Shepard coach John Rone was effusive with his praise of Anthony Loughran after the senior’s play on both sides of the ball helped the Astros upend previously unbeaten Argo in Week 4.

Loughran, who plays running back and safety, ran for two touchdowns and intercepted a pass as Shepard (3-1, 1-0 South Suburban Red) beat Argo, 25-10, in the Astros’ South Suburban Red opener Sept. 20 in Palos Heights, 

“Anthony ran hard and determined,” Rone said of Loughran’s effort on offense. “Very, very determined. That’s the best way to describe his effort.”

The 5-foot-11, 205-pound senior also contributed to a defensive effort that allowed the Argonauts (3-1, 1-1) to reach the end zone just once and held them to a season-low in points scored. Argo had amassed 83 points (27.6 per game) over the first three games of the season.

“He’s strong, fast and way more athletic than you would think for his size,” Rone said of Loughran. “Overall, he’s just a good football player and a great tackler with great ball skills.

“Free safety is an important position in our scheme and he’s proven why we trust him back there. He makes us go.”

Astros quarterback Noah Vaughn ran for 104 yards and a touchdown, and threw a 48-yard TD pass to Josiah Jones.

Shepard’s 25 points are the most the Argo defense has allowed this season. The Argonauts had two shutouts and had allowed only nine points through the first three weeks.

The Argo offense was led by senior running back Steven Holmes, who had 13 carries for 127 yards and a touchdown.

Shepard’s defensive line played well and the Astros defense was able to pressure senior quarterback Javoris Cotton, said Argo coach Phillip Rossberg said.

“We couldn’t move them,” he said of Shepard’s defensive line. “Their interior pressure caused issues and we didn’t help ourselves with the decisions we made.

“The excitement of the game got to us. This is a learning opportunity for us, definitely.”

Pacing Argo defensively were Christian Zubek, who finished with seven tackles and a fumble recovery, and Jayvon King, who had two interceptions.

“This was a mental game,” Rossberg said. “Football is a game of adversity and we could have done better in handling that.”