Cardinals Open Season with Win Over Harrisburg

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By Mark Requet

The South Shelby Cardinals opened the football season with a 60-22 win against the Harrisburg Bulldogs on Friday, August 30, 2024, at Harrisburg.

Harrisburg punted on its first possession.

South Shelby started at their own 40-yard line and on the third play from scrimmage, quarterback Chase Moellering ran 52 yards for a touchdown. The two-point pass conversion was good and the Cardinals led 8-0 with 9:26 left in the first quarter.

The Bulldogs scored on the fourth play of the  drive. The two-point conversion  failed and the Cardinals led 8-6 with 6:51 left in the opening quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff, Payton Hetheriton returned the kick 46 yards to the Bulldog 24-yard line. Two plays later, Preston Elsen scored on a 20-yard touchdown run. Elsen also ran in the two-point conversion and  the lead was 16-6 with 5:39 left in the first quarter.

Harrisburg’s next possession resulted in a 10-play drive that ended in another touchdown. The two-point conversion was good and the Cardinals led 16-14 with 11:52 left in the second quarter.

South Shelby moved the ball quickly down the field, highlighted by a 36-yard run by Gabe Bowen. The Cardinals were on the verge of scoing, but a fumble by  Bowen at the goal line resulted in a touchback.

Harrisburg punted on its next possession and the Cardinals once again had no problem moving the ball down the field. On the fifth play of the drive, Pryce Eagan scored on a 26-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion failed and the Cardinals led 22-14 with 7:31 left in the first half.

The Bulldogs scored on its next possession on a seven-play drive. The  two-point conversion was good and the the game was tied 22-22 with 4:22 left in the second quarter.

Preston Elsen opened the next drive for the Cardinals with a 50-yard run down to the two-yard line. After a four-yard loss on the next play, Moellering scored on a six-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion run was good by Preston Elsen and the Cardinals led 30-22, which would be the halftime score.

“That first half was exactly what this football team needed,” said South Shelby Head Coach Adam Gunterman. “We were pretty high on oursleves with how we played over the summer at camps and during the jamboree we played really well.”

Gunterman said Harrisburg came out and hit them in the mouth. Gunterman said the offense never had an issue, but defense has some things to look at and work on this coming week.

“When you have the coaching staff like I have, that are able to make adjustments and fire kids up like they do, it’s pretty special,” stated Gunterman. “More than anything it was about bowing our backs and learning we have to play every down. It was a great lesson I think we learned in the first 24 minutes of the game.”

It was all South Shelby in the second half as the defense tightened up.

The Cardinals had the ball first and scored on a six-play drive when Moellering ran for a 26-yard touchdown run. The two-point pass completion from Moellering to Bowen was good giving the Cardinals a 38-22 lead with 7:54 left in the third quarter.

Harrisburg turned the ball over on downs on its next possession.

South Shelby scored on its next possession as Hetheriton scored on a three-yard touchdown run, capping a seven-play drive. Hetheriton also ran in the two-point conversion and the South Shelby lead was 46-22 with 1:48 left in the third quarter.

The Cardinals continued to roll in the fourth quarter as Bowen scored on a 13-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion failed and the Cardinals led 52-22 with 10:20 left to play.

The final score for the Cardinals was a 10-yard touchdown run by Daniel Timbrook. Hetheriton ran in the two-point conversion and the Cardinals led 60-22 with 5:38 left to play, which was the final.

Moellering led the Cardinals in rushing with 185 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries. Preston Elsen finished with 107 yards and one touchdown on seven carries. Bowen rushed for 72 yards on seven carries. Eagan rushed for 39 yards and one touchdown on three carries, while Timbrook finished with 32 yards and one touchdown on seven carries. Hetheriton also added a touchdown.

Moellering completed three of seven passes for 41 yards and had one interception.

“The kid is outstanding. He didn’t have to throw the ball a whole lot tonight, but he’s improving every day,” Gunterman said of Moellering. “He got his interception out of the way early, but he understands the offense. He checked some things at the line and read some plays and I couldn’t be more proud of his development as a player.”

Preston Elsen caught two passes for 23 yards, while Hetheriton caught one pass for 14 yards.

“The thing I was most proud of, and I’ve been telling everyone this from the beginning, is that our running backs are gonna have to learn to share and everyone of those guys got into the endzone tonight,” said Gunterman. “That was a great job by those guys and I’m really proud of them.”

Gunterman said learning to share the ball is hard to do because each one of those guys want the ball all the time, which is a good thing.

The Cardinals, 1-0, host Westran on Friday, September 6, beginning at 7 p.m.