Turning the page: Whippets race past Rams, leave 2024 behind

MADISON TOWNSHIP — That “whoosh” emanating from Startek Stadium on Friday night was nine months of pent-up frustration escaping like gas from a hot air balloon.

In its first football game since last November, when a 22-point fourth quarter lead disappeared  in the regional semifinals, Shelby exhaled to the tune of eight touchdowns in a 56-14 win at Madison.

Quarterback Brayden DeVito, running back Gavin Baker and receiver Brady Bowman all accounted for multiple touchdowns as the Whippets rolled up 472 yards of offense and spoiled the head coaching debut of Rams alum Kobi Johnson.

“One hundred percent, we had a sour taste after last season ended,” DeVito, an Air Force commit, said about that epic 49-48 battle with Ontario. “I’m so proud of our guys coming out here and doing what we did.

“We had a lot of things that could have thrown us off course, with all these preseason lists, and being ranked, but we didn’t let it get to our heads.

“It’s all about having the right mindset. In previous years, it was proving people wrong. Now it’s like we have to prove people right and show that we’re not a fluke. We want to show that we’re a level-headed team that plays hard.”

It seems crazy, but in accounting for four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing) and 266 yards (189 passing, 77 rushing) against the Rams, DeVito didn’t even keep pace with last season when he was responsible for 61 touchdowns and over 5,200 total yards in 13 games.

He set the bar so incredibly high last season, how can he possibly clear it this season?

“Man, I’m just going to focus on the gameplan and let those things come,” DeVito said. “I’m going to trust in my coaches to put me in the right position and try to go out there and execute.”

The Whippets, coming off a 12-1 campaign, didn’t waste any time showing they have designs on winning a 2025 state championship. Senior defensive back Travis Sloane recovered a fumble on the first play from scrimmage and the offense took it from there, with DeVito hitting junior tight end Michael Shepherd for a seven-yard TD.

“Our big pitch all week was that we had to execute at a high level,” Johnson said, bemoaning the early giveaway. “Obviously, they’re a talented team and you know what they bring to the table. If you aren’t perfect, they’re going to take advantage.

“We had a lot of guys tonight getting their first varsity experience, guys that were starting for the first time. Some of the mistakes came from that, and cleaning things up will be part of our focus as we keep plugging away.”

To the Rams’ credit they didn’t pack in it when Baker scored the first of his two touchdowns, on a 12-yard run, to make it 14-0 Shelby midway through the first quarter.

Madison answered on the legs of senior running back Kaleb Gordon. His 49-yard burst up the middle set up his own 13-yard touchdown, cutting Shelby’s lead to 14-7. Unfortunately, the Rams couldn’t build on that momentum.

They tried. They tried right away to catch Shelby off-guard.

Sophomore Braydon Ream foiled those plans, pouncing on the ensuing onside kick. The Whippets immediately cashed in as one of Ohio’s best pitch-catch tandems did its thing. DeVito hit Bowman for a 49-yard score, and just like that it was back to a two-score game.

Not only did Madison’s gamble backfire, but that Shelby touchdown signaled a run of 42 unanswered points by the Whippets before the Rams tacked on the game’s final TD – a 25-yard run by senior quarterback Colton Adkins.

“Our stance coming in was  to be aggressive and take our shots,” said Johnson about the failed onside attempt. “Against a team like that, if you sit back, you’re going to be in a tough spot. We wanted to go after that and not let them be the aggressor. Unfortunately, we didn’t execute on that (kick).”

Give the Whippets a short field and it’s like they smell blood in the water.

“Thank you for the field position,” DeVito said, smiling. “They wanted to keep our offense off the field, but I have full trust in our ‘hands’ team to recover that kick. And when we did I knew we were (within) my arm’s distance. I threw a post to Brady. That’s my guy.”

The two of them hooked up again just before halftime, this time for a 36-yard TD. In between their two scoring connections, DeVito scored on a 5-yard run and Baker on a 3-yard run as the lead grew to 42-7 at halftime.

“Obviously, it was nice to start fresh and get that taste (of last year’s playoff loss) out of our mouth, but that wasn’t our goal or what our team is about,” Shelby coach Rob Mahaney said. “It’s about right now, a chance to get better and understand that while we played well tonight, next week we have to play even better.”

Even if it’s hard to imagine his quarterback playing any better.

“(Brayden) will tell you the team goals are the most important thing to him this year,” Mahaney said. “He’s who he is and he makes special plays for us, but at the same time he knows what the end goal is and we have to make sure we work toward that.”

Baker (63 yards on 6 carries), Bowman (7 catches for 126 yards) and DeVito were all running mates on the 4x100 relay team that earned a sixth-place medal at last spring’s state track meet. But Friday night was Baker’s first football game for the Whippets since transferring in last winter and it turned into a triumphant homecoming for the former Ram.

“I don’t have any enemies at Madison,” Baker said. “It was a great environment, especially the crowd. And then our offensive line was blowing things up. It was insane.”

Baker can only imagine how long the past nine months have been for those teammates who slugged it out last November with Ontario.

“I feel like this team isn’t focused on last year,” he said. “It’s about staying process-driven. Every down is a new down. Keep playing. I wasn’t part of it last year, so I can’t speak for anyone, but, obviously, we have bigger goals in mind and I want to be part of that. I want to help push all of us.”

Emotions were running high on the home sideline as well, especially for the 2012 Madison grad leading the Rams out of the locker room for the first time.

“Emotions pre-game were definitely there,” Johnson said. “Once the ball is kicked off, you have to settle down, but it was definitely a big moment for me. I wish we had performed better, but that’s a really good Shelby team. They’re going to win a ton of games, but we’ve got to focus on us and continue to get better.”

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: Turning the page: Whippets race past Rams, leave 2024 behind