SHELBYVILLE, Mo. - Gannon Bowen had already scored twice on the ground and once on a punt return when North Shelby faced fourth-and-12 in the second quarter Friday night. This time, the senior lined up as a receiver. Drayk Plunkett got him the ball on a screen, and Bowen found a crease behind a block and pulled away for a 43-yard touchdown. It was his fourth trip to the end zone in a first half that sent the Raiders on their way to a 68–3 win over Slater in the 8-man District 8 semifinals.
Coming off a first-round bye, North Shelby took the lead less than two minutes into its first game in two weeks. Bowen returned the opening kickoff 29 yards, kept the ball for a 22-yard gain on the first snap and finished the drive with a 15-yard touchdown run behind blocks from Ty Bacon and Drake Prange on the left side. Lane Pollard ran in the conversion, and the Raiders led 8–0 with 10:05 left in the first quarter.
North Shelby’s defense kept Slater near its own 15-yard line on the Wildcats’ first possession, and the Raiders got a hand on the ensuing punt. The ball rolled forward to the Slater 23, where North Shelby took over. Pollard needed one snap to turn the short field into a touchdown, cutting outside and then back across the middle. He ran in the conversion again, then caught a 17-yard touchdown pass from Bowen on North Shelby’s next possession to make it 22–0.
Slater moved into Raider territory late in the first quarter and kept its offense on the field on fourth down. Colton Gander sacked Payton Zdybel for an eight-yard loss, giving North Shelby the ball at the Wildcats’ 34. Bowen later faked a pitch to Pollard and followed his blockers through the opening for a 27-yard touchdown. The Raiders led 30–0 at the end of the quarter, and Slater finished the half with just 21 yards of offense.
Bowen’s punt return stretched the lead to 38–0 early in the second quarter. Slater forced North Shelby into a long fourth down on a later possession, but Plunkett’s screen pass to Bowen turned it into another touchdown. Prange added a 14-yard scoring run, and Pollard broke free for a 33-yard touchdown on the final play from scrimmage before halftime. Pollard was hurt on the run and walked off under his own power. He returned to the sideline in the second half but did not reenter the game. Plunkett ran in the conversion to send North Shelby to halftime ahead 62–0.
Pollard finished with 63 yards and two touchdowns on four carries, plus two catches for 37 yards and a score. Bowen also ran for 63 yards and two touchdowns and completed five of six passes for 66 yards. Prange added 35 rushing yards on four carries, and Bacon caught two passes for 29 yards. North Shelby finished with 272 yards of offense, with two of its nine touchdowns coming on returns.
The second half was played with a running clock, and North Shelby’s defense provided the Raiders’ final points. The ball popped loose on a Zdybel run early in the third quarter, and Cooper Belt picked it up and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown. Slater later recovered a North Shelby fumble deep in Raider territory and turned the opportunity into a field goal with 3:36 remaining. Zdybel finished with 43 yards on 19 carries and completed eight of 14 passes for 31 yards. Carter Duncan caught four passes for 15 yards and ran for 11 yards as the Wildcats closed their season at 5–6.
North Shelby improved to 10–0 and will face Knox County for the district championship at 7 p.m. Friday, Nov. 13. The Eagles earned the rematch with a 48–36 win over Paris in the other semifinal. North Shelby won the regular-season meeting 72–22 on Oct. 9.
Photo courtesy for this story provided by Jamee Beach
(This game recap is presented based upon the coverage of the Hometown Radio Sports Network. Any statistics given should be deemed as unofficial.)
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