Pendleton Heights has gone 8-2 against Shelbyville recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Arabians will host the Golden Bears at 7:00 p.m. The two teams might be coming in a bit winded given these two teams combined for 901 yards in their previous games.
While Pendleton Heights' win against Yorktown wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Arabians sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 24-22 victory over the Tigers on Friday. The win was nothing new for the Arabians as they're now sitting on three straight.
Brandt Gray
| 10/10/25 @ Yorktown | 184 |
| 08/22/25 vs Lebanon | 146 |
| 09/12/25 vs Greenfield-Central | 137 |
| 10/03/25 vs Delta | 116 |
| 09/05/25 vs New Castle | 105 |
Brandt Gray produced another solid performance rushing for 97 yards and a pair of TDs, while also throwing for 184 yards and one touchdown while completing 82.4% of his passes. Those 184 passing yards gave him a new career-high. 84 of Gray's passing yards were hauled in by Cooper Sims, who also brought in a receiving touchdown.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Pendleton Heights was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 228 rushing yards. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Yorktown only rushed for 88.
On the other side of the ball, a lot of the credit has to go to Pendleton Heights' defense and their six sacks. Rylan Keesling was especially locked on to Yorktown's QB and sacked him four times. Keesling also set a new season-high mark in total tackles with ten.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Shelbyville). They breezed past Mt. Vernon to the tune of 49-21 on Friday. With that victory, the Golden Bears brought their scoring average up to 27.9 points per game.
Pendleton Heights better keep an eye on Donavon Martin. He was instrumental in Shelbyville's win, rushing for 216 yards and four scores. Martin is becoming a predictor of the Golden Bears' success: when he posts at least 100 rushing yards the team is 4-1 (and 0-3 when he doesn't). The team also got some help courtesy of Camden Thoman, who picked up 100 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Pendleton Heights' win bumped their record up to 7-1. As for Shelbyville, the victory got them back to even at 4-4.
Friday's matchup might be decided on the ground. Pendleton Heights has been unstoppable on the ground this season, having averaged 197.6 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Shelbyville struggles in that department as they've been averaging 194.1 rushing yards. There's a good chance Friday's contest turns into a tough fight on the ground.
Everything came up roses for Pendleton Heights against Shelbyville when the teams last played back in October of 2024, as the squad secured a 42-14 win. Will the Arabians repeat their success, or do the Golden Bears have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
