By NIC YOUNG | Especially for the reporter

LINCOLN- The Shelby County Wildcats started the season on a positive note, putting up an impressive offensive performance against the Lincoln Golden Bears to secure a 57-10 away win at Lincoln High School on Friday, August 23rd.

The 57 points were the most individual points of the Zeb Ellison era and the most since Week 11 of 2019 and were achieved through a massive performance on the court.

“When you start with a win, you get a little more confidence and you practice a little more and you listen a little more,” Shelby County coach Zeb Ellison said. “The more successful we are, the more they believe in us, the more they bond and the better we get.”

The Wildcats took advantage of the momentum of this duel in the opening play of the game when they recovered a botched kickoff return and started their first offensive play at their own 16-yard line.

Running back Devan Alexander brought Shelby County to the 1-yard line with a 15-yard run before quarterback Ryan Sipes scored the game’s first touchdown on a sneak play, giving the Wildcats a 7-0 lead 11 seconds into the first quarter.

Lincoln could not respond to the ensuing drive and managed the drive of the game with three attempts.

On the other hand, Shelby County kept the pedal to the metal. Alexander and Sipes started at their own 36-yard line and continued to be successful. The duo combined for 69 yards on the drive, capped off by a 3-yard run by Alexander. A successful two-point conversion brought the score to 15-0 midway through the first quarter.

Lincoln’s next possession was promising as the Golden Bears stepped up their offense. As the drive appeared to be ending, Catlett found Ellis with a 30-yard screen pass that moved the offense further into Wildcat territory before their offense stalled at the 10-yard line, forcing a field goal to cut Shelby County’s lead to 15-3.

The Wildcats followed the same formula they had used all night and continued to rely on Alexander and Sipes to power their offense. Once again, the duo seemingly single-handedly made it from their own 29-yard line to the end zone.

The highlight of this series was a 20-yard run by Sipes to the Lincoln 15-yard line, which allowed Alexander to run a 7-yard touchdown a few plays later, extending the Wildcats’ lead to 22-3 at the start of the second quarter.

The Wildcats defense made short work of the Golden Bears’ ensuing attack, forcing them into a three-and-out. Despite the weaknesses on offense, a 56-yard punt by Lincoln seemed to put their defense in great position to get a much-needed stop.

Shelby County, however, had other plans.

Thanks to Alexander’s running performance, the Wildcat offense made it to the halfway line on the first two plays of the drive after starting at their own 16-yard line. Sipes finished the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run, giving Shelby County a comfortable 30-3 lead after a successful 2-point attempt midway through the second quarter.

The Wildcats defense began to put pressure on the Lincoln offense on their next drive. In a short series that lasted four plays, two ended in sacks by Hunter Brown and Eli Carlisle, forcing the Golden Bears to relinquish possession again.

The Wildcats continued to control the momentum early in the next possession. After a punt return by Shelby County’s Mason Hill brought the offense to the Golden Bears’ 40-yard line, a personal foul on Lincoln drove the Wildcats further into enemy territory and brought them to the 25-yard line.

Shelby County’s offense continued to focus on the running game, but this time the attack was led by quarterback Presley Duke and running back Duncan Tyson. Like the duo of Sipes and Alexander before them, this pair took advantage of the shortened field for a 19-yard touchdown run by Tyson that brought the score to 37-3 at halftime.

The Wildcats opened the second half with a fresh face in the backfield. This drive belonged almost entirely to wide receiver Anthony Palmieri, who gained 52 yards on eight rushing attempts and capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown to make the score 44-3.

After another three-and-out series by the Golden Bears, it was Alexander and Tyson’s turn to share the work. The duo fought their way from their own 48-yard line to the finish line, extending Shelby County’s lead to 51-3.

On the ensuing kickoff, the Wildcats once again had the edge when they recovered Lincoln’s second botched kickoff of the night.

Shelby County started at the opponent’s 21-yard line and needed no time to score again thanks to the efforts of Duke and running back Tyler Young. This drive capped the night for the Wildcats, who extended their lead to 57-3 early in the fourth quarter.

The Golden Bears did not give up and managed an attack towards the end of the fourth quarter that led to the final score of 57-10.

The running game was Shelby County’s best bet in this matchup, as Alexander finished the day with 156 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Sipes contributed 82 yards on the ground and two rushing touchdowns.

Duke, Palmieri and Duncan each scored a touchdown and the Wildcats finished the game with 396 total yards of offense, all of which came from rushing yards.

Ellison said the reason they went all-out running was simply because it worked well. He gave credit to his running backs and offensive line and said they need to keep playing like that to maintain that success.

“We think, ‘If they’re not going to stop it, why do anything else?'” Ellison said. “There’s no reason to throw the football if you’re going to run it six or seven yards in a sprint. So don’t try to fix it if it’s not broken.”

After a difficult offseason in which Shelby County went through many cultural and roster changes, Ellison is proud of how his team overcame adversity and he hopes this is just the beginning of their growth.

“I’m just incredibly proud of the guys that stuck it out,” Ellison said. “The offseason was extremely tough and the guys that are still here have done a great job and just need to continue to grow.””

Next week, the Wildcats will face the Holtville Bulldogs in their first home game at Shelby County High School on Friday, August 30th.