On September 14, 2018, Shelbyville edged Greenfield-Central for a win at McKeand Stadium, 28-27.

The Golden Bears wouldn’t win another football game until the second week of the 2021 regular season, a 22-16 win over Richmond that snapped a 26-game losing streak.

But that 2018 win over the Cougars still had meaning.  It was the last time Shelbyville had defeated a Hoosier Heritage Conference team.

Until now.

The Golden Bears snapped a 23-game HHC losing streak Friday by outlasting New Castle, 22-20.

Shelbyville won despite being turned away without points twice on drives that featured first-and-goal scoring opportunities. The second of which appeared it could be an Axel Conover rushing touchdown in the later stages of the fourth quarter that could have all but put the game away.  Conover lunged for the end zone and the ball squirted out of his hands as the Trojans recovered.  The officials ruled that Conover did not break the plane of the end zone and was down at the goal line.  So, instead of a Golden Bear game sealing touchdown or a New Castle fumble recovery in the end zone, the Trojans took over on downs at the half-yard line.  Their ensuing drive was forced into a punt by the Golden Bears who would then run out the clock and preserve the win.

SHS head coach Brian Glesing appeared on the GIANT fm Sports Cagney’s Pizza King postgame report.

Shelbyville (1-3, 1-1 HHC) held a double-digit lead in the first half after trailing early.  Following a Golden Bear punt on the game’s opening possession New Castle’s Quintin Boatright returned a punt from midfield to the SHS 35-yard line.  The Trojans took advantage of the short field moments later when quarterback Tyson Lewis ran it in for a three-yard score.  New Castle’s lead was 6-0 with a missed extra point.

Shelbyville took its first lead with a 57-yard drive capped with an Eli Chappelow 11-yard touchdown pass to Conover.  With the extra point Shelbyville led 7-6.

Chappelow was 6-for-13 passing for 85 yards and a touchdown.

Shelbyville’s defense set up the Bears next scoring opportunity when Cael Lux intercepted a Lewis pass at the 35-yard line and returned it 31 yards for a first-and-goal opportunity. 

Photos by Steve Bush

But the Trojans defense stiffened and stopped the Golden Bears on four plays and took over possession on downs.

New Castle (1-3, 0-2 HHC) has been plagued this season with bad snaps from the line of scrimmage. That issue reared its head on the next play as Lewis had trouble handling a shotgun snap in the end zone.  With heavy pressure from the Golden Bears front line the New Castle quarterback stepped out the back of the endzone for a safety.

Up 9-6, Shelbyville took the kickoff after the safety and scored again less than two minutes later on a Conover 1-yard run to lead by ten, 16-6.

Conover rushed for 57 yards on 16 carries.  He rushed for two touchdowns, caught another and had two catches for 32 yards.

Rounding out the Shelbyville rushing attack was Cael Lux, 14 carries for 56; Alex Macharia, 3 – 67; and Luke Jackson, 6 – 26.

New Castle’s longest scoring strike of the game came with 2:20 remaining in the half.  Following a Golden Bear punt Lewis found a wide open Boatright for a 65-yard touchdown pass on the very next play from scrimmage to trim Shelbyville’s lead to three, 16-13.

Lewis was 7-for-16 passing for 137 yards with a touchdown and an interception.  Lewis has thrown nine picks this season.

Jon Eberhart had rushed for 200 yards through the first three games.  His 117 yards on 20 carries topped all rushers in the game.  65 yards came on the Trojans’ opening possession of the third quarter as Eberhart accounted for every yard and a two-yard touchdown to put New Castle back on top, 20-16.

Conover’s third touchdown of the night, a 10-yard run with 9:04 to go in the fourth quarter, was the final score of the night as Shelbyville took back the lead for good.

Shelbyville will host Greenfield-Central (3-1, 1-1 HHC) Friday, September 16.  The Cougars were 35-0 winners over Pendleton Heights.