Raiders Fall to State Runner-Up Bishop Leblond

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By Andi Belt

  The North Shelby Raiders took the field for the first time this season, knowing Bishop Leblond would be no easy task. The Eagles made it to the state championship last year and fought the Raiders hard all night long. North Shelby suffered its first loss of the season with a final score of 58-42 on Friday, August 25, 2023.

  The Eagles came out on fire with a breakaway run and quarterback keeper, and the score was 8-0 with less than three minutes into the game. The Raiders were not able to answer, and the Eagles took over after a turnover on downs.

  Bishop Leblond quickly scored off of a couple breakaway runs that pushed through the Raider defense and a successful two-point conversion. With the score now 16-0, both Amos Fredrickson and Jade Daniel rushed for big gains to bring North Shelby to the Eagles 13-yard line. After Daniel faked a handoff and pushed up the middle to the one-yard line, Fredrickson powered through the line to give the Raiders their first points of the night. NS trailed 16-6.

  Soon after Bishop Leblond took over, freshman Gannon Bowen made an interception on the Raider 10-yard line to get the ball back. NS ran a trick play where Daniel handed the ball off to Gabe Orr, who launched a perfect pass to Fredrickson for a Raider touchdown. North Shelby was barely behind 16-14 at the end of the first.

  Bishop Leblond came out in the second quarter ready to score. They were able to add eight more points, making it 24-14, after a long pass and a couple short runs. On the next drive, Daniel ran for both the touchdown and two points, making the score 24-22. The Eagles once again worked their way up the sideline and got another touchdown, but Riley Greening shut down the two-point conversion.

  Greening is just one of the seven seniors that play a big role on the team.

  “The thing I was most proud of with these seniors and their leadership was keeping these young kids’ heads up when we make mistakes. We didn’t get down on each other, and that’s very, very important. We made some critical mistakes at different times and our team kept fighting because they stayed together. We always talk about trusting our brothers, so I was really proud of how everyone bounded together, and that’s because our seniors kept them together,” said NS Head Coach David Stuckey.

  After North Shelby took over, Daniel made a critical completion to Orr. Daniel was able to keep the momentum and run in for a touchdown and two more points. The Eagles were quick to fire back with a contested pass that was held onto earning them six points.

The score was 36-28. TJ Belt returned the last kickoff of the half and went all the way back for a Raider touchdown. Daniel tied the game at 36 with a two-point conversion to end the half.

  During the opening drive of the second half, NS fumbled the ball and the Eagles took over. The Raiders quickly got the ball back with two sacks, both for loss of yards by Drake Prange and Belt. The next drive proved unsuccessful for North Shelby and the game remained tied. Bishop Leblond took the lead with a rushing touchdown and were able to convert for a two-point conversion, making it 44-36.

  North Shelby was not out of it yet, as Daniel completed a great pass to Oren Vanskike and another lofty pass to Orr for a touchdown. With an unsuccessful two-point attempt, they trailed 44-42. The Eagles used its passing game to gain some big yards, but their drive was quickly ended by the Raider defensive pressure. Vanskike got hands on the pass, and it was intercepted by Belt.

  The Eagles bounced back with an interception of their own. The first play of the fourth quarter, Bishop Leblond ran for eight more points to extend its lead to 52-42.

  North Shelby was unable to answer and punted the ball with 10 minutes left in the game. The Eagles used their running game and ran a sweep play to get to the goal line once more.

  On a reverse play, Bishop Leblond scored the last points of the game, making it 58-42 with the extra two points.

  Even though it was a tough loss, Coach Stuckey says the team can gain a lot from a night like this.

  “Good teams like this make us much better. We want to win, but somebody had to take a loss tonight. We know what our goal is at the end of the season, and we’ve got to get better, so playing teams like this is gonna make us better.

  “There are no excuses about it, we just have to be more consistent in our play making.” Stuckey said the boys will have to put in the work to be ready for their game against Braymer at home next week.

  “We have to work on tackling a bit and stay on our blocks longer. Those older guys on the other side (Bishop Leblond) found a gear, and our guys have to find that gear when they’re tired.”

  The Raiders are scheduled to host Brayer on Friday, September 1, 2023, at 7 p.m.