BUTCH HARMON
Sports Scene
Basketball season may be a couple of months away, but the Shepherd football team is looking for a rebound in Friday’s Jack Pine Conference game at Gladwin.
After opening the season with a pair of wins, the Bluejays need a rebound after dropping a 13-0 decision to Bullock Creek in week three.
The trip to Gladwin will be anything but easy as the host Flying G’s come into the game with a 2-1 overall record after a 39-14 victory against Standish-Sterling last week.
Shepherd played well on the defensive side of the football in the loss against Bullock Creek, but this week’s contest at Gladwin will require a total-team effort on both sides of the line of scrimmage for all four quarters.
For Shepherd, this week is about the details.
The Bluejays showed last week that they can battle defensively and play physical football. Now the challenge is turning that effort into execution for four quarters. Against a disciplined Gladwin program, every assignment, block, tackle and possession matters.
Shepherd enters the matchup 2–1 and gets an immediate opportunity to respond against a familiar Jack Pine Conference opponent.
“This week is about the details,” said Shepherd coach Owen Russell. “We saw last week that we can play physical, disciplined football and compete for four all four quarters, but now we have to take the next step and finish. Gladwin is a well-coached football team, and they’re going to make you earn everything. Our focus this week has been controlling what we can control-our preparation, our effort, and doing the little things right on every snap.”
After being held scoreless for the first time this season, Shepherd’s offense will look to get back to the physical and disciplined style that helped the Bluejays start the year 2–0. The emphasis this week is on winning first down, eliminating negative plays and penalties, protecting the football, finishing blocks, staying ahead of the chains and capitalizing when opportunities reach the red zone. Shepherd doesn’t need to reinvent its offense. The Bluejays need to execute the details and make every possession count.
“We need to get back to who we are and execute the run schemes and techniques we know well,” said Shepherd offensive line coach John Huckins. “Against Bullock Creek we got caught up in the fight and lost our focus on the details that have brought us success. Details that are key to getting off the ball explosively and to the point of attack which is required to dominate the run game. Every week we look for the lessons to build on for the rest of the season and “FOCUS” is a great one to establish early on.
On the defensive side of the football, staying disciplined will be a major key. Gladwin presents one of Shepherd’s biggest tests of assignment football. The Flying G’s continue to utilize an option-based spread offense that stresses a defense horizontally and vertically. Their offensive line returns significant experience, and their running attack showed how dangerous it can be last week. For Shepherd, the formula is straightforward: Do your job, trust the man next to you and tackle. Against an option offense, one missed assignment can turn into a big play. The Bluejays must stay disciplined with the quarterback, dive and pitch responsibilities while pursuing the football as a unit.
A couple of Bluejays to keep an eye on during this game are senior running back/defensive lineman Ty Burns and junior tight end/linebacker Damon Orlando.
Burns currently leads Shepherd with 214 yds on 50 carries along with 2 tackles for a loss. His ability to stay disciplined in reading what the defense gives him and making routine plays turn into big plays could be major momentum swing. A two-way player, Burns is a big part of getting some pressure off the Shepherds passing game.
Orlando is a versatile player who creates the type of matchup where disciplined linebacker play matters. Orlando, who has 18-solo tackles, one tackles for loss, one forced fumble and two blocked field goals, will be counted on to read his keys, play assignment football and help prevent Gladwin’s option attack from creating explosive plays both on the perimeter and inside.
Shepherd’s first loss of the season provides an opportunity to find out what kind of team the Bluejays want to become. The defense showed its toughness last week. The next step is putting together a complete football game, offense, defense and special teams, while eliminating the small mistakes that can decide close games.
Shepherd football team looks to rebound in road trip to Gladwin
