Shelby adds another title chapter to Cleveland County football history

Shelby High School made yet another emphatic statement about Cleveland County football on Saturday at N.C. State's Carter-Finley Stadium in a 42-21 N.C. 2AA state championship game victory over North Davidson.

Not only was it Shelby's 17th state championship overall - and fifth title in six years - but it continued a run of Cleveland County football excellence that shows no signs of slowing.

Shelby's victory gives Cleveland County 27 state championships overall.

That's picked up speed in recent years as the county has sent at least one team to the state finals 16 times in the last 25 years, with two teams representing the county six times in that time frame.

And with all the county's rosters featuring talented underclassmen, there's little reason to believe the county's determined pursuit of titles won't continue in 2019.

Burns may be coming off a challenging season in which it went 4-8 overall, but all four of the Bulldogs' All-Big South 3A Conference players were juniors.

Crest just completed a 9-4 season in which its losses were to N.C. 3AA champion Weddington, Big South 3A champion Hunter Huss (twice) and Western N.C. 3A runner-up Kings Mountain.

Kings Mountain just completed a 12-3 season in which its losses were to N.C. 2AA champion Shelby, Big South 3A champion Hunter Huss and N.C. 3A champion Charlotte Catholic. Five of its eight All-Big South 3A Conference players were underclassmen.

And Shelby (13-3) won its last 12 games to win the state title after losing to county rivals Burns and Crest and Western Mountain Athletic 3A Conference champion A.C. Reynolds. Additionally, nine of the Golden Lions' top players were underclassmen.

Just as important, all four county teams don't restock - rather, they are reloading. Each is blessed with talented players coming up from feeder programs.

Shelby and Crest won their respective junior varsity conference titles.

Shelby went 5-0 in the Southwestern 2A Conference and 10-0 overall while Crest went 7-0 in the Big South 3A Conference and 8-2 overall (losing only to Crest and Weddington).

Their titles mean a Cleveland County school has won or shared at least one JV title every year since 2010.

At the middle school level, Cleveland County's dominance is even more pronounced as the the county has won 16 of the 17 all-time Tri-County Conference championship games since they began in 2002.

Just as significantly, 14 of the 17 runner-up teams have come from Cleveland County.

This past fall, Burns had the school's first-ever 8-0 season this year when the Eagles downed Kings Mountain 27-0 in the title game.

So while 2018 was yet another title-winning season, it'd be safe to assume 2019 also will be special - and perhaps for more than one Cleveland County team.

Richard Walker: 704-869-1843; twitter.com/jrwalk22

2018 N.C. football championship scores

(At Duke)

4AA - Wake Forest 9, Charlotte Vance 7

1A - Murphy 60, Pamlico County 27

4A - East Forsyth 35, Scotland County 28

(At North Carolina)

3AA - Weddington 27, Southeast Guilford 14

3A - Charlotte Catholic 17, Jacksonville 14

(At N.C. State)

2A - Reidsville 31, Elizabeth City Northeastern 28

2AA - Shelby 42, North Davidson 21

1AA - Tarboro 50, East Surry 10

Cleveland County high school football state champions

1947 -- Shelby (WNCHSAA Western)

1956 -- Kings Mountain (WNCHSAA Western)

1956 -- Cleveland (NCHSAC 6-man)

1957 -- Cleveland (NCHSAC 6-man)

1968 -- Shelby (WNCHSAA)

1970 -- Shelby (WNCHSAA)

1972 -- Shelby (WNCHSAA)

1975 -- Shelby (co-WNCHSAA)

1976 -- Shelby (WNCHSAA)

1984 -- Shelby (3A Western Division II)

1986 -- Shelby (3A)

1987 -- Shelby (3A)

1994 -- Burns (3A)

1994 -- Crest (4A)

1996 -- Crest (4A)

1998 -- Shelby (2A)

2003 -- Crest (3AA)

2004 -- Crest (3AA)

2005 -- Shelby (2AA)

2006 -- Shelby (2AA)

2013 -- Shelby (2A)

2014 -- Shelby (2A)

2014 -- Crest (3A)

2015 -- Shelby (2A)

2015 -- Crest (3AA)

2016 -- Shelby (2AA)

2018 -- Shelby (2AA)