Not in the same league: Shelby puts Reidsville in its place with 'Black Friday' blackout
SHELBY— How relentless was Shelby’s defense in Friday night's fourth round state 2A playoff game against Reidsville?
Going into the much-anticipated matchup between two of the state’s premier powers, Reidsville quarterback Al Lee had thrown a whopping 39 touchdown passes on the season.
Against a Golden Lions defense led by Santana Hopper and Malaki Hamrick, Lee was sacked eight times and held to 131 yards through the air.
Shelby (12-1) also forced three turnovers, and the defense got credit for a safety on an intentional grounding by Reidsville’s Lee from the end zone.
The stout defense, combined with a balanced offense that churned out more than 400 yards, propelled Shelby to a 31-14 win and a berth in the Western Regional championship next week at home.
The regional final will pit Shelby against East Surry, which rallied from a two-touchdown deficit to defeat Maiden 36-35 Friday night.
“When we come out here, we’re going to be the best,” said Hamrick, a 6-4, 200-pound senior linebacker. “We practice like we are the best, and you saw that tonight. We are on a mission to prove that we are the best defense in the state.”
Except for two big plays — an 82-yard pass in the first quarter and a 75-yard run in the closing seconds — Shelby’s defense gave up little.
When Reidsville’s Shyheim Watlington broke loose on the 75-yard touchdown run with 42 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Shelby was sitting on a 31-7 lead after reeling off 28 unanswered points.
And the dominant defense simplified Shelby’s game plan in the second half. Leading 10-7 at the break, the Golden Lions were able to move the chains with the running game while mixing in effective passing by quarterback Daylin Lee.
Lee finished with 14 completions on 24 attempts for 266 yards and two touchdowns. Jaylon Petty rushed for 72 yards on 18 carries and a score before leaving the game in the third quarter with an ankle injury.
There was no letdown after Petty went out, however, as Bricen Kee picked up 61 yards on 10 rushes and scored on a 4-yard run.
The Rams (12-1) punted on six of their 12 possessions, fumbled twice, gave up an interception, and turned the ball over once on downs. Reidsville finished with 66 net yards rushing, and the sophomore quarterback was under constant pressure from the Shelby pass rush.
Trailing 7-3, Shelby took the lead for good midway through the second quarter on Petty’s 11-yard run.
Despite dominating the first half in time of possession, Shelby was hampered by ill-timed penalties and had to settle for the three-point halftime lead.
However, the Golden Lions played cleaner football in the third quarter and the offense produced. Halfway through the period, Daylin Lee threw an 8-yard scoring pass to Demetrius Thompson to make it 16-7. The highlight of that three-play drive was a forward pass from Lee to sophomore Izay Bridges that clicked for 50 yards.
Late in the third period, Kee capped a nine-play drive with a short run to extend Shelby’s lead to 22-7.
The game marked the fifth playoff meeting between the programs, and with Shelby leading the series 4-1.
The loss ended a 32-game winning streak for Reidsville, along with a run of three straight state championships for the Rams. Meanwhile, Shelby runs its home playoff winning streak to 27 games.
This article originally appeared on The Shelby Star: Black Friday: How Shelby once again put Reidsville in its place
