Ashbrook rally falls short against Shelby

GASTONIA — Down 18 points in the third quarter, Ashbrook gave itself a chance to stage a winning drive with 1:23 remaining in Friday’s 31-26 loss to Shelby.

Green Wave coach Greg Hill only wishes his team would have displayed a sense of urgency earlier.

“To be quite frank, even if we do win the game, we don’t deserve to win the game,” Hill said.

Trey Forte tackled Ontarius Warren for no gain on fourth and five at midfield, and Shelby (2-0) ran out the clock to hand Ashbrook its third straight loss to start the season.

The final defensive stand closed out a game that Shelby dominated at times but had trouble putting away.

The Golden Lions led 31-13 in the third quarter and still led by five in the waning minutes. Shelby had a chance to end the drama moments before Ashbrook’s final drive but came up inches short on a fake punt near midfield.

Zeek Bigger tracked down Raheim Huskey on the fake just short of the marker, giving Ashbrook a chance to repeat its heroics from the previous possession. The Green Wave had struck quickly on an 87-yard scoring drive that ate only 24 seconds off the clock and made it a five-point game with 3:38 remaining.

But the magic ended there.

“We waited too late,” Hill said. “Shelby came to play we didn’t. The best team won tonight — hands down.”

Shelby allowed a 5-yard quarterback scramble on first down but Justin Shempert spiked the ball on second down, threw an incomplete pass on third down and connected with Warren for no gain on fourth down.

“A win’s a win,” Shelby coach Chris Norman said. “It was hairy.”

Shelby looked to be going in for the kill midway through the fourth quarter until quarterback Daylan Fuller lost his breath after a 3-yard carry. Spencer Clark replaced Fuller at quarterback and Shelby wound up fumbling at the Ashbrook 13 with 4:02 to play.

That’s when the Green Wave moved quickly down field on three straight pass plays. Curtis Armstrong backtracked to haul in a 46-yard pass from Shempert on first down. After a 3-yard completion to Norkeithus Otis, Shempert hooked up with Armstrong again, this time in the end zone for a 23-yard touchdown.

Fuller later returned for Shelby and led the Golden Lions with 157 yards on 20 carries. The junior rushed for one touchdown and passed for another while directing a 280-yard offense. Running back Bryan Moss added 53 yards and two TDs on nine carries and fullback Markuise Walton covered 42 yards on 12 attempts for Shelby.

Warren led Ashbrook (0-3) with 53 rushing yards while Angelo Crawford ran for 43 yards. Shempert rushed for only 12 yards but scored twice on the ground. Bryan Jackson accounted for Ashbrook’s other touchdown with a 21-yard fumble return in the second quarter.

Shelby sprinted out to an early 17-0 lead before Ashbrook made it a game with a couple of quick scores. Shempert capped a 13-play, 74-yard scoring drive with a 4-yard TD. The Green Wave scored one play later when Jackson scooped up a Shelby fumble and rumbled 21 yards for a touchdown. The extra point sailed wide right but Ashbrook trimmed Shelby’s lead to 17-13 with 4:03 until halftime.

Shelby didn’t let the Green Wave’s momentum last long. Three plays later, Fuller ripped off a 60-yard run to the 1, and Moss took it in from there to put the Golden Lions up 24-13 entering the half.

You can reach Phillip Gardner at 704-869-1843.

Shelby 31, Ashbrook 26

Shelby                10 14 7 0 — 31

Ashbrook           0 13 6 7 — 26

First quarter

S—FG Ben Cheaney 34, 7:45.

S—Daylan Fuller 3 run (Cheaney kick), 1:41.

Second quarter

S—Dion Cooper 4 pass from Fuller (Cheaney kick), 10:25.

A—Justin Shempert 4 run (Ross Taylor kick), 4:18.

A—Bryan Jackson 21 fumble return (kick failed), 4:03.

S—Bryan Moss 1 run (Cheaney kick), 1:39.

Third quarter

S—Moss 5 run (Cheaney kick), 8:18

A—Shempert 3 run (pass failed), 2:35.

Fourth quarter

A—Curtis Armstrong 23 pass from Shempert (Taylor kick), 3:38.