Shelbyville head coach Scott Fitzgerald is not preparing his best “David vs. Goliath” speech for Friday night. It would be appropriate, though, as the Golden Bears face Class 4A, No. 1 East Central in the Sectional 23 opener in St. Leon.

“We have to play clean. We have to create some turnovers. We’ve got to tackle. And we have to make some plays offensively that we can be explosive with,” said Fitzgerald. “Just leave it all out on the field. Don’t be able to look at yourself in the mirror when the game is done and say, ‘I wish I would have done this or I wish I would have done that.’

“If you walk off the field and you feel like you gave 100% effort and your teammates gave 100% effort and you lose, that’s the way it is in sports. Somebody has to win and somebody has to lose.”

The Trojans (9-0) are the defending Class 4A state champions and have won 15 straight games.

“When you turn on the film, it’s the same East Central team we’ve seen for 15 or 20 years,” said Fitzgerald. “They are going to run their unbalanced sets. They are going to run their power football at you. Now they do have a little more athleticism at quarterback and they’ve made some nice plays throwing the ball but they are really efficient at what they do.”

The offense features senior running back Josh Ringer, who is closing in on East Central’s career rushing mark of 5,708 yards set by Andrew Wolf in 1998. Ringer has 5,445 yards, which has him on track to break the record in week two of the postseason.

“He is going to be very balanced. He is difficult to take down,” said Fitzgerald. “He is not overly huge by any means but he is going to hit it hard wherever he is going to go and then he sinks his body low and he is fast. If you don’t get his legs you are not going to tackle him up high and you won’t arm tackle him. He will run through those. He is just a very, very efficient runner.”

Ringer has rushed for 1,685 yards this season and 33 touchdowns.

“He has a nice (offensive) line to run behind and he is going to get his when he has an opportunity to,” said Fitzgerald.

Senior quarterback Cole Burton has completed 70% of his pass attempts for 969 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has not thrown an interception.

Senior Ryan Brotherton is the leading receiver with 27 catches for 554 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The Golden Bears (3-6) enter the game with a five-game losing streak – all against tough opponents (combined 31-14 record). The offense has scored 46 points in those five losses but missed on several opportunities to put points on the scoreboard.

To score the upset, senior quarterback Eli Chappelow has to get the offense into the end zone. He has completed 54% of his passes for 1,599 yards and 14 touchdowns this season.

Sophomore Donavon Martin is the leading rusher at 394 yards and two touchdowns. Chappelow is second in rushing yards (236) and has a team-leading five touchdowns.

Seniors Axel Conover (40 receptions, 419 yards) and Luke Brinkman (38 receptions, 622 yards) are the leading receivers. Brinkman has a team-best five touchdowns.

With the wrist injury to freshman starting guard Anthony Stafford suffered at Pendleton Heights, junior Brayden Schultz will start at East Central and play both ways as the starting linebacker. He is the team leader in tackles with 54.

Sophomore linebacker Julian Eads is second on the team with 52 tackles.

The winner of Friday’s game advances to the sectional semifinal round to face either Martinsville (6-3) or Silver Creek (6-3). The three teams with the most wins in Sectional 23 are in the same half of the bracket.

In the other half of the bracket, Edgewood (2-7) is at Jennings County (4-5) and Greenwood (4-5) travels to Connersville (2-7).

Steve Bush photo

QUICK FACTS

Shelbyville at Class 4A, No. 1 East Central

Game Time: 7 p.m. at Trojan Field at East Central High School.

2023 record: Shelbyville 3-6; East Central 9-0.

Head coaches: Scott Fitzgerald, 3-6 in first year at Shelbyville; Jake Meiners, 51-9 in fifth year at East Central.

Sagarin ratings: Shelbyville, 51.75, No. 36 in Class 4A; East Central, 96.24, No. 1 in Class 4A. East Central is a 46-point favorite.

Last meeting: East Central defeated Shelbyville, 41-27 in the 2016 sectional quarterfinal round.

Series: East Central won three consecutive postseason meetings from 2014-2016. The Golden Bears’ last win over the Trojans came in 2013, 25-22 in the sectional semifinal round.

Class 4A, Sectional 23: Edgewood (2-7) at Jennings County (4-5); Greenwood (4-5) at Connersville (2-7); Martinsville (6-3) at Silver Creek (6-3).

Get the most recent Shelby County Post headlines delivered to your email. Go to shelbycountypost.com and click on the free daily email signup link at the top of the page.