Xzayvier Jordan hauls in a key pass from Stephen Bobo and races 56 yards before halftime to help set up the first Golden Eagle touchdown of the night. (Post Photo by Chris Siers)
By CHRIS SIERS
csiers@bedfordcountypost.com
TULLAHOMA — After graduating so many players from the 2024 Golden Eagle team that reached the third-round of the Class 5A playoffs a season ago, there are plenty of shoes to fill across the field on both sides of the ball.
Although Shelbyville (0-1) showed flashes of what it’s capable of on both sides of the ball on Saturday night at arch-rival Tullahoma, a handful of mistakes and youthful inexperience ultimately proved costly as the Eagles fell 35-14 in their 2025 season debut.
A veteran Tullahoma (1-0) squad capitalized off of Shelbyville mistakes through much of regulation on Saturday night.
“That’s a good ball club. They take advantage of those kind of things. At the end of the day, we have to be able to make plays. We don’t have the experience to play with to make plays right now. We have an incredible amount of talent and that experience has to learn. And that’s what tonight was,” Golden Eagle coach Jud Dryden said.
Although the Golden
Rober Bailey elevates in the corner of the end zone after racing past the Tullahoma defense and hauls in a 13-yard touchdown pass from Stephen Bobo in the fourth quarter. (Post Photo by Chris Siers)
Eagles’ first drive of the night struggled to gain traction, the Shelbyville defense bowed, but didn’t break as Tullahoma threatened on the first Wildcat drive of the night that pressed to the Shelbyville 23-yard line.
That drive ultimately ended in a Chase Dodson 40-yard field goal.
The following Golden Eagle possession looked promising enough, sparked by a 35-yard run by senior Robert Bailey, but an interception by the Wildcat defense inside the 10-yard line ended the Shelbyville threat.
Tullahoma took over possession and relied on a steady mix of Marvancy Johnson in the pass and run game to push inside the Shelbyville five-yard line.
Johnson punched the first of his four touchdowns on the night into the end zone on a four-yard run to put Tullahoma up 10-0 after Dodson’s successful kick after.
Later in the quarter, Shelbyville found itself backed up on its own end of the field and a bad snap sailed over punter Jackson Themm’s head and the Wildcats appeared to have a potential knockout blow in hand following the turnover.
But the pesky Golden Eagles simply refused to lay down.
Senior Chandler Jones picked off Wildcat quarterback Lucas Reed on a diving snag with 1:44 left in the half.
Two plays later, Shelbyville quarterback Stephen Bobo peeled left and found an open Xzayvier Jordan in the flat, who turned the catch and run into a 56-yard pickup for the Eagles.
Bailey followed with a 17-yard pickup and capped the drive on a 10-yard touchdown run to put Shelbyville on the board.
Following the score, the Eagles were assessed a penalty that backed up the point after attempt, which was blocked.
Still, at the half, Shelbyville cut the lead to just four points.
But Tullahoma’s third quarter ultimately proved to be the difference in the game.
Stephen Bobo fires a throw on the run during Saturday night’s opener at Tullahoma. He completed 5-of-13 tries for 114 yards and a touchdown. (Post photo by Chris Siers)
The Wildcats opened the second half with a nine-play scoring drive, capped by a 22-yard touchdown run by Johnson.
After forcing a Shelbyville three and out on the following drive, Tullahoma followed up with a 54-yard pass reception by Johnson to bump the Wildcat lead to 25-6.
Even trailing by 19 points, Shelbyville simply refused to lay down.
The Golden Eagles took over possession and milked the final 5:52 of the third quarter on a drive that pressed well into the Tullahoma red zone.
Two plays into the fourth quarter, and on fourth down, Bobo rolled right and found Bailey open on a wheel route to the corner of the end zone for a 13-yard touchdown pass.
Bailey followed up with a successful two-point conversion with 11:16 left in the game.
But Tullahoma closed the game with 10-unanswered points on a 28-yard field goal by Dodson and a four-yard touchdown run by Johnson for the final scores of the game.
In total, Shelbyville churned out 340 total yards of offense, with Bobo going 5-of-13 for 114 yards and a touchdown.
The Golden Eagles cranked out 226 yards on the ground, with Bailey totaling 151 yards on 16 carries.
Although the Wildcats were able to pull away from Shelbyville in the second half, the Golden Eagles still showcased flashes of what the 2025 team is capable of, even with abundant youth across the field.
“Tonight was a true learning experience that we have to choose to take it, learn from it and let it motivate us into next week,” Dryden said.
Shelbyville now turns its attention to another rival in Marshall County, who also fell in it’s season opener in a 21-20 loss at Lincoln County on Friday night.
“We’re very talented and our guys work hard. We have all the pieces, we just have to put it together,” Dryden said.
“We have to be able to coach them, teach them and keep them moving in the right direction.”
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Lewisburg on Friday night.
Shelbyville 0 6 0 8 — 14
Tullahoma 3 7 15 10 — 35
First Quarter
T — Chase Dodson 40-yard field goal, 5:46.
Second Quarter
T — Marvancy Johnson 4 run, (Dodson kick), 11:57.
S — Robert Bailey 10 run, (kick blocked), :25.
Third Quarter
T — Johnson 22 run, (Dodson kick), 8:01.
T — Johnson 54 pass from Lucas Reed, (Patrick Riddle 2pt. run), 5:57.
Fourth Quarter
S — Bailey 13 pass from Stephen Bobo, (Bailey 2pt. run), 11:16.
T — Johnson 4 run, (Dodson kick), 8:23.
T — Dodson 28-yard field goal, 4:05.