It would have been easy for Shepard to have punted on this football season a few weeks ago.
The Astros were sitting at 1-5 with the narrowest of paths to the IHSA playoffs.
But Shepard beat the odds, closing the regular season with three straight wins (two by one score) and becoming one of five four-win teams to earn a spot in the 256-team field.
How did coach John Rone approach the challenge after Week 6?
“The same way we do always,” Rone said after the pairings were announced on Oct. 25. “Just stay the course. We preach big-time about character and consistency.
“We had plenty of confidence we were going on as well.”
The Astros were rewarded for playing a rugged schedule that featured six teams that finished with winning records and two more that went 4-5. They are the No. 15 seed in the Class 6A South bracket and will play at No. 2 seed Bradley-Bourbonnais in the first round.
Sixteen of the 30 football-playing schools in the Southwest Regional coverage area earned playoff berths.
The two biggest classes — 8A and 7A — are seeded 1-32, while the other six classes have 16-team North and South brackets. First-round games will be played Oct. 31 and Nov. 1, with dates and times scheduled to be announced early in the week.
Shepard is just glad to be included for the second straight season after missing out the previous two years. It hasn’t come easy.
The Astros had no returning starters at the offensive skill positions, and just three starters total back on defense. Five sophomores are starting now.
Injuries started taking a toll months before the season began when incoming starting quarterback Billy Massey suffered a broken foot while playing baseball and missed the start of summer workouts.
“These last couple weeks we’ve had a few injured pieces come back,” Rone said.
One was running back Antonio McCarroll, who returned in Week 6 after suffering a broken collarbone during team camp.
Because of the injuries, the Astros had to develop some depth. They’ve had six players rush for touchdowns and five players who have caught two touchdowns.
“It’s been plug and play and stay with the process,” Rone said.
And now the Astros get to do it at least one more week.
In other playoff news:
Three local teams earned No. 1 seeds: Mount Carmel (9-0) in Class 8A, Richards (8-1) in Class 7A and Nazareth (8-1) in Class 6A North.
Both Mount Carmel and Nazareth moved up a class this year after winning three consecutive titles: the Caravan in 7A and the Roadrunners in 5A.
● The Class 8A bracket features a pair of local rematches of Week 9 games.
Top-seeded Mount Carmel (9-0) will host 32 seed Loyola (4-4) in a matchup of three-time defending champs. The Caravan beat the Ramblers 35-24 on Oct. 24 in Wilmette as quarterback Emmett Dowling accounted for four touchdowns.
No. 13 seed Lyons (7-2) will host No. 20 seed York (6-3) for the second straight week. EJ Kuhlman ran 43 times for a program-record 246 yards as the Lions beat the Dukes 34-26 on Oct. 24, denying York a share of the West Suburban Silver title.