Shepard Football Looks to Build on 2009’s Big Gains

After winning only one game in 2008, Shepard's football team was in need of a turnaround in 2009. Enter new head coach Dominic Passolano. In his first year guiding the Astros, Passolano led Shepard to a 7-2 regular-season record and a state playoff appearance — the program's first since 2001.

"We took over a group of seniors who had really struggled at the sophomore level and during their junior year. But there was a lot of talent there," Passolano said.

"There were a lot of kids who were committed to turning it around. Through their hard work and the juniors' hard work we were able to experience success and win some good games."

Passolano and his players raised expectations for the program with their success in 2009. Let's look at how the squad is preparing to live up to — or perhaps even exceed — those expectations.

Style of Play: In a word: physical. Passolano said he wants his team to be known as a physical team in all three phases on the game — offense, defense and special teams.

"Last year no one really out-hit us," he said. "You could see the results [on the other team] the next week — they were banged up."

Big Games: Three that stand out are those against Richards, Hubbard and Oak Forest.

Astros quarterback and defensive back Dontae McCoy, an All-Conference player last season, said the Richards game will have special meaning.

"[I want to beat] Richards, especially because of last year," McCoy said, referring to Richards' 32-12 win over the Astros in a South Suburban Red matchup last September. "I feel like we could've beaten them. We just came up a little short."'

Key Players: Shepard relies heavily on McCoy whether he is playing quarterback or defensive back. His senior leadership is also valuable to the team. Randell Taylor, a running back and defensive back, has impressed Coach Passolano with his preparation. Tracal Davis, Robert Cole, Matt Toy, Mike Brouette and Jeff Brewer are other key players Passolano mentioned.

Coach's Thoughts: "[I want] to see the kids still compete and play hard," he said. "We just have to continue to build the process of making this a good, solid football program year in and year out."

The Goal: Passolano said he wants this year's squad to surpass the success of last season, which ended with a 36-8 loss to Geneva in the first round of the Class 7A playoffs. He said the Astros need to be more prepared to face teams of that caliber.

McCoy wants to make the hard work pay off. He said he believes that if his team continues to work as hard as it has, Shepard will have a better season than it did in 2009.

"I'm anxious, I'm excited, I'm ready," he said. "I'm just ready to get out there and play."

2010 Schedule:

Aug. 27 vs. Payton College Prep, 7 p.m.

Sept. 3 vs. Hubbard (immediately following the JV game)

Sept. 10 at Oak Lawn, 7 p.m.

Sept. 17 at Richards, 7 p.m.

Sept. 24 vs. Evergreen Park, 7 p.m.

Oct. 1 at Argo, 7 p.m.

Oct. 8 vs. Oak Forest, 7 p.m.

Oct. 15 vs. Reavis, 7 p.m.

Oct. 22 vs. Eisenhower, 7 p.m.

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