Football Preview: Shepard Astros vs. Richards Bulldogs
Shepard hasn't had much luck against Richards recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Shepard Astros will host the Richards Bulldogs at 7:00 p.m. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Richards is hoping to do what Evergreen Park couldn't on Friday: put an end to Shepard's winning streak, which now stands at four games. Shepard breezed by Evergreen Park on the road to the tune of 40-0.
Anthony Loughran continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 155 yards and two touchdowns while picking up 9.7 yards per carry. With that strong performance, he is now averaging an impressive 107.6 rushing yards per game. Another player making a difference was Noah Vaughn, who rushed for 29 yards and two touchdowns.
He was just one part of a punishing run game: Shepard was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 239 rushing yards. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now rushed for at least 183 rushing yards in five consecutive matches.
Meanwhile, Richards' offense rose to the challenge against a Argonauts defense that boasted an average of only 15 points allowed on Friday. Richards took their matchup on the road with ease, bagging a 41-0 win over Argo. Given the Bulldogs' advantage in MaxPreps' Illinois football rankings (they are ranked 83rd, while the Argonauts are ranked 219th), the result wasn't entirely unexpected.
Shepard's victory bumped their record up to 4-1. As for Richards, they pushed their record up to 4-1 with the win, which was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season.
Shepard lost to Richards at home by a decisive 41-27 margin when the teams last played back in September of 2023. Will Shepard have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more football content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
