second half and scored when Shelby Gashaw ran 2 yards up the middle.

Angel Jarquin connected 6-of-7 extra points.

White County only ventured into Eagle territory once, getting to the Shelbyville 30-yard line before throwing an interception. The Eagles picked off three passes with Jackson, Shaq Thompson and Isiah Washington each getting an interception.

Shelbyville had two players with over 100 yards rushing. Smythe led the way with 136 yards on six carries while Stewart added 107 on seven touches.

"Next week's game is just as big. We're giving ourselves a chance to make the playoffs and we control our own destiny. Lincoln County has really improved as the season has gone along," Hardy said. "We need another great week of practice to get prepared for Friday night."