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By ANDREW SIMONSON | Sports Editor

BUHL – The Shelby County Wildcats are back in the win column for the first time in 26 matches, and they did so in dominant fashion in one of the most important matches of the season.

Shelby County defeated the Sipsey Valley Bears 11-0 on Thursday, Feb. 13 to secure a crucial area win and their first victory since the 2023 campaign.

After losing 10-0 to Tarrant at home on Tuesday, Feb. 11, the Wildcats wasted little time getting their first goal of the season. TJ Minton scored an unassisted goal in the very first minute of the match to put his team up 1-0.

He would follow that up with a third-minute goal, this time off an assist from Remy Martinez. Angle Dominguez kept the goals coming with back-to-back goals in the sixth and 13th minutes, the latter of which was assisted by Caleb Endfinger.

Now up 4-0 less than 15 minutes into the match, Shelby County didn’t let up. Minton secured his hat trick thanks to an assist from Angel Patino for the fifth goal of the game.

Three minutes later, the Wildcats kicked off a stretch of three goals in four minutes. Marshall Stone scored in the 20th minute off an assist from Minton, and a minute later, Stone helped Conor Belcher score his first of the match. Minton then got his fourth and final goal of the night in the 23rd minute.

Belcher secured his brace with an unassisted effort in the 26th minute before Endfinger scored off Minton’s second assist of the match to increase the lead to 10-0.

That alone would have been enough to trigger the mercy rule at the halftime break, but in the 40th and final minute of the first half, Minton sent a chance Martinez’s way, and he finished it off to cap off the 11-0 win.

Minton finished with four goals and three assists to lead the way in scoring. Dominguez and Belcher each had two goals apiece while Endfinger, Stone and Martinez finished with a goal and an assist each. Patino rounded out the offense with an assist.

In addition, the defense secured its first clean sheet of the season by allowing no goals across the 40-minute match.

Shelby County will test its 1-1 record and 1-0 mark in area play with a tough area test as it hosts Indian Springs on Friday, Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. at Papa McCombs Stadium.