Reprinted courtesy of:
Shelbyville News




Shelbyville running back Patrick Ellis (right) runs away from Greensburg’s David Lawrence (9) and Austin Moster (88) to score the Golden Bears’ first touchdown of the 2009 season. Ellis finished the game with 82 yards rushing, 72 yards receiving and three touchdowns in Shelbyville’s 35-14 win Friday at Greensburg. (Russ Gross photo)

Shelbyville gets Parks record-breaking win No. 75

By Paul Gable
Published: Saturday, August 22, 2009 8:12 AM US/eastern
GREENSBURG — If Shelbyville coach Pat Parks had any concerns about his team’s ability to move the football, they were erased immediately during the Golden Bears’ 35-14 season-opening victory at Greensburg.

First-year quarterback Kevin Prosch and Patrick Ellis, who switched from wingback to fullback this season, each made a great impression on the veteran coach, scoring all five touchdowns and combining for 151 yards on the ground.

“It doesn’t take a lot for any of our backs. If you give them a little bit, they are going to take what they get, and we took advantage of that. Pat is an exceptional player, and I am glad to have him for two more years. Kevin did a great job of being calm and leading our team. He did a good job of getting the job done,” Parks said.

The victory was Parks’ 75th while at Shelbyville, making him the winningest coach in the program’s history. While the honor is special to Parks, who said he was “fortunate” to reach the milestone, he was more interested in beaming about his team’s performance.

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“It is what it is. I’ve been around long enough that I have gotten to this point. I am fortunate to have had an administration that helped me stay in it this long, and now we are reaping the benefits of it. Anytime you set a record over someone who the field is named after, it is humbling,” Parks said, referring to the J.M. McKeand Stadium.

Shelbyville’s first touchdown of the season came as a result of Ellis’ feet, as he broke loose and scored from 13 yards out with just over four minutes remaining in the first quarter. Michael Parks added the point-after-attempt to put the Golden Bears ahead 7-0.

The Golden Bears’ defense played a role in the second touchdown, as Dominique Cox recovered a fumble by Greensburg quarterback Joe Vanderbur. On the night, Shelbyville forced the Pirates into nine fumbles.

Four plays later, Shelbyville’s Jake Knight found paydirt from 32 yards out, pushing the Golden Bears lead to 14-0 before the half.

“It was big for us to get points early because this is a new team. They needed an identity, and now they got one,” Parks said.

The halftime break did little to slow the Golden Bears, who continued to churn out yards on the ground early in the third quarter. Shelbyville opened the second half with a six-play drive that was highlighted by several runs from both Ellis and Prosch, but in the end, it was Ellis finding the end zone from five yards out with 7:29 remaining in the third quarter.

Despite trailing by three touchdowns, Greensburg rallied right back, putting together a drive of its own behind Vanderbur and Jacob Slusher, who took a hand-off from the Greensburg quarterback and raced 21 yards to put the Pirates on the scoreboard with 5:13 left.

With the feeling of the momentum changing, Ellis took it upon himself to quiet the Pirates.

On third-and-eight from the Golden Bears’ 28-yard line, Ellis reeled in a pass from Prosch, broke six tackles and made his way to the end zone from 72 yards out, giving Shelbyville a commanding 28-7 advantage.

“It was really big to boost our confidence and not let them back into the game,” Ellis said of the touchdown. “The defense did their jobs and we, as an offense, had to help them out and score. All I thought about was, just get to the end zone. I was cramping up the whole run, and all I wanted to do was score and get off the field.”

Parks echoed Ellis’ sentiments of the touchdown.

“That was a huge answer, but it was a huge play by a huge player. Greensburg had some momentum, but it was huge to get that score,” Parks said.

Shelbyville’s final touchdown of the night came with 4:45 remaining in the fourth quarter as Prosch drilled Knight for an 85-yard touchdown pass.

“I thought we did pretty good overall. It’s nice to get the first win,” Prosch said.

Greensburg tacked on one final touchdown in the closing minutes, thanks in part to several nice runs by Vanderbur, who capped the drive with a 25-yard run.

“We did a lot of good things tonight. I thought our line play was pretty good up front. Defensively, we have to meet things at the point of attack,” Parks said.

With their first win under their belts, the Golden Bears now turn their attention to Rushville next Friday, and they will do so banged up. Junior defensive linemen Jarod West missed a significant portion of the second half with an apparent knee injury, and his status for next week was unknown at press time.

“We’re banged up, period, but it’s like I told the players after the game, the next guy has to be ready. We have been through this for three weeks. Every week, we have had someone hurt or out. We cannot control injuries, but the next guy has to be ready,” Parks said.