Top Performers From Shepard’s 27-0 Victory Over Eisenhower

In today’s ariel evolution of passing the ball, the Shepard Astros defeated conference rival Eisenhower 27-0 in an old-fashioned run the ball and play defense type of game. Shepard’s running backs were responsible for the nearly 300 yards this team amassed on the ground. <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="155093" first="Kendrick" last="Washington"]</strong>, <strong>Xavier Rogers,</strong> and <strong>Elijah Tyson </strong>were the three backs who took turns running up and down Eisenhower’s defense. [player_tooltip player_id="155093" first="Kendrick" last="Washington"] set the tone early by taking a 46-yard run to the house on the Astros opening drive. Washington would break loose again with .45 seconds left in the first quarter for a 50-yard run to give him his second touchdown in the first quarter and put the Astros up 15-0 over Eisenhower. Shephard would take control of the game in the third quarterback when standout linebacker <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="157705" first="Robert" last="Jones"]</strong> blocked a punt which led to a safety and put the Astros up 17-0. Coming off the safety the Astros had a short field and although they didn’t find the endzone, their kicker was able to connect on a 23-yard field goal to extend the Astros lead to 20-0. Eisenhower would finally gain some momentum after <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="20866" first="Nashon" last="Johnson"]</strong> connected with <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="165463" first="Alonzo" last="Powe"]</strong> on a 60-yard completion to put the Cardinals in scoring position for the first time in the second half. As quickly as Eisenhower gained some momentum, senor standout <strong>[player_tooltip player_id="157626" first="RaSand" last="Hall"</strong>] picked off [player_tooltip player_id="20866" first="Nashon" last="Johnson"] to end the third quarter and also end any hopes of an Eisenhower comeback. As the game entered the fourth, Eisenhower would continue to struggle to get their offense started, and with 3:13 left in the game, [player_tooltip player_id="155093" first="Kendrick" last="Washington"] dealt the final blow as he ran in for his thrid score of the game to put the Astros up 27-0 which would be the final score of the game. Shepard (1-4) earned its first victory of the season against Eisenhower and looks to keep things rolling as they get ready for another conference showdown against Evergreen Park (4-1) in week 6. But before we look any further into the Astros season, let’s get to know five Astros who caught my attention in their 27-0 victory against Eisenhower. <hr /> <h5><em><strong>Roy Williams | DE | ’22</strong></em></h5> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-207919" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/09/IMG_7326-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> The 6-foot-5 240-pound Northern Illinois commit played with a level of physicality that was unmatched during Shepard’s win this past Friday.  Williams recorded 2 sacks and was virtually unblockable as his size, strength, and athleticism posed an unsolvable problem for Eisenhower’s o-line. He flashed great explosiveness off the line and utilized his bull rush when necessary. Williams is a freak athlete with untapped potential who should have a successful playing career post-high school. <h5><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="155093" first="Kendrick" last="Washington"] | RB | ’22</strong></em></h5> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-207920" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/09/IMG_7327-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> Washington had to fill in at quarterback due to an injury to Shepard’s Q’ran McClellan, but that didn’t prevent him from being the driving force behind Shepard’s 27-0 win over Eisenhower. The senior back filling in at quarterback had a hot start to the game by eclipsing 100 yards on the ground by the end of the first quarter. He would finish the night with 177 rushing yards and three touchdowns and a flurry of impressive runs. Washington has a graceful yet violent running style. He’s tough enough to get physical and run it up the gut and possesses the speed and vision to go the distance any time the ball is in his hands. <h5><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="157626" first="RaSand" last="Hall"] | LB | ’22</strong></em></h5> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-207921" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/09/IMG_7328-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> Hall is as versatile of a defender as you’ll find in the state. His skill set makes him a match for just about any defensive scheme you can think of. He’s physical enough to take on blocks and come downhill and lay the boom on ball carriers. He’s also skilled enough to drop back in coverage and hold his own against pass-catchers. Hall had one of the plays of the game as Eisenhower was threatening to get on the board when Hall picked off Eisenhower’s quarterback midway through the third to shift the momentum in Shepard’s favor and any hopes of an Eisenhower comeback. <h5><em><strong>[player_tooltip player_id="157705" first="Robert" last="Jones"] | LB | ’22</strong></em></h5> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-207922" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/09/IMG_7329-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> Jones was everywhere the ball was during this game, and It seemed like he was a part of every one of Shepard’s recorded tackles—a tackling machine, to say the least. He did a good job diagnosing plays and used his speed and power to get around and through opposing blocks. Jones flashed some ability to play and showed that he could move well for a linebacker his size. <h5><em><strong>Xavier Rogers | RB | ’23</strong></em></h5> <img class="alignnone size-medium wp-image-207923" src="https://prephoops-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/redzone/uploads/2021/09/IMG_7330-225x300.jpeg" alt="" width="225" height="300" /> Rogers was a big reason why Eisenhower’s defense wore down as the game went on. [player_tooltip player_id="155093" first="Kendrick" last="Washington"] might have had all the flashy runs, but Rogers’ bruising yet elusive running style was how Shepard played keep away and won the time of possession. Rogers boasts good foot speed, vision, cutback ability,  and solid leg churn to move a pile. He’s a complete back that should be getting way more attention than he currently is getting. <hr /> <h5><em><strong>Other Astros To Keep an Eye on</strong></em></h5> Elijah Tyson | RB | ’23 Malachi Smith | LB | ’22 <hr /> <h5><em><strong>In-Game Highlights</strong></em></h5> https://twitter.com/dclay1889/status/1441560890764038144?s=20 https://twitter.com/dclay1889/status/1441580294008619009?s=20 https://twitter.com/dclay1889/status/1441590651750076418?s=20