SHEPHERD — Shepherd bulldogged its way to a 50-32 district win over the Tarkington Longhorns on Friday.
The Pirates received the ball for the opening kickoff, and it was all Pirates from that point on; between Landen Dellinger, Preston Stephens, Jevaris Marsh and the rest of the Pirate offense, the team pushed 70-plus yards for the first score of the game.
The Longhorns returned with a field goal, and Shepherd didn’t respond until the second quarter.
The Pirate offense heated up in the second half, running the score to 36-10. In the fourth, the teams traded TDs, and with 3:10 left in the game, quarterback Landen Dellinger takes the ball up the center of the field for 21 yards and the final score of the night.
Head Coach Miles Robison said, “I thought our kids came out focused and ready to play. We knew that we needed to win this game to give us a good shot of getting to the postseason. We felt like we needed to be more physical up front than Tarkington and we had a good chance.”
The big difference in the game was the offensive line for the Pirates, which has played tremendously this season, Robison said.
“Our running backs have done a good job of taking care of the ball, and the defense has made stops when we’ve needed them,” he said. “We need to clean up some things.”
Shepherd will face West Orange Stark, a top-rated team and the Pirates will need to be focused and ready to play, Robison said.
With a total yardage of 505 yards for the night, Preston Stephens had 12 carries for 143 yards and 1 TD and 1 reception for a score; Landen Dellinger had 17 carries for 215 yards with 2 TDs; Jevaris Marsh had 13 carries for 97 yards and 2 TDs; and Gage Murphy had 2 carries for 28 yards and 1 TD.
Coldspring
The Trojans fell to Orangefield by a heartbreaking 2 points on Friday, 28-26.
Coldspring had 416 total yards in offense, with 246 rushing for 3 TDs and 170 yards passing with 1 TD.
David Rowe went 7 for 12 in the air, while giving up 1 Interception. Tyga Parker posted 162 yards on 22 carries for 2 TDs; Antwan Phillips had a 43-yard reception; Landon Ellisor had 36 yards on 2 receptions; Cadyn Barton posted 43 yards on 8 carries; Cookie McGowen had 14 yards on 4 carries; and David Rowe had 31 yards in 4 carries.
