Echo community correspondent Amanda Dodge contributed to this story.
Orchard View shocked Shelby with a 22-point fourth-quarter comeback Friday night, ending the Tigers’ regular season with a 35-34 defeat.
Luckily for Shelby, that wasn’t the end of its story, as it was announced Sunday that the Tigers qualified for the Division 7 playoffs, with a Michigan Power Rating that ranked 31st of the 32 teams who earned a postseason berth. Shelby travels to Pine River Friday for a pre-district game.
The Tigers didn’t yet know that Friday night, but coach Phil Fortier maintained belief his team would qualify immediately after the loss.
“I’ve got nothing to say to (our seniors), because it ain’t over yet,” Fortier said with his trademark gusto after the game. “We get to go back and redeem ourselves after this one.”
OV converted a miraculous fourth-and-long play in the final seconds on a 78-yard touchdown pass from Peyton Babbitt to I’Zavion Spears, then got a two-point conversion to win by a point.
For three quarters, the game belonged to the Tigers, despite the absences of injured stars Isaac Garcia, DayDay Garcia and Elijah Dashiell. Without them, Shelby built the whole offense around running back Brody Fessenden and quarterback Jaylin Henderson, and did so to great effect as the Tigers built a 34-13 lead.
Both players had monster performances, with Fessenden running for 212 yards and Henderson for 144. Henderson also passed for 73 yards, 22 of them to Fessenden. Each ran for two touchdowns, and Henderson also connected with Trevor Weiss for a passing score.
“Brody Fessenden was incredible,” Fortier said. “The O-line was incredible. We just continued to make plays and started to reach our potential. It was great to see.
“I will tell you this...that was playoff football right there. That prepares us for what the next step will be.”
The difference was a 3-0 edge for Orchard View in the turnover margin and some big plays by both Babbitt, a Saginaw Valley State commit who had 272 offensive yards, and fellow Cardinal star Damari Wright, who had 101 receiving.
It was an emotional postgame scene as Shelby considered their postseason hopes hanging in the balance, but with the Tigers now poised to play in the playoffs for the first time (outside of the 2020 all-in season) since their 2013 state semifinal run, high hopes are back for the team.
“I’m really proud of my kids. I love them. I wouldn’t trade them for anything,” Fortier said. “They’re dudes. It’s a really tough loss, and I know they feel bad. We all feel bad...We’ll make the corrections and we’re going to stay tough.”
