Senior quarterback Eli Chappelow (photo) ran for the Golden Bears’ first touchdown of the season then threw for five more touchdowns in a 39-14 victory that ended a five-game losing streak to the Pirates dating back to the program’s last winning season in 2017.
“It was fun, especially at halftime. We never experienced that – being up 26-0,” said Chappelow. “That was exhilarating. Then to come out in the second half and keep doing what we were doing.”
Penalties hampered Shelbyville’s first offensive series Friday but Chappelow produced four quick scoring drives to close out the first half and put the football program in a dominant position it has not been in for more than half a decade.
And when Greensburg found momentum in the second half with an immediate touchdown, rather than crumble, the offense marched 65 yards on 12 plays and ate more than five minutes off the game clock to score on a fifth-straight possession and make it 32-7.
“Give the seniors some credit. At halftime, they were saying we have to keep rolling. They were saying we have to keep going,” said Scott Fitzgerald, who earned his first win as Shelbyville head coach after a long stint as the Golden Bears’ offensive coordinator -- that ended in 2017. “I loved that they are all going by what we are all preaching to them. It’s play by play. Even when they make a big play, reset and let’s go play.”
Prior to the game, Greensburg celebrated its new look Shriver Field at Pirate Stadium by dedicating the new synthetic playing surface and scoreboard.
Chappelow (photo) will go down in history as scoring the first touchdown on the new turf. He took off from the Greensburg 16-yard line, found the corner and put a shoulder in to a Pirates defensive back. Chappelow won that battle and kept going down the sideline for the game’s first score. Aiden Helfer-Vazquez’s extra-point kick failed – an issue throughout the game as three point-after kicks were unsuccessful.
Following an Axel Conover interception (photo) – one of two that Shelbyville’s defense produced in the win, Chappelow heaved a ball deep down the field for Conover to run under. The senior was dragged down at the Greensburg 13 and two plays later Chappelow hit Luke Brinkman in the back of the end zone for the receiver’s first career touchdown and a 13-0 lead.
Chappelow needed just six plays total on his team’s next two possessions to throw two more touchdown passes to Brinkman (photo) – the first 46 yards and the second 57.
Chappelow tossed two second-half touchdowns – 19 yards to Conover and six yards to Grantland Fitzgerald that ended the game’s scoring.
In the win, Chappelow completed 13-of-20 pass attempts for 283 yards. He also rushed for 47 yards on 11 carries.
Brinkman finished with four catches for 128 yards while Conover (photo) had six receptions for 129.
Donavon Martin and Luke Jackson split 18 carries in the backfield for 99 yards.
Greensburg running back Kaden Acton, who ran for 152 yards in his team’s 2022 win over Shelbyville, collected 121 yards Friday and his team’s only two touchdowns, but he was rendered ineffective in the first half when he was held to 30 yards.
“(The defense) played awesome,” said Fitzgerald. “So many different names. We preach that all the time. It’s 11 hats to the ball. Do your job, read your key and do your job and I saw that so many times tonight.”
Greensburg sophomore quarterback Bryson Abplanalp completed just 13-of-28 pass attempts for 106 yards and two interceptions while under a lot of pressure from Shelbyville’s interior linemen and linebackers.
The Golden Bears, who ended a six-game losing streak and secured their first road win since Oct. 13, 2017 at Pendleton Heights, are coming home to a new-look McKeand Stadium for a week two meeting with Rushville, who lost 27-20 Friday at Milan Friday.
Shelbyville will debut its own new synthetic turf that is expected to get its first use Monday for a junior varsity contest.
Steve Bush photos.
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