Shelbyville delights with homecoming shutout

Homecoming festivities took place in Shelbyville last Friday, as the Dragons prepared to face off against the Elysian Fields Yellowjackets. Before kickoff, Shelbyville introduced their court and crowned NaKyia Swindle this year’s homecoming queen.

Following Swindle’s coronation, football took center stage, and the Dragons did not disappoint. The week prior, Shelbyville fell in a heartbreaker to the Hemphill Hornets. Their second half struggles on defense provided Hemphill with an opportunity to seal the game late in the fourth quarter. Those defensive struggles were nowhere to be found this week, as Shelbyville pulled off a homecoming shutout with a final score of 32-0.

DJ Barnes continues to lead the Dragons’ offense with poise. This week he racked up 130 yards and a touchdown in the ground game and 226 yards with four touchdowns through the air. Barnes also snagged an interception on the defensive side of the ball.

“We just had to stay focused and improve on our mistakes from last week,” said Barnes. “I feel like I’ve always been one to step up and do the right thing, help lead the team. That’s always felt like the right thing for me to do, and that’s what I’ve always done.”

Franydric Buckley had 38 yards rushing. Dylan Parker had four receptions for 58 yards and a touchdown. Eli Ferguson posted his best game to date with four receptions for 74 yards and a pair of touchdowns. According to Barnes, Ferguson’s success was a product of his skill as well as part of the gameplan. The Dragons identified a vulnerability in the Yellowjackets’ coverage scheme, and Ferguson was able to exploit that weakness.

Defensively, the Dragons were led by Wyatt Frick who tallied 17 tackles followed by Mac Collins who had 11 total tackles.

“The mindset really started on Saturday coming off of a tough loss,” said Shelbyville head coach Jerred Wallace. “We made some mental mistakes in the game last week, so we had some things we had to get cleaned up. We had about eighty percent of the team here on Saturday learning from their mistakes quick and putting that one to bed… That was the big thing, the focus and the mindset of the kids this week. It was huge, we had some bend not break moments, our defense stepped up. [Elysian Fields] shot themselves in the foot a couple times, and we answered. That’s really big, being able to take advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves. Our kids played hard for four quarters… Anytime you can put up a zero for any team, it’s a great accomplishment.”

Shelbyville now holds a 2-1 record heading into a bye week. This will give them two weeks to prepare for Joaquin, who Shelbyville will host on September 22.