Astros defeat Rams 42-15, Claims First SSC Red Title in 28 Years

MJ and the Bulls were en route to their first three-peat the last time the Shepard Astros were crowned SSC Red champs. This also means none of the current players on Shepard’s roster were even thought of the last time this team reigned supreme over the SSC Red. But over the weekend, Shepard made history by capturing its first conference title in 28 years in a dominant performance as they defeated the Reavis Rams 42-15. Shepard found the endzone early in the first quarter when <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="119787" first="Jamari" last="McGee"]</strong> broke free on a screen pass for a 12-yard touchdown. Reavis would turnover it on downs on their ensuing possession, but Shepard would give the ball right back after <strong>Robert Jennings </strong>forced a fumble with a big hit on Shepard’s quarterback <strong>Quran McClellan. </strong>Reavis would end up with great field positioning after forcing the fumble as they looked to even up the score, but <strong>Jaylen Smith</strong> of Shepard had other plans as he picked off Reavis’ quarterback <strong>Brandon Keane </strong>to put an end to their drive. Midway through the 2nd quarter, Reavis found the end zone for their first points of the day on a 1-yard run by <strong>Robert Jennings</strong>. Shepard would immediately answer Reavis on their next drive when <strong>Quran McClellan</strong> connected with <strong>Julian Carmona</strong> for a 48-yard touchdown pass to give Shepard a 14-7 lead going into the half. On the opening drive of the 2nd half, Reavis’ shifty running back <strong>Cobi Boles</strong> took a catch-and-run 28-yards to the house; they would convert on the two-point conversion to take take a 15-14 lead. Reavis was finally able to gain some momentum, and the game actually looked like it was going to be a dogfight, but right after Reavis took the lead, <strong>Elijah Tyson</strong> took the ensuing kickoff back 63 yards for a touchdown to put Shepard up 20-15. From this point on, the floodgates were opened and Shepard would dominate the second half. Fumbles and an inability to move the ball downfield plagued Reavis throughout the game. Shepard’s front seven also played a role in Reavis struggling, they were the more physical bunch and it showed as they shut Reavis’ offense out in the second half. Midway through the third, a Reavis fumble would lead to<strong> Quran McClellan</strong> hooking up with <strong>Elijah Tyson</strong> for a 20-yard touchdown to put Shepard up 28-15. McClellan would then score on a 10-yard quarterback keeper with 1:49 left in the third quarter for his fourth touchdown of the game which gave Shepard a comfortable 35-15 lead. <strong>Elijah Tyson</strong> would go on to complete the hat trick and put the icing on the cake as he ran it in from 15-yards out for his third score of the day. Final score, Shepard 42, Reavis 15. <hr /> <h3><em><strong>Noteworthy Performances</strong></em></h3> *click the red link to view highlight &nbsp; <h5><strong><em>Quran McClellan | QB | ’23</em></strong></h5> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-135589" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/04/qm-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> McClellan has a ton of upside and is definitely a prospect to keep an eye on in Illinois’ loaded ’23 class. He finished the game with 4 touchdowns (3 pass, 1 rush) and looked well beyond his years as he did a great job of controlling the pace of the game. He’s a talented dual-threat who can hurt you with his arm or his legs—pick your poison— and should only get better over the next few years. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/04/IMG_5502.mov">Quran McClellan TD pass</a> <h5></h5> <h5><em><strong>Elijah Tyson | RB | ’23</strong></em></h5> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-135592" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/04/et-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> It seemed like Tyson scored every time he touched the ball. His 63-yard kickoff return for a touchdown broke the game wide open and he followed that score up with two more touchdowns (1 rec, 1 rush). He’s an all-purpose back who’s a very gifted runner of the football who can also hurt you as a receiver out the backfield. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/04/IMG_5544.mov">Elijah Tyson TD run</a> <h5></h5> <h5><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="20257" first="Jalen" last="Smith"] | ATH | ’21</strong></em></h5> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-135590" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/04/js-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> Smith was probably one of the more versatile players on the field this weekend. I saw him catching passes as a receiver and taking hand-offs out the backfield—just an overall explosive athlete. But what stood out the most was his defensive performance. He’s a physical DB who’s not afraid to come up and lay the wood and he’s just as good in coverage. He finished the day on defense with multiple big hits, 1 INT, and 2 FR’s <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/04/IMG_5457.mov">[player_tooltip player_id="20257" first="Jalen" last="Smith"] INT</a> <h5></h5> <h5><em><strong>Rasand Hall | ATH | ’22</strong></em></h5> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-135596" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/04/rh-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> A high IQ player who is always going to be in a position to make a play. I consider him a hybrid on defense; he can drop back in coverage and cover with the best of them, or you can slide him up and he can be just as effective from the linebacker position. He’s a sure-tackler who had a tremendous impact on this game. I believe the sky is the limit for the kid, and next season, we’ll really get to see why he should be considered as one of the top defenders in the ’22 class. <a href="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/04/IMG_5449.mov">Rasand Hall pass defensed</a> <h5></h5> <h5><em><strong>Evan Lipinski | LB | ’21</strong></em></h5> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-135594" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/04/el-225x300.jpg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> Simply put, Evan is a tackling machine! Wherever the ball was, he was flying to it and making his presence felt in the process. He was disruptive all game and was a man amongst boys, to say the least.