Shelbyville football preparing for final season in Hoosier Heritage Conference

Shelbyville football is preparing for one final trip through the gauntlet that is its Hoosier Heritage Conference schedule.

The Golden Bears Athletic Department has announced its departure from the HHC at the end of the 2025-2026 season. Shelbyville and Greenwood will then join the newly formed Hoosier Legends Conference that starts this season with Triton Central, Beech Grove, Monrovia, Speedway, Indian Creek and Tri-West.

Shelbyville football has had little success in the HHC in recent seasons and welcomes the new challenges the HLC will bring, but leaving a conference it has been a part of since 1997 after ending a long affiliation with the South Central Conference, is still bittersweet for head coach Scott Fitzgerald.

“This is my 27^th year in the school system, my 25^th year coaching in some capacity whether in the middle school or here at the high school,” he said. “I’ve only known the HHC. Since I first got here, that’s what we were in.”

Coaches build relationships with each other to help strengthen their own programs. Four head coaches in the HHC have been with their respective programs for at least eight seasons with Yorktown’s Mike Wilhelm the longest tenured with his 21^st season about to start.

“A lot of these coaches have been here for a long time,” said Fitzgerald (photo), about to start his third season as head coach. “You do have good relationships with them. They know you and you know them.

“Sometimes it’s nice to get a reset too, to be able to get out there and play against some teams you haven’t played in the past. We are definitely looking forward to going out strong this year. We feel like we can compete out there each and every week. That’s our goal. We want to compete and put out the best effort we can.”

The Golden Bears will travel to Jennings County, a potential Sectional 23 opponent, on Aug. 15 for its preseason scrimmage.

The 2025 season officially kicks off on Aug. 22 at Greensburg followed by the home opener at J.M. McKeand Stadium on Aug. 29 against Rushville.

Since 1927, Shelbyville has faced the Pirates and Lions a combined 138 times. The Golden Bears are 34-20-1 all-time against Greensburg and 47-35-1 against Rushville.

Fitzgerald confirmed both football programs will remain on Shelbyville’s schedule in 2026 at its non-conference contests.

Shelbyville will have three home HHC games this season: Delta (Sept.5), Yorktown (Sept. 26) and Mt. Vernon (Oct. 10). The road games are at New Castle (Sept. 12), Greenfield-Central (Sept. 19), New Palestine (Oct. 3) and Pendleton Heights (Oct. 17).

Following a 1-9 season where an injury-riddled offense averaged just 7.7 points per game, the coaching staff identified conditioning as an area that needed improvement, especially with limited depth to the roster.

“It was something we talked about as a coaching staff. We felt like we needed to be in better condition as the year goes along,” said Fitzgerald, who will have both his sons on the roster this season with Grantland (photo), a junior receiver and running back, and Layden, a freshman quarterback. “We kind of felt like as the year went along in the season, we got too tired at times. We have to push them a little bit more. We have done a little bit more this summer and hopefully that helps on Friday nights.”

Junior Tyler Gwinnup will return under center after suffering a season-ending knee injury in a week seven loss to New Palestine. Gwinnup also missed the entire basketball season while rehabbing.

“It’s been a long process. I have bulked up a little bit,” said Gwinnup (photo). “I like working. I can’t say I enjoyed it, but I enjoyed working at it and trying to see how far I could come from where I was.”

The Golden Bears did not score a touchdown in four of its final five games.

“It’s tough. I learned a good life lesson,” said Gwinnup. “Sitting out the whole basketball season was a bummer. I bounced back, though. I can’t do anything about it.”

Shelbyville also will rely on Friday night veterans like Jack West (lineman), Anthony Stafford (lineman), Donavon Martin (running back, linebacker), Ben Bailey (lineman, linebacker) and Carter Dunagan (defensive back).

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