The clock struck midnight on Shelby football’s hopes of starting off hot in the West Michigan Conference Rivers Division. The Tigers were unable to keep up with North Muskegon, Friday, Sept. 6, falling in a lopsided 43-7 game.
Riding the high of a phenomenal week one walloping of White Cloud, Shelby planned to use its matchup with the Norse – one of the league’s best teams – as a litmus test for how the team would stack up to tough competition. Things didn’t go as smoothly as they would have liked, with the Tigers’ once lethal attack taking a step back.
North Muskegon got going immediately, punching the ball over the goal line for three opening quarter touchdowns. Explosive plays hurt Shelby in particular. Two of the Norsemen’s first three scores were on plays of 40 yards or more.
The Shelby defense stepped up in the second quarter, only allowing one touchdown in that frame. The offense continued to struggle however, leaving the Tigers in a 29-0 hole by the time halftime came around.
That tough defense continued in the second half, but it wasn’t enough to fully stop North Muskegon as they added two more touchdowns to seal the victory.
Shelby was able to find the endzone just once on the night. Junior quarterback Isaac Garcia – a standout performer in week one with six total touchdowns – connected on a 14 yard pass to Jaylin Henderson to avoid a shutout.
Garcia struggled through the air, completing just 5-of-12 attempts through the air for 23 yards, adding a touchdown and interception as well. The ground game did see positive gains for Shelby, led by Garcia with 66 yards on 12 carries. AJ Melchor added 33 yards on 10 carries as well.
Defensively, Ethan Viterna led the way with a team-high six tackles, including one for a loss. Brody Fessenden, Axel Moritz and Henderson added two tackles for loss each, while Max Hagstrom was able to fall on a North Muskegon fumble.
The Tigers fell back to .500 with the loss, standing at 1-1 overall with an 0-1 start in the WMC Rivers.
Shelby will look to get back in the saddle this week, as they travel to neighboring Hart for a rivalry meeting. The Pirates are fresh off a disappointing loss of their own, falling 29-6 to Ravenna on the road.
