It was the irresistible force against an immovable object.
State 8-man No. 8 North Shelby went into Friday’s Homecoming game with the third-highest average in total yards per game while …
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It was the irresistible force against an immovable object.
State 8-man No. 8 North Shelby went into Friday’s Homecoming game with the third-highest average in total yards per game while Paris went in with the best average yards allowed per game. The Coyotes lost 34-26 at home in a rematch of last year’s district championship game.
Luke Ensor came into the game fifth in passing yards and second in touchdown passes and added 274 passing yards and four more scoring throws for Paris. Two of the touchdowns put Paris (4-1) ahead and the other two tied the game, but head coach Cody Carney said it was a fight all night, as expected.
“It was 0-0 for most of the first quarter and then it turned into a ping pong match as we went back-and-forth scoring,” Carney said. “It was a fun game. It was who was going to have the ball last.”
After Ensor’s final touchdown to tie the game at 26, Gannon Bowen scored his fourth touchdown for North Shelby (5-0). Bowen went in as the state’s leading rusher with the second-most touchdowns and finished with 201 rushing yards on 34 carries. Carney said the defense was “incredible,” led by 12 tackles each from Payden Crain and Brad Skinner, against a strong offensive team in an offense-happy brand of football.
“As a team, they’ve been averaging over 400 yards per game,” Carney said. “We held them to 286 total yards. Our guys did well rallying to the football. He broke away one time for a long run.”
Carney said Paris leaned more into a passing offense on Friday with play action and with receivers in the slot on short and intermediate passes. Chase Kendrick had 85 yards and two touchdowns on three catches. The Coyotes finished with 313 total yards.
In the fourth straight loss against North Shelby, Paris posted its most competitive effort to date. Last year, the district championship match had a 58-26 final score. While North Shelby gains the crucial win for district seeding at the end of the regular season, Carney said the Coyotes should feel good before playing at Knox County (4-0) at 7 p.m. Friday.
“I’m definitely proud of all of our kids with the way they composed themselves,” Carney said. “It’s good to have these stressful moments and these types of games because you don’t do anything but grow from these situations. Our kids showed a lot of mental toughness and resilience tonight.”
