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Junior Geechi Mathis takes a reception to the house in action earlier this season. Friday Mathis made the most of his one reception by taking it 23 yards and crossing the goal line. (Photo by Taylor Bragg)
Despite a 14-0 deficit at halftime, the Shelbyville Dragons roared back to earn a win over the San Augustine Wolves. Heading into this matchup, Shelbyville was seeking a way to adjust after losing junior quarterback DJ Barnes.
Barnes suffered a broken finger on his throwing hand that required surgery to repair. The injury will reportedly keep him sidelined for four to six weeks. His leadership on the field is a tough loss for the Dragons, especially when considering that he is their leading rusher and a key piece of the Shelbyville defensive back unit.
Coach Jerred Wallace and staff compensated for this loss by adjusting the offensive scheme and inserting freshman Dallas Murry at quarterback. They also shifted their offensive mindset to more heavily favor the run.
Heading into the locker room at halftime down 14-0, Shelbyville realized they needed to make an adjustment. They converted back to their standard offense and moved senior Franydrik Buckley from running back to quarterback.
The Dragons trimmed the lead to 21-12 by the end of the third quarter giving the team confidence headed into the fourth. With around six minutes on the clock, Shelbyville earned their first lead at 26-20. San Augustine regained the lead just a few short minutes later 27-26.
The Dragons battled and with three minutes on the clock, Buckley hit Dylan Parker on a screen pass that wound up going 55 yards for the touchdown. After the two-point conversion, Shelbyville led 34-27. The Wolves were unwilling to let Shelbyville coast to the win, however. With around a minute left on the clock, San Augustine completed a 61-yard touchdown pass knotting things up at 34.
With the ball on the Wolves’ 26-yard line, Buckley aired out a pass that was caught by sophomore JD Suell. Suell was stopped just shy of an overtime-preventing touchdown at the one-yard line. Coach Wallace was able to call the timeout with only three seconds left in the game.
With their last chance before extended time, Buckley took the snap and handed the ball to freshman running back Hunter Harvey. Harvey went airborne as he leaped over the line and broke the plane for the game-winner.
Harvey was instrumental in the Dragons’ victory. He saw an increased number of reps this week to compensate for the loss of Barnes and to fill in for Cameron Mason who suffered a concussion last week and was required to sit this one out. Harvey ended the game with 18 carries for 89 yards and one touchdown.
Buckley led the team rushing with 19 carries for 114 yards and a touchdown. Dylan Parker had six carries for 24 yards, and Wyatt Frick took five carries for 18 yards and a touchdown.
Parker posted huge numbers as a wide receiver. He reeled in seven catches for 156 yards and two touchdowns. Shelbyville leaned the screen pass to get the ball into his hands. Geechi Mathis had one reception for 23 yards and a touchdown. Eli Ferguson collected one reception for 31 yards. This win over San Augustine has ensured a playoff berth for the Dragons. Shelbyville is now guaranteed no less than the fourth seed heading into the postseason. Currently, Timpson and Garrison are tied at 4-0 and Shelbyville rests in third with a 3-1 record. Joaquin, San Augustine, and West Sabine are currently fighting for fourth place with identical 1-3 district records.