Quarterback Stephen Bobo stretches for the end zone on a 14-yard run with just over seven minutes left in the half. (Post Photo by Chris Siers)
By CHRIS SIERS
csiers@bedfordcountypost.com
SHELBYVILLE — All night long on Friday night, the Shelbyville Central defensive secondary got hands on pass attempts by Independence gunslinging quarterback Matthew Horner, but just couldn’t take advantage enough to come up with takeaways.
With just over a minuet left, and the Independence Eagles driving into Golden Eagle territory, it was Reager Edwards who came up with a game-sealing interception with 32 seconds left to preserve the 31-28 win, marking the second-straight Region 6-6A victory.
“To see Reager come through like that—he’s been just a steady hand on offense and defense for us all year. And he’s become a guy we’ve really come to depend on,” Golden Eagle coach Jud Dryden said.
Friday night’s region showdown was nothing short of a rollercoaster of a high school football game.
Independence (1-2, 0-1) grabbed a 7-0 lead mid-way through the first quarter, capitalizing on an effective pass attack.
Horner capped the six-play scoring drive with a 39-yard dart to Brody Bullock, mid-way through the opening period.
While Shelbyville (2-2, 2-0) struggled to gain traction on its next drive, the final possession of the opening quarter broke the ice for the Golden Eagles.
Robert Bailey keeps his eyes downfield as he finds a crease and rumbles forward for a 14-yard pickup.
(Post Photo by Chris Siers)
A steady mix of Robert Bailey, who carried the ball five times for 40 yards on the drive, ultimately set up a game-tying touchdown toss by quarterback Stephen Bobo, who dropped a perfectly thrown dime to Jack Conditt in the corner of the end zone to open the second frame.
The tying score, following Jackson Themm’s successful extra point, deadlocked the game at seven with 11:11 left in the half.
After the Shelbyville defense forced another Independence punt with 9:05 left in the second, Shelbyville needed just five plays to find the end zone again.
Set up by a 55-yard run that saw Bobo streak down the visiting sideline, the Golden Eagle quarterback called his own number and put a cap on the drive when he scrambled to the corner of the end zone and scored on a 14-yard run with 7:04 left in the half.
Having seized all the momentum in the game, the Shelbyville defense again answered the bell on the following Independence possession.
Although Horner connected on a 41-yard completion on the first play of the drive, the Shelbyville defense again flexed and forced another punt with just under 5:30 to play in the half.
The ensuing possession saw Shelbyville dictate every bit of the game’s tempo and methodically marched down the field,
Xzayvier Jordan extends past the Independence secondary and hauls in a 39-yard bomb to set up a touchdown run by Robert Bailey.
(Post Photo by Chris Siers)
highlighted by a 39-yard pass from Bobo to Xzayvier Jordan.
Bailey scored from five yards on the next play to put the Golden Eagles up 21-7 with 1:16 to go in the quarter.
While the Golden Eagle defense rose to the challenge throughout the first half, Independence’s pass attack could only be contained for so long.
Facing a short clock, Horner marched the visiting Eagles to the Shelbyville red zone and pulled Independence within one score after connecting on a nine-yard strike with four seconds left in the half.
And then the adversity hit.
Bobo exited the game with an apparent injury in the closing seconds of the first half and did not return.
From there, freshman quarterback Cyonn Rucker took the reins of the Golden Eagle offense and played well.
Independence, while typically an up-tempo, high-octane offense orchestrated a 14-play possession late in the third that pressed to the Shelbyville 21 where the drive stalled, prompting a 38-yard field goal that missed short and right.
Shelbyville took the following possession and leaned on an effective run game by Torrion Mathis before Rucker finished the drive with a perfect ball on a quick slant to Chandler Jones with just over eight minutes to play.
But the fireworks were far from over.
Chandler Jones dives and hauls in a pass on a quick slant from freshman quarterback Cyonn Rucker in the fourth quarter on Friday night.
(Post Photo by Chris Siers)
Independence responded in short order with a seven-play scoring drive that brought the visiting Eagles back within a possession to cut Shelbyville’s lead to 28-21 with 6:43 to play.
The game, which felt like a heavyweight title fight, saw the Golden Eagles respond to push the ball deep into Independence territory thanks largely in part to a 61-yard run by Bailey with 6:30 to go.
From there, Shelbyville was unable to find the end zone, but got a 35-yard field goal from Themm which ultimately proved to be the game-winning score.
Independence answered the Themm field goal with an 8-yard touchdown scramble by Horner with 2:43 left.
While Shelbyville’s following drive stalled near mid-field, Themm again showcased his effectiveness on special teams with a coffin corner punt that pinned Independence inside its own five-yard line.
Although Horner connected on a 39-yard pickup with less than a minute to go, the attack pressed downfield by the visiting Eagles forced rushed throws between the hashes which allowed Edwards to come away with the game-sealing interception to land the Golden Eagles their second-straight win.
While Bailey also exited the game in the second half with an apparent injury, Dryden and the Golden Eagle coaching staff had nothing short of high praise for the young players who stepped into key roles that helped secure the win on Friday night.
“We have some amazing talent in our younger guys. They’re starting to learn the systems. Even though there’s still mistakes, it’s fun to watch them play. We’re young across the offensive line. We finished the second half with a freshman and sophomore in the backfield. We’re young in our secondary. It’s all there and they just continue to work,” Dryden said.
In total, Horner cranked out 333 yards through the air while completing 21-of-41 attempts for three touchdowns and an interception.
But the Golden Eagle ground game chewed up 417 yards of real estate to lead the Shelbyville offense.
“We’ve talked about within the program—it’s about resiliency, it’s about being better every snap and being better than you were the moment before,” Dryden said.
While region wins are special, no matter how they come, Friday night’s win for the Golden Eagles was just a little extra special in front of a packed crowd at the newly-revamped Eagles Nest that debuted a brand new facility and turf field.
“To see the blessings that have been laid on us is incredible. We are truly blessed beyond measure. We have to continue to work to live up to the blessing that has been given to us. Our guys know that. We’ll continue to do everything in our power to get better every day,” Dryden said.
The schedule doesn’t get any easier for the Golden Eagles, who now will hit the road for three-straight road games, starting next week with state power Brentwood.
Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.
Independence 7 7 0 14 — 28
Shelbyville 0 21 0 10 — 31
First Quarter
I — Brody Bullock 39 pass from Matthew Horner (Ben Chassey kick), 7:14.
Second Quarter
S — Jack Conditt 19 pass from Stephen Bobo, (Jackson Themm kick), 11:11.
S — Bobo 14 run, (Themm kick), 7:04.
S — Robert Bailey 5 run, (Themm kick), 1:16.
I — Hunter Mullen 9 pass from Horner, (Chassey kick), :04.
Fourth Quarter
S — Chandler Jones 6 pass from Cyonn Rucker, (Themm kick), 8:20.
I — Wyatt Young 28 pass from Horner, 6:43.
S — Themm 35-yard field goal, 4:02.
I — Horner 8 run, (Chassey kick), 2:43.