All they do is win: Shelby snags another state football title with offensive outburst

Two big defensive plays in the middle of an 89-point football game are a big reason why Shelby won its 12th state championship Saturday evening.

The Golden Lions halted Wallace-Rose Hill on back-to-back series in the third quarter and pulled away for a 55-34 victory in the 2A championship game at N.C. State’s Carter-Finley Stadium.

Shelby’s victory overshadowed a spectacular performance by Wallace-Rose Hill senior running back Kanye Roberts, an Appalachian State commit who rushed for more than 240 yards and scored all five of his team’s touchdowns.

The game matched North Carolina’s top prep passing attack (Shelby) against the state’s best ground game (Wallace-Rose Hill), but defensive plays made the difference.

The Golden Lions (15-1) led 41-27 early in the third quarter, but the Bulldogs (13-3) drove to the Shelby 12.

On fourth-and-4, defensive end Santana Hopper broke through the Wallace-Rose Hill defense and tackled Roberts for a 5-yard loss.

On Wallace-Rose Hill’s next possession, safety P.J. Hopper stepped in front of a Bulldog receiver at the Shelby 23 and picked off the pass, returning it to the 34.

Shelby then drove for a touchdown, on a 3-yard run by Marquis Adams, for a 48-27 lead.

The Bulldogs were never able to get closer than 21 points the rest of the way.

“Our defense responded,” Shelby head coach Mike Wilbanks said. “We talked about making some adjustments at halftime, and the kids came through.”

Roberts ran for four touchdowns in the first half and carried for 191 yards. He scored on runs of 56, 2, 27 and 35 yards.

But Shelby was busy offensively too. The Golden Lions did their damage in the air, as junior quarterback Daylin Lee completed 16-of-18 passes for 240 yards and four touchdowns.

In the second half, Marquis Adams scored three rushing touchdowns as the Golden Lions opened a gap.

“We started preparing for this on April 26,” Wilbanks said. “We lost (to Hendersonville) on April 23, and we were back in the weight room the Monday after. The kids worked very hard for this.”

Three who made a difference

Kanye Roberts, Wallace-Rose Hill: Roberts, a senior running back and an Appalachian State commit, rushed for 3,250 yards in the regular season and added 240 yards in Saturday’s championship game. His fourth score, from 35 yards, was spectacular, as he broke three tackles and changed his speed several times.

Daylin Lee, Shelby: The Golden Lions’ junior quarterback completed 20-of-25 passes for 313 yards and five touchdowns.

Marquis Adams, Shelby: A reserve running back, Adams scored four touchdowns, including two from the wildcat formation in the second half.

Worth mentioning

▪ Shelby fans have a lot to be excited about for next season. The Golden Lions had six sophomores and six juniors among their 22 starters. That includes quarterback Daylin Lee.

▪ Shelby finished with 462 total yards offense, while Wallace-Rose Hill had 369 yards.

▪ Wallace-Rose Hill employed an interesting strategy on kickoffs, trying onside kicks on each of their six attempts. Two were successful.

▪ None of the eight teams playing for a state championship this weekend had an unbeaten record — a first in the 49 years of North Carolina’s separated divisions. But Shelby was undefeated against North Carolina opposition. The Golden Lions entered Saturday’s game with a 14-1 record. Their only loss came to Rock Hill’s South Pointe, which won the South Carolina 4A state title last weekend.

▪ Wallace-Rose Hill finished Saturday’s game with 7,078 rushing yards this season. The Bulldogs, who totaled 369 rushing yards Saturday, set a single-season rushing yardage record for a North Carolina public school team.

▪ Wallace-Rose Hill’s Kanye Roberts needed only 60 rushing yards Saturday to pass Elijah Hood (Charlotte Catholic) and Quan Warley (Thomasville) for 10th place all time in rushing yardage for a full high school career.

▪ Shelby and Wallace-Rose Hill combined accounted for 18 state championships and 196 playoff victories (against 55 losses), entering Saturday’s game. That’s the most for any two teams in a state championship game this year.

2A title game stats

Wallace-Rose Hill 7 20 0 7 – 34

Shelby 14 20 14 7 – 55

WRH: Kanye Roberts 56 run (Lon Teachey kick)

SH: Demetrius Thompson 23 pass from Daylin Lee (Jack Berkowitz kick)

SH: Thompson 9 pass from Lee (Berkowitz kick)

WRH: Roberts 2 run (Teachey kick)

WRH: Roberts 27 run (Teachey kick)

SH: Marquis Adams 3 run (Berkowitz kick)

SH: Ja’Keith Hamilton 16 pass from Lee (Berkowitz kick)

WRH: Roberts 35 run (kick failed)

SH: Izay Bridges 55 pass from Lee (kick failed)

SH: Adams 42 pass from Lee (Berkowitz kick)

SH: Adams 3 run (Berkowitz kick)

SH: Adams 36 run (Berkowitz kick)

WRH: Roberts 6 run (Teachey kick)

Tarboro victorious in 1A

Senior running back Tobias Joyner ran for two second-half touchdowns, and Tarboro’s defense dominated most of the game as the Vikings beat Mitchell 28-7 Saturday for the 1A state football championship.

It was the ninth state title for Tarboro, which was playing in the finals for the fifth straight year.

“It’s a lot of hard work, but I’ve been blessed with a great team,” Tarboro head coach Jeff Craddock. “We lost two starters (today), but people just stepped up. That’s what this team does.”

Joyner scored on a 35-yard run in the third quarter and put an exclamation point on the victory with a 38-yard scoring dash with 2:12 left to play.

Tarboro (14-1) picked off a pair of Mitchell passes and didn’t allow the Mountaineers (13-3) across midfield in the second half until late in the fourth quarter.

This story was originally published December 11, 2021 at 6:23 PM.