Shepherd, Valley Too Much For Bluejays
September 18, 2021 at 4:21 a.m.
Shepherd, Valley Too Much For Bluejays
By Dale [email protected]
In a battle of unbeaten, top 10 teams in their respective class, the 6-foot-1, 174-pound speedy and elusive senior scored three touchdowns against the host Bluejays and led the Class 3A No. 9 Vikings to a 26-10 win at Liberty Field.
Prior to Friday, North Judson hadn’t given up more than 14 points to a team this season.
Led by Shepherd, the Vikings had that many points by halftime, as they improved to 5-0 for the first time since 2007.
Shepherd finished the game with 11 carries for 116 yards and touchdown runs of 15 and 61 yards before the intermission.
He scored from 43 yards out on a screen pass from senior quarterback Branson McBrier in the fourth quarter that gave the visitors a 26-7 advantage.
“This is a good place to play, and a good, hard team,” Valley coach Steve Moriarty, whose team was slated to play Three Rivers Conference rival Rochester in the annual battle for the Bell Trophy before Covid 19 complications altered the schedule, said in postgame comments on the radio.
“North Judson’s defense is the best one we’ve seen all year. They do a very good job of block down, pinch down.”
In terms of defense, it was Valley that shined.
The Vikings held North Judson to just 113 yards of total offense - 63 on the ground and 50 through the air.
The Bluejays had more yards on senior Cheyenne Allen’s 70-yard punt return for a touchdown than they did in their running game against the stingy Vikings, who have outscored their five opponents 193-39.
Allen led North Judson with eight carries for 48 yards, while Aldric Harper completed 6 of 15 pass attempts for 50 yards.
To go with Shepherd’s offensive production, senior Jamasyn Virgil had nine carries for 32 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown that made the score 20-7 with 3:45 left in the third quarter, sophomore Dalton Alber added four carries for 30 yards, and senior Hunter Ehrenmen had 21 yards on four carries.
McBrier completed 8 of 14 passes for 95 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings. He hasn’t thrown an interception through five games so far this season.
Valley, which hadn’t played North Judson since 2004, will host the Whitko Wildcats Friday for homecoming.
Whitko beat North Miami 21-14 Friday in a battle of winless teams.
“We’ve watched them on film twice from trading film,” Moriarty said of the Wildcats. “They have some players on their team that can be explosive and break some plays.
“Their defense has had a couple shutouts in the first half, so they’ve got some things rolling, especially coming off the high of a win.”
In a battle of unbeaten, top 10 teams in their respective class, the 6-foot-1, 174-pound speedy and elusive senior scored three touchdowns against the host Bluejays and led the Class 3A No. 9 Vikings to a 26-10 win at Liberty Field.
Prior to Friday, North Judson hadn’t given up more than 14 points to a team this season.
Led by Shepherd, the Vikings had that many points by halftime, as they improved to 5-0 for the first time since 2007.
Shepherd finished the game with 11 carries for 116 yards and touchdown runs of 15 and 61 yards before the intermission.
He scored from 43 yards out on a screen pass from senior quarterback Branson McBrier in the fourth quarter that gave the visitors a 26-7 advantage.
“This is a good place to play, and a good, hard team,” Valley coach Steve Moriarty, whose team was slated to play Three Rivers Conference rival Rochester in the annual battle for the Bell Trophy before Covid 19 complications altered the schedule, said in postgame comments on the radio.
“North Judson’s defense is the best one we’ve seen all year. They do a very good job of block down, pinch down.”
In terms of defense, it was Valley that shined.
The Vikings held North Judson to just 113 yards of total offense - 63 on the ground and 50 through the air.
The Bluejays had more yards on senior Cheyenne Allen’s 70-yard punt return for a touchdown than they did in their running game against the stingy Vikings, who have outscored their five opponents 193-39.
Allen led North Judson with eight carries for 48 yards, while Aldric Harper completed 6 of 15 pass attempts for 50 yards.
To go with Shepherd’s offensive production, senior Jamasyn Virgil had nine carries for 32 yards, including a 10-yard touchdown that made the score 20-7 with 3:45 left in the third quarter, sophomore Dalton Alber added four carries for 30 yards, and senior Hunter Ehrenmen had 21 yards on four carries.
McBrier completed 8 of 14 passes for 95 yards and a touchdown for the Vikings. He hasn’t thrown an interception through five games so far this season.
Valley, which hadn’t played North Judson since 2004, will host the Whitko Wildcats Friday for homecoming.
Whitko beat North Miami 21-14 Friday in a battle of winless teams.
“We’ve watched them on film twice from trading film,” Moriarty said of the Wildcats. “They have some players on their team that can be explosive and break some plays.
“Their defense has had a couple shutouts in the first half, so they’ve got some things rolling, especially coming off the high of a win.”
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