By SCOTT MIMS | Special to the Reporter

JEMISON – A strong showing for the Shelby County defense helped garner the Wildcats their first win of the season, 21-7, over the Jemison Panthers on the road on Friday night, Sept. 15.

The action started in the second quarter when Campbell Aderholt stripped the ball and Eli Holliman returned a fumble 34 yards for a Wildcat touchdown with nine minutes remaining in the half. Christian Carter kicked the PAT to make it 7-0.

Then, with 3:47 on the clock, T.J. Copeland ran an interception back about 20 yards to put Shelby County up by two scores before halftime.

“Finally, stuff started going our way; we were not turning over the ball as much,” Shelby County coach Zeb Ellison said. “We played hard all year. We just made way, way too many mistakes. It takes everybody—we all have to be on the same page, pulling in the same direction. We took a big step in the right direction tonight.”

Jemison’s Luke Gann completed passes to Kintre Jackson and Travon Rudolph, putting the Panthers in position to get on the board before halftime, but a holding call and unsuccessful plays kept them out of the end zone.

The third quarter was uneventful with neither team scoring, so Shelby County still led 14-0 at the start of the fourth.

Things got interesting again when Jackson hauled in a Panther pass for a touchdown with 9:53 left to play, cutting Shelby County’s lead in half, but the Wildcats defense would take those points right back via an Eli Holliman pick six from 17 yards out.

The Wildcats took a knee to end the game at 21-7.

Ryan Sipes passed for 112 yards to complete eight of 16 pass attempts. Bradley Horton rushed for 100 yards on 19 carries.

Shelby County will have a week off for its bye week in Week 5, and the Wildcats will return to action on Sept. 29 with a trip to Moody.