This Week in Shelby County Football (Updated)

August 30, 3016 – Three county varsity football teams will be looking for their first 2016 season wins this week. Two teams will be looking to stay in the win column after getting opening day wins.

The Center Roughriders opened up the season with a 27-21 home win over the Rusk Eagles which was surprisingly close to many fans. The Roughriders face Gilmer this week, at Gilmer Buckeyes Stadium, this Friday, September 2, at 7:30 p.m. The two teams met up in the regional round of last year’s playoffs with the Buckeyes coming out on top. Gilmer gained a narrow 61-55 win over Liberty-Eylau High School last Thursday.

Updated Wednesday: Coach Barry Bowman said Wednesday, at the CHS Coachs' Coffee meeting, "Center and Gilmer know what each other do well. There are no big secrets between these two teams. We cannot get 'Big Eyed' just because they are Gilmer. Their coaching staff has been together since 2000. We know they will likely put up some points. They scored 61 points last week against a Liberty Eylau team who can play with just about anybody. We need to control the football, we cannot turn over the ball. We are capable of playing with the Buckeyes if we are smart with the football and the clock."

The Timpson Bears suffered a tough 20-14 road loss to the West Sabine Tigers in a long game which was delayed by lightning. The Bears trailed 14-0 for the middle portion of the game but tied things up late before giving up the final score of the contest. The Bears have a bye this week and will travel to Cross Roads on Friday, September 9 to face the Bobcats. The Bobcats suffered a 56-19 loss to the Frost Polar Bears last week.

The Joaquin Rams suffered a tough 14-0 loss to the Tenaha Tigers at home last Friday. The Rams defense looked good most the night but their offense never consistently got rolling during the game while playing against a stingy Tigers offense. The Rams will travel to Maud Cardinals Field to play the ‘Cards who lost on the road to Ore City, by a 35-28 margin, last Friday.

The Shelbyville Dragons fought back, on the road, to make their game with the Elkhart Elks close late in the game. Elkhart scored once again very late in the contest and ultimately defeated SHS by a 42-28 margin. Shelbyville plays the Hemphill Hornets, this Friday, at 7:30 p.m. in Dragons Stadium. The Hornets fell in a 19-16 game to the San Augustine Wolves last week.

The Tenaha Tigers opened up their 2016 football season with a 14-0 win over their cross-county rival, the Joaquin Rams. Tenahas’ offense struggled with wet field conditions but their defense held Joaquins’ offense in check for the most part. The Tigers will host Kerens High School, at Tigers Stadium, this Friday at 7:30 p.m. The Kerens Bobcats lost at home to Jewett-Leon High School by a 41-21 margin.