The Corrigan-Camden Bulldogs will hit the road for the first time this season Friday when they travel to face the undefeated Shelbyville Dragons.
Friday will mark the first meeting between the two programs since 2017, when Corrigan-Camden traveled to Shelbyville and earned a 26-14 victory. The Bulldogs and Dragons also met the previous season in Corrigan.
Corrigan enters the matchup at 1-1 after bouncing back from its season-opening loss to Hardin with a 35-22 victory over Colmesneil last Friday.
Shelbyville has opened the season 2-0 under head coach Jerred Wallace and will be playing its first home game of the year Friday. The Dragons opened with a 34-0 shutout victory at Sabine before surviving a much different challenge last week with a 43-42 win at Hooks.
The turnaround comes after Shelbyville finished 3-8 last season, although they still reached the playoffs before falling 55-40 to Leon in the bi-district round. The Dragons were 10-3 just one season earlier in 2024.
Wallace entered this season with an experienced group, after Shelbyville returned several starters from last year’s playoff team. Junior linebacker Tate Obregon was the district’s Newcomer of the Year last season, while senior Hunter Harvey earned first-team all-district recognition on both sides of the ball. Both are among a number of returning players expected to play key roles for the Dragons this season.
Junior quarterback Gavin McDonald also returns to lead the Shelbyville offense. McDonald threw 21 touchdown passes last season and has already shown his ability to make plays through the air and on the ground.
“We have not played Shelbyville since I have coached here, but I know they want to spread it out and throw it a whole lot,” said Bulldog head coach Brett Ratliff. “This team will probably air it out with the most pass concepts than we have seen yet.”
For Corrigan, Friday provides an opportunity to build on a much more productive offensive performance against Colmesneil. Senior Derrick Reagie leads the Bulldogs with 279 rushing yards through two games, while sophomore Emmanuel Foreman has totaled 156 receiving yards. Sophomore quarterback Mikey Murphy has thrown three touchdown passes through the first two weeks.
“Building on last week, first we’re going to have to get off the field on third down. In those situations, we have to make sure to execute and force them to punt,” Ratliff said. “Offensively, we need to set up our first-down plays and avoid any in costly penalties.”
Friday’s matchup is the third of four non-district games for Corrigan before district play begins Sept. 25 against Centerville.
Kickoff between the Bulldogs and Dragons is scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday at Dragon Stadium in Shelbyville.
