• After overcoming a challenging season, the Shelby High football team will play for the NCHSAA 3A state championship. • The Golden Lions will face Kinston in the final for the first time since their 2021 title appearance. • Despite starting the season 0-2, Shelby persevered through injuries and a tough playoff schedule to reach the final. • The team is motivated by the program's legacy and aims to win its 20th football title.

Mike Wilbanks didn’t have a script written as he called Shelby football players together following their first practice of the 2025 season. So after hammering home the importance of the team’s annual sale of discount cards and locker room decorum, the Golden Lions’ head man opted to speak from the heart.

“(After the) first practice of the year, I talked about

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