Shelby ‘mending’ in bye week

Daily Globe Sports Editor

Through Wednesday of their bye week, Shelby coach Rob Mahaney said things were being kept light for the Whippets in practice.

“See it’s Wednesday and we haven’t even put on shoulder pads,” said the coach of the Whippets. “We’re doing a good job of keeping things light, kids fresh and let the kids that need it, get their rehab in. Some of our kids just need rest.”

After grinding out a 6-0 record and earning the No. 2 seed, SHS has earned a first-round bye the playoffs.

“We’re giving everyone a chance to refresh and get some rest. Football, as much as we love it, is a grind on the body,” said Mahaney.

Shelby will spend the postseason playing on Saturday nights and that will bring change to the Whippets’ practice schedule during the week.

This week, Mahaney said it’s important to stay crisp on the mental side of the game.

“We need to stay mentally sharp. We don’t want to put the body through as lot this week, but we have to get a week better mentally. Now it’s one step, one day at a time, one game at a time, one round at a time,” said the SHS coach.

When things started in June, Mahaney knew it would be a difficult journey, but constant growth helped Shelby to blossom.

“We knew it was going to be a different kind of season. We knew that back in June when we started. Then we got straight into league play. We knew it would be rough,” added the coach. “You could see our growth from week one to week two, week two to week three, all the way through.

“We challenged the kids to win back-toback championships for the first time in 51 years and they accomplished that. We’re proud of these kids and the work they put in. We obviously accomplished our first goal. Now it’s onto postseason goals.”

Shelby will meet the winner of Saturday night’s game between Rossford and Wooster Triway. Both teams are 3-3 on the season. The survivor comes to W.W. Skiles Field at William J. Wilkins Stadium for a 7 p.m. clash on Saturday, October 17.