Shepherd is 4-0 against Joliet since August of 2014, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Friday. The Shepherd Mustangs will host the Joliet J Hawks at 7:00 p.m. Keep an eye on the score for this one: both posted some lofty point totals in their previous games.
Last Friday, Shepherd strolled past Colstrip with points to spare, taking the game 36-21.
Connor Wilson was his usual excellent self, rushing for 224 yards and four touchdowns while picking up 8.6 yards per carry. The dominant performance gave him a new career-high in rushing yards. Shepherd also got help from Nate Reynolds, who showed off his sure hands for 83 receiving yards.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Shepherd was unstoppable on the ground and finished the game with 291 rushing yards. That's the most rushing yards they've managed all season.
Shepherd's defense made their presence known, laying out Officials Group. five times. Phillip Kelly was especially locked on to Colstrip's QB and sacked him twice.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Joliet). They simply couldn't be stopped on Friday as they easily beat Roundup 69-7 at home. Considering the J Hawks have won three contests by more than 44 points this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Jake Cook continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 176 yards and three touchdowns on only eight carries, while also catching a touchdown.
Joliet's defense was in the mix too, especially the secondary: they snagged four passes before it was all said and done. Aj Kananen led the group effort, picking up two of those interceptions all by himself.
Shepherd's victory bumped their record up to 2-3. As for Joliet, their win bumped their record up to 4-1.
Friday's match might be decided in the on the ground. Shepherd has been excellent on the ground this season, having averaged 157.4 rushing yards per game. However, it's not like Joliet struggles in that department as they've been averaging 205. It's looking like Friday's game might have some serious battles in the trenches.
Shepherd strolled past Joliet in their previous matchup back in September of 2023 by a score of 52-36. One of the biggest obstacles the team faced in that game was Joliet's Kaden Juhnke, who threw for 249 yards and four touchdowns while completing 72% of his passes, and also rushed for 40 yards. Now that he's got a second chance to win this matchup, will Shepherd still be able to contain Juhnke? Check MaxPreps.com after the match to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
