Shepard allowed a touchdown to Oak Lawn in the final seconds to fall to 0-3 on Sept. 12. For the Astros, things began to change that night.
Astros quarterback Billy Massey and his teammates wanted to come into the next week and show they were better than their record.
“We played hard the whole game. We just fell short,” Massey said. “It really motivated all of us. We came and had an excellent week of practice. Everybody was playing hard, literally hustling all week, and it showed in the game (Sept. 19).”
The extra motivation and a good week of practice propelled Shepard to its first victory of the season, 31-7 over visiting Evergreen Park on homecoming night.
“This was our best week of practice since the season actually began,” Astros coach John Rone said. “They learned from last week and were able to take care of business today.”
Massey went 9-for-16 for 125 yards and a touchdown to senior receiver Krystian Koscak (two catches, 50 yards) for Shepard (1-3, 1-1 South Suburban Red). He also was mobile, finding ways to reach his teammates and even came up with two rushing touchdowns in the win.
“Massey is a natural leader type, and he’s a gamer,” Rone said. “He wants the pressure and he’s a guy that learns from his mistakes.”
The senior quarterback missed time in the summer with a broken foot which is just one of the injuries that have hit the Astros.
“It’s been strange,” Massey said. “We are all used to having that one set group that’s always on the field. But it’s broken apart. Pieces have come back a bit at a time.”
Junior running back Aarien Lee returned to the field after being hurt Week 1 against Lane. Due to his time out with a concussion, he wore a Guardian Cap over his helmet against Evergreen Park.
That change did not bother Lee and he finished as the game’s lead rusher with nine carries for 106 yards.
“Honestly, it didn’t feel really different at all. Once I got my helmet on, I was just like, ‘I’m back,’” Lee said. “I’m very thankful for my coaches that they’re looking out for me.”
“That kid is as tough as nails,” Rone said of Lee. “That guy has been chomping at the bit to get back on the field, so tonight did not surprise me.”
Shepard was not the only team missing players. Evergreen Park starting quarterback Brady Bruen went down in the second quarter and sat the rest of the game, opening an opportunity for Tyler Phelps.
“We have the luxury that we have a nice backup to come in when things happen,” Mustangs coach Jim Ramazinski said.
Evergreen Park’s lone score was on a 10-yard touchdown pass from Phelps to senior running back Omarrion Evans.
Coming into the game, the Mustangs (3-1, 0-1) had scored 107 points. But the Shepard defense was too much for them.
“We shot ourselves in the foot early on, and we can’t have turnovers,” Ramazinski said. “Hats off to Shepard. They played a really great game.”
One of those turnovers was a fumble recovery for a TD by linebacker Anthony Gibbs in the second quarter that gave the Astros a 17-0 lead.
“As long as these guys continue to learn from their mistakes, we’re going to win a lot of ball games,” Rone said.
“If we keep up this energy and keep everyone pumped to do the best they can do, I think we’re going to be very good,” Massey said.