The Joliet J Hawks will take on the Shepherd Mustangs at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams are strolling into their matchups after big wins in their previous games.
Shepherd will take on a team with plenty of momentum: Joliet extended their winning streak to five on Friday. The J Hawks breezed past Colstrip to the tune of 42-0. The result was nothing new for the J Hawks, who have now won three games by 35 points or more so far this season.
Jake Cook
| 09/26/25 vs Colstrip | 239 |
| 09/19/25 @ Roundup | 227 |
| 08/29/25 @ Shelby | 222 |
| 09/12/25 @ Huntley Project | 91 |
| 09/05/25 vs Sweet Grass County | 86 |
It was another big night for Jake Cook, who threw for 239 yards and four TDs on only 15 passes, and also rushed for 39 yards and a pair of scores. Those 239 passing yards gave him a new career-high. Kasen Krook was Cook's top target, picking up 61 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Joliet didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. In fact, those interceptions all came courtesy of defensive juggernaut Gavin Thompson.
Meanwhile, after low-scoring totals in their previous four contest, Shepherd brought some dynamite into their most recent matchup. They really took it to Roundup for the full four quarters, racking up a 56-0 victory. The Mustangs have beaten the Panthers the last four times they've met, but they better watch out: this was the closest the Panthers has come to flipping the script.
Joliet better focus on containing Ryder Neely and Caleb Nicholson as the pair were huge in Shepherd's win. Neely rushed for 137 yards and one TD on only eight carries, while Nicholson threw for 91 yards and three touchdowns while completing 75% of his passes. Nicholson also deserves a shoutout for his performance on D, forcing one fumble and making one tackle (1.0 for loss). Another player making a difference was Karson Gamradt, who picked up 60 receiving yards and a pair of scores.
They were just one part of a punishing run game: Shepherd was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 271 rushing yards. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their rushing yard total in four consecutive games.
One reason for the win was Shepherd's imposing defense, which managed to get into the backfield for four sacks. Jaxon Fields refused to say out of the backfield, picking up 1.5 sacks all by himself.
Joliet's win bumped their record up to 5-0. As for Shepherd, their victory (their first of the season) made their record 1-4.
Joliet took their win against Shepherd in their previous meeting back in October of 2024 by a conclusive 28-8 score. Do the J Hawks have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Mustangs turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
