After flying high against Roundup last Friday, Shepherd came back down to earth. The Mustangs lost to the Joliet J Hawks on the road by a 32-14 margin on Friday. The Mustangs were not able to make up for their loss to the J Hawks from their previous meeting back in October of 2024.
Although Shepherd took the loss, they still got scores from Caleb Nicholson and Tagg Murdock.
While Shepherd came up short, they sure didn't make it easy for Joliet: they limited their QB to completion percentage of just 47.6%. The team can thank Karson Gamradt for the heroic effort on defense: he. Sadly, that's becoming something of a trend for Shepherd; they were averaging 60.9%completion percentage earlier this season, but in their last three matchups they've fallen to only 60.9%.
Shepherd's defensive line didn't let Jake Cook, get away unscathed either: they got into the backfield for three sacks. The team can thank three different players for their defensive prowess: Jaxson Latimer, Collin Wilson, and Jayden Garay, who each picked up one sack apiece.
Cook produced another solid performance throwing for 229 yards and three touchdowns while picking up 10.9 yards per attempt, and also rushing for 118 yards on only seven carries for Joliet. That's the most rushing yards Cook has posted since back in October of 2024. Kasen Krook was Cook's top target, picking up 74 receiving yards and a pair of scores.
Shepherd's defeat dropped their record down to 1-5. As for Joliet, the win keeps them at an undefeated 6-0.
Coming up, Shepherd will face off against Whitehall/Harrison/Willow Creek at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. As for Joliet, they will have some time to savor their victory since their next game is a little ways off: they'll take on Baker at 7:00 p.m. on the 24th.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
