The Hart Pirates have been on the wrong side of a handful of games where the scoreboard showed 70 points for one club. On Friday night, Coach Joe Tanis’ crew got to enjoy the positive feelings of scoring 70 points, as they took down Shelby 70-12.
Hart scored 22 unanswered points in the opening quarter. Kellen Kimes tossed three touchdowns in the frame, including one to Chance Alvesteffer. The Alvesteffer touchdown was part of an “octopus”, as Alvesteffer caught the touchdown and the two-point conversion.
Shelby would get on the scoreboard in the second quarter, snapping a scoring drought that dated back to Week 2 of the season. Isaiah Garcia found Nick Baffi on an 87-yard passing play. It was one of two touchdowns for Shelby in the quarter, as Cade Clement would return a kickoff 82 yards for a score.
Hart scored three times in the frame, with successful two-point tries on all three. Alvesteffer completed another octopus, and he also rushed for a 25-yard touchdown. This gave Hart a 46-12 halftime lead.
The second half was cruise control after the first touchdown, as the running clock was in effect. Hart outgained Shelby 474-111 in this game. Kellen Kimes was 13/24 for 266 yards and five touchdowns. Chance Alvesteffer had 58 rushing yards, 92 receiving yards and four total touchdowns.
Hart improves to 3-5 on the year, their most wins in a regular season since 2018. If they are able to defeat White Cloud next week, the Pirates could have their most victories since 2004. Shelby slides to 0-8 with this loss. The Tigers will battle Hesperia, another winless club, in Week 9. The Tigers currently are on a 16-game skid, with a 2-58 record since the start of 2015.
