South Shelby Ground Attack Dominates Westran

By Editor | September 5, 2023

By Mark Requet

The South Shelby Cardinals used the rushing game to dominate the Westran Hornets in Huntsville on Friday, September 1. The Cardinals rushed for 312 yards on 22 carries.

South Shelby won the toss and kicked off to Westran to start the game. The Hornets were moving the ball down the field until the Westran ball carrier was hit and fumbled the ball. Gabe Bowen picked up the fumble for the Cardinals and ran 63 yards for the touchdown. The two-point conversion pass from Chase Moellering to Cameron Wiseman was good and the Cardinals led 8-0 with 8:37 left in the first quarter.

Westran moved the ball down the field once again. The South Shelby defense held the Hornets on a fourth down forcing the turnover on downs at the Cardinal 26-yard line.

On the first play from scrimmage, Kendal Hammond took the handoff and went 74 yards for the touchdown. The two-point conversion failed, and the Cardinals led 14-0 with 4:46 left in the first quarter.

The Hornets quickly went three and out on its next possession and the Cardinals took advantage.

South Shelby took over on the Westran 49-yard line and moved the ball down field on seven running plays that ended with a one-yard touchdown run by Hammond. The two-point conversion was no good and the Cardinals led 20-0 with 40 seconds left in the first quarter.

Westran punted on its next possession and South Shelby took over on its own 16-yard line. After an incomplete pass on the first play, Hammond took the handoff and broke loose for an 84-yard touchdown run. Mollering scored on the two-point conversion and the Cardinals lead had grown to 28-0 with 8:13 left in the first half.

The Hornets took the kickoff and on the fifth play of the drive, South Shelby’s Cooper Elsen intercepted the pass and returned it 35 yards to the Westran 12-yard line.

Three plays later, the Cardinals were on the board again with another score, this time a one-yard touchdown run from Wiseman. The two-point conversion run by Moellering was good and the Cardinals led 36-0 with 3:58 left in the first half.

South Shelby would get one more possession before the half as Westran failed to get a first down. The Cardinals took over on the Westran 33-yard line. On the first play from scrimmage, Hammond took the ball and scored on a 33-yard touchdown run. Hammond kicked the extra point and the Cardinals led 43-0 with 1:41 left in the first half.

Westran scored its lone touchdown in the second half on the first play in the fourth quarter. The extra point was blocked, and the score was 43-6 with 10:57 left in the game.

South Shelby’s final score came as the JV squad scored in the closing seconds of the game when Pryce Eagan ran 28 yards for the touchdown. The final score was 49-6.

“I was really proud of our effort this week. I was really proud of how our O-line played,” stated Coach Adam Gunterman. “They blocked extremely well, and were aggressive all night. We had a big night running the football and it is a testament to how well these five guys work together.”

“Again, we started the game out with a TD without the offense touching the ball. Ethan Dodd caused a fumble and Gabe Bowen picked it up to run it back for a scoop and score,” said Gunterman. “Then to score on our first offensive play set the tone for the rest of the game.”

Unofficially, Hammond led the Cardinals rushing attack with 222 yards and four touchdowns. Eagan had 35 yards on two carries and one touchdown. Preston Elsen rushed for 31 yards on three carries. Wiseman finished with 18 yards on four carries and a touchdown.

Moellering completed one of three pass attempts for 11 yards.

“Defense played great. It is a product of how this team practices and how hard these players want to win. I believe we had 17 tackles for loss,” added Gunterman.

The Cardinals, 2-0 overall, will travel to Brookfield on Friday, September 8, to compete in the first Clarence Cannon Conference matchup of the season. The game begins at 7 p.m.

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