The Shelbyville Rams battled back in the second half, but a fast start from the Tri-Valley Vikings proved to be too much as Tri-Valley picked up a 48-22 victory over Shelbyville Friday night.
The Vikings wasted little time making their presence felt.
Tri-Valley opened the scoring with a 2-yard rushing touchdown with 5:17 remaining in the first quarter, followed by a successful extra point to take a 7-0 lead.
Just over a minute later, Tri-Valley’s Boston Lampe (#10) found the end zone on an 8-yard rushing touchdown with 4:13 left in the quarter. Another successful extra point pushed the Vikings’ advantage to 14-0.
Tri-Valley continued to make big plays offensively, including a big run from Kix Yaklich (#3), a key fourth-down catch from Lampe and another touchdown run by Lampe on a sweep.
Shelbyville began to find its footing in the second quarter.
The Rams’ Malakai Warren (#10) came up with a big catch for a significant gain before later hauling in a screen pass and racing to the end zone for Shelbyville’s first touchdown of the night.
Warren continued to make an impact on the ground, picking up a first down on a strong run with 4:42 remaining in the first half.
Tri-Valley answered with its own big plays. Anthony Pilchard (#9) hauled in a pass for a first down, while Mason Messamore (#30) made a big touchdown catch with just 50.4 seconds remaining in the half.
The Vikings took a 28-6 lead into halftime.
Tri-Valley extended its advantage early in the third quarter when Messamore intercepted a screen pass and returned it for a pick-six, making it 35-6 with 11:09 remaining in the quarter.
Shelbyville responded with a strong kick return from Wade Reid (#3), but the Rams ultimately turned the ball over on downs.
Tri-Valley’s offense continued to find running room as Lampe ripped off a 38-yard run to make it 41-6 with 8:28 left in the third.
Just over two minutes later, Lampe added another touchdown on a sweep, pushing the Vikings’ lead to 48-6.
But Shelbyville refused to go quietly.
Quarterback Owen Beyers (#4) connected with Rylan Murphy (#9) on a pair of impressive completions, including a tremendous catch that moved the Rams deep into Tri-Valley territory.
Shelbyville finally broke through again when Jaden Meister (#23) powered his way into the end zone with 11:04 remaining in the fourth quarter. Reid caught the ensuing two-point conversion, cutting the deficit to 48-14.
The Rams then recovered their onside kick and immediately went back to work.
Meister picked up a first down on the ground before Colin Jones (#1) made a big catch to put Shelbyville at the Tri-Valley 3-yard line.
Meister finished the drive with his second touchdown of the game with 8:07 remaining. Beyers then ran in the two-point conversion, delivering a physical finish at the goal line to make it 48-22.
That would be the final score.
Tri-Valley’s explosive start and ability to create big plays throughout the night ultimately proved decisive, while Shelbyville showed plenty of fight in the fourth quarter, scoring twice and recovering an onside kick in an effort to mount a comeback.
Final: Tri-Valley 48, Shelbyville 22.
