North Shelby Wins District Football Championship

Knox County finished their season with a 10-1 overall record.

By David Sharp

North Shelby

Shelby (9-2) turned in a strong performance along the line of scrimmage while taking advantage of three Knox County turnovers for a 72-32 win for the 8-Man Football District 8 championship. Gannon Bowen recovered two fumbles and intercepted a Knox County pass.

The first three drives ended in touchdowns. North Shelby capped a 55 yard opening march with a Drake Prange five yard un at the 7:19 mark of the opening period. Most of the drive consisted of running plays straight up the middle of the field.

Gannon Bowen ran in the two point conversion for an 8-0 lead. The Eagles (10-1) answered with a 47 yard dash by Cooper Clair for a touchdown with 5:52 to play in the first period. The two point conversion failed, leaving North Shelby on top of an 8-6 tally.

Drake Prange capped a 46 yard drive with another rushing touchdown. Prange scored on a one yard run with 1:37 showing on the clock. The conversion failed, leaving the score at 14-6 North Shelby at the end of period one.

Gannon Bowen recovered a fumble on the Knox County 25 yard line. Cole Browning cashed in the chance with a five yard run at the 10:45 mark for a 22-6 lead. Knox County was forced to punt on the subsequent drive.

Cole Browning scored after a run oriented 58 yard scoring drive and a 30-6 Raider lead with 6:02 to play in the first half.

Knox County kept the subsequent drive going with a 26 yard pass on fourth down and long from Cooper Clair to Alious Hunolt. Cooper Clair scored on a ten yard run with 61 seconds to play in the first half.

The two point pass failed for a 30-12 North Shelby halftime lead. The Raiders had a 14-5 first half lead in first downs unofficially. North Shelby had a 34-15 lead in first half rushing attempts.

North Shelby held a 189-144 edge in first half total yards from scrimmage. Knox County had a good start to the second half. “We had a chance to cut it down to a one score game in the third quarter,” KCHS coach Bruce Vannoy said. “We dug ourselves too big a hole in the first half and just couldn’t get out of it.”

Creighton Karhoff returned the second half kickoff 40 yards to midfield. Cooper Clair scored on a 33 yard run, trimming the North Shelby lead to 30-18 at the 10:36 mark of period three.

The teams traded touchdowns by Gannon Bowen and Carrsen Hayes. North Shelby led 36- 24 at the end of the third quarter. North Shelby intercepted two fourth quarter passes.

The Raiders put four touchdowns on the board for a 64-34 lead with 4:54 to play in the game. Two of the scored were as the result of turnovers. Carrsen Hayes hauled in a 43 yard Cooper Clair touchdown for a 64-32 score with 4:04 to play in the game.

Lane Pollard scored after a 38 yard run, putting a lid on a 72-32 North Shelby win. The Raiders repeated as District Champions. Eighth ranked North Shelby will host #4 Worth County (10- 1) on Saturday, November 22 at 1PM in the quarterfinal round.

Knox County finished their season with a 10-1 overall record. The Eagles tied the 1980 football team for the best football record in school history. Seniors Cooper Clair, Jack Givens, Alious Hunolt and Ian Kelsey played their final football games for the Eagles.

“The guys up front did a great job opening holes for us,” North Shelby coach Kent O’ Laughlin said. “I thought our up front guys and lead backs played physical. It was good to see. Just the style we like to play. I thought as the game went on; we got more physical. It was a testament to how hard they have worked.”

“We dug our self a hole in that first half,” Knox County coach Bruce Vannoy said. “We expected them to come out physical. I thought we were a little bit back on our heels.”

“We were able to play last week, but it was nothing like the speed we were up against tonight. Having those two weeks off probably came back and bit us. We were back on our heels and not doing what we were supposed to do,” Bruce Vannoy said.

“It was a great season. I attribute that wo our seniors,” Bruce Vannoy said. “Those guys were the glue that held us together. This is probably one of the closest teams I have been a part of. These guys truly love one another. They were just fun to be around.”