Golden Bears trek south to Silver Creek for Sectional 23 opener

Tyler Gwinnup was sitting on the trainer’s table when Kellen Coffey secured a 27-20 win over Monrovia last Friday.

Just minutes earlier, the senior quarterback scored the game-winning touchdown on a 1-yard plunge into the end zone. At the bottom of a mass of bodies, Gwinnup laid in pain. His left shoulder was injured and it took him a couple minutes to rise and slowly walk to the sideline.

Gwinnup likely avoided a season-ending injury and he will take his first postseason snap in his injury-riddled career Friday at Silver Creek in a first-ever meeting between the Dragons (6-3) and the Golden Bears (6-3).

Due to travel time for Shelbyville, kickoff in Sellersburg at Silver Creek High School is slated for 8 p.m.

Sophomore Layden Fitzgerald has prepared this week to step back into a role he grew into in 2025 when Gwinnup’s second major knee injury forced him into the varsity lineup.

“We will have things prepared and be able to go either way,” said Shelbyville head coach Scott Fitzgerald. “We kind of game planned to not have (Gwinnup). There are different things you do with Layden. That is kind of a challenge a little bit with where we are at. My guess is you will see both either way.”

Shelbyville will already be without leading rusher Grantland Fitzgerald (644 yards, eight TDs) due to a hamstring injury. Pulling Gwinnup (1,411 yards, 14 TDs) causes a cascade effect at other positions.

With Gwinnup (photo), Layden Fitzgerald serves as an effective running back (388 yards, two TDs) and receiver (12 catches, two TDs). Kameron Holland, who rushed for a season-high 114 yards and two TDs against Monrovia, will start in the backfield no matter the quarterback but sophomore Kendrick Hook may need to take reps in the backfield.

Gwinnup’s injury last season led to Layden Fitzgerald (photo) getting experience at the varsity level. In 11 games, he threw for 1,448 yards and 15 touchdowns.

Silver Creek had used two quarterbacks this season to match its best win total since a 9-win 2020 season. First-year head coach Steve Stanley has employed juniors Gideon Harris (1,057 yards, 11 TDs) and Zayden Robb (896 yards, eight TDs) to produce an offense averaging 26 ppg.

“The two quarterback thing is a little bit weird,” said Coach Fitzgerald. “… They will be a spread (offense). I think they are pass first.

“They can run the ball. They will run the ball. They will run it with the back. They will run it with the quarterback. They will get in empty and run it with the quarterback.”

Stanley, who arrived at Silver Creek in March, spent the spring sports season working with Robb at quarterback which helped him seal the starting role this fall. Harris was committed to the baseball program.

A week two back injury sidelined Robb so Harris took over.

The back injury has lingered for Robb which has allowed Harris to have big moments this season. However, in last week’s 28-7 win over Corydon Central, it was Harris that was injured in the game and Robb returned under center.

“They are both really good friends, two good competitors,” said Stanley. “They compete with each other through the week but also support each other. They are each others’ biggest fan. It’s a cool dynamic to see.”

Sam Elliott is the Dragons’ leading rusher with 575 yards and six touchdowns but the quarterbacks combined are averaging 8.1 yards per carry on limited attempts.

Silver Creek has a pair of dynamic receivers in seniors Deontay Gazaway (36 receptions, 603 yards, seven TDs) and Drake Oltman (25 receptions, 568 yards, five TDs). Senior Jayden Williams has 14 receptions for 304 yards and three TDs.

“You can tell they are very well coached,” said Coach Fitzgerald. “You can tell they made adjustments with what the defense was doing. And they would change a route or two to take advantage of what the defense was doing. It will be one of those things where we will have to have some different coverages and try to keep them off balance with what they do.”

While Stanley is a first-year head coach at Silver Creek, he has head coaching experience in Florida and has been an assistant coach at IMG Academy, Hanover College and, most recently, at Liberty Christian High School in Texas where the head coach was former Dallas Cowboys tight end Jason Witten. The program won two state titles while Stanley was on staff.

If Layden Fitzgerald has more offensive responsibilities Friday that may limit his defensive reps where he is second on the team in tackles at 67.

“He will start defensively but we could get him off the field if we feel like we needed to,” said Coach Fitzgerald, who would then turn to sophomore Tucker Schultz (photo) in the defensive backfield.

On paper, Shelbyville and Silver Creek are quite similar – including in offensive and defensive philosophies.

“A lot of the things they do are very similar to us,” said Coach Fitzgerald. “Which makes it nice in practice because it’s things we’ve seen all year long, but it’s the same thing for them. They’ve seen it all year long.”

Shelbyville closed the regular season schedule with three consecutive wins which guaranteed the program’s first winning season since 2017.

One year after winning its first sectional game since 2015, Coach Fitzgerald has stated a new goal for the 2026 postseason.

“Our next goal, other than being 1-0 this week, is we want to play football in November,” he said. “We haven’t played football around here in November since 2013. In order to do that, we have to win these next two football games and get ourselves to the championship.”

With a win Friday and barring a major upset in the top half of the Class 3A, Sectional 23 bracket, the Golden Bears will host a semifinal contest and the sectional championship game as long as they are not eliminated.

Shelbyville would host either Charlestown (7-1) or Columbus East (5-4) in the semifinal round at McKeand Stadium.

And assuming 4A, No. 5 East Central (7-2) dispatches of Madison (5-4) and Jennings County (2-7), the Trojans would travel west to Shelbyville for the title tilt.

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