Football playoffs
Rock solid
Carter makes big plays for Shepard, but Rock Island pours it on
Shepard junior Neiko Carter took some pretty cool memories out of Friday night's game at Rock Island.
Cool, as in a catch and run for an 80-yard touchdown.
Cool again, as in a 95-yard kickoff return.
But he didn't get what he wanted in the Astros' 62-27 defeat in the second round of the Class 6A playoffs.
“Not really,” Carter said. “I wanted a win. But I'm fine. I've got another year.”
The 5-foot-10, 170-pound wide receiver completed a good night with a 3-yard TD run. Mike Iturbe added field goals of 27 and 38 yards for Shepard (7-4).
Rock Island (9-2) was led by senior quarterback Alek Jacobs, who ran for 188 yards and threw for 177 yards.
Shepard got the start it wanted on its first drive. Quarterback Jack Carberry (15-for-32, 200 yards) threw for 14 yards to Carter and 19 yards to Rishard Blake, and Demetrius Harrison ran for 28.
The drive ended with a 3-0 lead thanks to a 27-yard field goal by Iturbe.
“We just moved in and made some big plays that we needed,” Carberry said. “On that (drive), we were good.”
After Rock Island scored on a 9-yard pass, Jacobs to Jacob Ellis, Shepard went big play.
It started out as a little play, a flip to the right side from Carberry to Carter. But Carter turned on the speed and shot down the right sideline untouched for 80 yards. Iturbe's PAT kick put the Astros ahead 10-7.
“He threw me a good ball,” Carter said of Carberry. “He found me outside, and I ran downfield.”
The lead wouldn't last long. Rock Island scored the next four times it had the ball.
The Rocks went in front 33-13 with a minute remaining in the first half when Carter gave Shepard a flicker of hope. He fielded a kickoff at his own 5, danced around a couple of tacklers, and was off to the races again.
The kickoff return for a TD was his second of the season.
“I caught me a gap and I just went through it,” Carter said. “I did my best.”
Shepard got as close as 33-27 with 9:05 left in the third quarter when Carter scored on a 3-yard run. It would be a last hurrah, however, as Rock Island piled it on the rest of the way.
“It was a good solid season,” Carberry said. “We just had to some of the little things better over the year. I can't really complain about the outcome, except this game would have been great to win.”
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