by Craig Beilfuss
LocalSportsJournal.com
Whitehall jumped to a three-score first-quarter lead on its way to making it a long night for the young Shelby Tigers in a 68-0 Whitehall win on Friday in Shelby.
The Vikings (3-1, 2-1 West Michigan Conference) didn’t let up and tallied 34 second-quarter points. The entire second half was played with a running clock, as the visiting Vikings scored touchdowns in both the third and fourth quarters.
“I was really happy with the way our special teams played tonight,” said Whitehall coach Tony Sigmon. “We had really good spacing. I was happy with the way our kids played at a high level and played the game with respect. I’m super proud of Red Watson and the way he played tonight.”
Alec Pruett led the Whitehall offense with 126 yards rushing and two touchdowns as Whitehall racked up 304 total yards of offense compared to Shelby’s 31.
“We struggled to move the ball offensively,” said Shelby first-year coach Phil Fortier. “We had few answers on defense as well, giving up over 350 yards of offense. My job as a head coach is to put our players in a position to be successful. I failed at that this week. I cannot fault our effort and courage tonight. Our kids are tough and resilient. We will get back to work and prepare to become a better team this week. We will rise up and be dudes.”
Whitehall will travel to North Muskegon next Friday. Shelby remains winless, with a 0-4 record and 0-2 in the conference. It will be on the road next Friday at Mason County Central.
