Franklin falls to Shelbyville

Shelbyville (2-0) outlasted host Franklin Community High School on Friday night for a 38-26 win.

The victory was the Golden Bears’ second consecutive against the Grizzly Cubs (0-2). In the win, Shelbyville quarterback John Lux threw for 482 yards and five touchdowns.

After forcing the Golden Bears to punt on their opening possession, the Grizzly Cubs fumbled the ball away on their second play from scrimmage at the Franklin 27-yard line.

The Golden Bears initially drove into the Grizzly Cubs’ red zone after a successful fourth-down conversion, but Franklin’s defense prevented the same thing from happening again when Shelbyville found itself in a fourth-and-goal situation from the 26.

After regaining offensive possession on downs, the Grizzly Cubs amassed a 10-play drive that culminated in a 3-yard touchdown run by junior fullback Tyler Fromer at the 2:35 mark of the opening quarter.

Shelbyville answered quickly when Lux connected with senior tight end Jalaen Ramsey on a 29-yard scoring pass a little more than two minutes later.

In the second quarter, a 66-yard pass completion by Lux ultimately set up a 1-yard touchdown run by junior wingback Damon Lux that gave Shelbyville a 13-6 lead.

However, after seeing a 71-yard punt return for a touchdown negated by a block-in-the-back penalty, the Grizzly Cubs pulled within one point prior to halftime when halfback Riley McCann scored on a 10-yard run.

Overall, the Grizzly Cubs ran for 158 yards in an opening half that saw three missed extra-point attempts — two by Franklin — and a missed 32-yard field-goal attempt by Shelbyville.

The Golden Bears extended their lead at the 8:17 mark of the third quarter when Lux hit Damon Lux for a 58-yard touchdown pass, but Moore answered with a 9-yard scoring run that made the Grizzly Cubs’ deficit two after a failed two-point conversion pass.

Franklin took a 26-20 lead early in the fourth when Moore connected with senior Jhett Cassel on a 58-yard scoring pass and a successful two-point conversion toss to Hunter Samples, but John Lux hit Ramsey on a 33-yard touchdown pass that left the score tied at 26 after the Golden Bears missed their extra-point attempt.

With 5:34 left in the game, John Lux hit Damon Lux for a 54-yard scoring pass but a failed two-point conversion run, leaving the Shelbyville lead at 32-26.

During the ensuing possession, Franklin fumbled the ball away on its first play from scrimmage. That led to another Shelbyville touchdown in the final minute.

Franklin hosts Brownsburg at 7 p.m. Friday.