Shelbyville comes up a conversion short of HHC win at Greenfield

From 2018 through four weeks of the 2025 high school football season Shelbyville football has recorded just three wins in Hoosier Heritage Conference play.

The short list of conference wins includes New Castle twice, in 2022 and 2023. The third was a 28-27 win over Greenfield-Central in 2018.

The fourth stayed just out of the Golden Bears reach on Friday in an overtime loss at Greenfield-Central, 28-27.

The game was decided on the final play.  Shelbyville elected to go for a winner-take-all two-point conversion attempt following a four-yard Layden Fitzgerald - to – Gavin Reed touchdown pass. But the run by Grantland Fitzgerald was stopped short of the goal line as the Cougars preserved a Homecoming victory.

Memphis Blevins opened the scoring with a 26-yard field goal on the Cougars first offensive drive midway through the first quarter.

The teams would exchange turnovers from the young quarterbacks. Shelbyville’s freshman QB Fitzgerald was intercepted twice by the Cougars’ Zach Waterman. Greenfield-Central freshman counterpart Draven Nolting lost a pair of fumbles.

The second fumble helped the Golden Bears get on the board. A 48-yard pass from Shelbyville wide receiver Gavin Reed to Austin Martzall put the Bears in scoring position. Grantland Fitzgerald scored on 7-yard rush to give the Golden Bears the lead, 7-3. After a stalled Cougar drive on the next possession, Shelbyville took advantage of a short field and scored again just before halftime on a Layden Fitzgerald 9-yard pass to Cooper Thoman for a 14-3 halftime lead.

An aggressive Cougar team took the field in the second half. An onside kick recovery led to a Cooper Hinton four-yard touchdown run. Shelbyville’s lead was cut to 14-11 with a successful two-point conversion. Braylon Benavente’s two-yard touchdown run capped a 15-0 third quarter scoring run for a Greenfield-Central 18-14 lead going to the fourth quarter.

Grantland Fitzgerald put the Golden Bears back in front with a three-yard touchdown run with 8:40 remaining in regulation, 21-18.

After a Golden Bear defensive stop late in the fourth the Shelbyville offense faced a third down and long. Trying to run down the game clock with a likely punt coming on fourth down Grantland Fitzgerald fumbled at the end of a run.

Greenfield-Central (3-2, 2-1 HHC) took advantage of the short field and positioned Blevins for a game-tying field goal with 14 seconds remaining.

In the overtime, Benavente scored on a one yard push across the goal line. Blevins made it a seven point lead with the extra point kick before the Golden Bears came up short in their overtime possession.

Shelbyville running back Donavon Martin was held below 100 yards rushing for the first time this season. Martin gained 73 yards on 18 carries. As a team, Shelbyville rushed for 134 yards on just 3.7 yards per carry.

Layden Fitzgerald accounted for 47 rushing yards while passing 10-of 18 for 159 yards with two touchdown and two interceptions.

Gavin Reed completed a 48-yard pass, caught three passes for 54 yards and a touchdown. He also led the Bears with 12 tackles.

Cooper Hinton accounted for 145 of the Cougars’ 240 yards rushing. Quarterback Draven Nolting was 5-of-12 passing for 43 yards and suffered three fumbles.

Shelbyville (3-2, 1-2 HHC) will host Yorktown in Week 6. It will be Homecoming at McKeand Stadium.

Yorktown (4-1, 2-1) dominated New Castle 44-6. The Tigers only loss is to top-ranked (5A) New Palestine.