Delta running back duo shines in dominant win over Shelbyville; game score, highlights

MUNCIE — Delta High School opened Hoosier Heritage Conference play with a big win, and improved to 3-0 in the process, with a 37-7 high school football victory over Shelbyville on Friday night.

Delta controlled the pace of the game from the opening drive. It ate the first 11 minutes with a methodical march downfield. The Eagles converted twice on third down and twice more on fourth down in the drive, as senior quarterback Bronson Edwards converted one of each with his legs before finishing it off with a two-yard touchdown plunge.

Edwards was efficient throughout the game, taking what the defense gave him and spreading the ball around. Receivers Amir Wright-Hill, Cooper Bratton, Chase Ritchie and Zane Cline each had multiple catches by halftime, with Wright-Hill scoring on a 36-yard strike in the second quarter.

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It was the Eagles' senior running back duo, though, that really allowed them to control the pace of the game. Nolan Carpenter and Bryce Stroble rotated drives throughout the game, and both put together plenty of solid runs to keep the offense moving and the clock ticking.

Carpenter started the game with Stroble as the change of pace back, but its a role Stroble has embraced in his final season.

"[Carpenter]'s a four-year starter, so coming in this year when they told me I was playing running back, I knew I probably wasn't going to get the starting job," Stroble said following the game, "But whenever I get in there, I'm going to run my heart out and try to win that job if I can."

Carpenter stretched Delta's lead to 24-0 with a 23-yard touchdown run to cap the first half, and Stroble added his own score on a 10-yard run to finish off the Eagles' first drive of the third quarter. The duo finished with over 200 combined yards on the ground and a touchdown apiece.

"We've been lucky the last couple of years where we've split carries," Delta coach Chris Overholt said. "Those guys root for each other. They could be very selfish, you know they want the ball, but we are stronger when we can split carries and keep guys fresh, especially going into the fourth quarter.

Overholt highlighted the two backs' willingness to do what's best for the team, not only to split the workload but also to do some dirty work in pass protection.

"They take pride in [blocking]. They both are complete backs where they can catch the ball, run the ball, and they block very well," Overholt said. "That's a big part of our game, and to be a running back in our offense, you have to be able to do that."

Shelbyville's offense was shut down by the Eagles' defense for most of the game, finally breaking through with three minutes left in the third quarter. Golden Bears receiver Jaylen Eads took a bubble screen from midfield to the goalline, and receiver/running back Grantland Fitzgerald gave the Bears their first score on a quick run up the middle.

Delta didn't take long to answer the Shelbyville breakthrough, as defensive back Kamryn Wilson returned the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown. A missed extra point gave Delta a 37-7 lead heading into the final 15 minutes, which would wind up as the final score.

"I liked our tenacity. We were very motivated," Overholt said of his defense. "Those guys have high, lofty goals. They were upset about giving the one score up, but we like that. We like having a defense with an edge."

Delta (3-0) will play its next game at rival Yorktown on Friday, Sep. 13, at 7:00 p.m. Shelbyville (1-2), meanwhile, will look to bounce back at home next week against New Castle.

Contact Cade Hampton via email at cbhampton@muncie.gannett.com or on X, formerly known as Twitter, @CadeHamp10.

This article originally appeared on Muncie Star Press: Delta running back duo shines in dominant win over Shelbyville; game score, highlights