SHEPHERD — The Shepherd Pirates welcomed the West Orange-Stark Mustangs to Pirate Stadium Friday night for a district showdown with playoff implications on the line.
Although the Mustangs came away with a 48-14 victory, the Pirates continued to battle, showing determination and refusing to back down as the game unfolded.
Shepherd found an opportunity early in the second quarter when a West Orange-Stark turnover gave the Pirates a chance to capitalize. The offense made the most of the opportunity, punching in a five-yard touchdown in less than three minutes of play.
The score brought Shepherd within a single point at 7-6, putting pressure on the Mustangs and giving the hometown crowd reason to believe the Pirates could make a game of it. Quarterback J.J. Bennett helped lead the Pirate offense as Shepherd put together two touchdown scores during the first half. The Pirates added a successful two-point conversion, bringing their total to 14 points and keeping themselves within striking distance as the teams battled through the opening half.
West Orange-Stark came out after halftime with adjustments of its own, finding ways to move the ball and adding to its lead. As the Mustangs' offense gained momentum, the Shepherd defense faced increasing pressure. The scoreboard continued to climb in West Orange-Stark's favor, but the Pirates kept competing. Even as the deficit grew, Shepherd continued to fight through the final quarter, playing until the final whistle rather than surrendering to the circumstances. The final score stood at 48-14, but the Pirates' effort reflected a team still working to find its way through a demanding district schedule.
As of Friday, the district standings showed West Orange-Stark leading at 3-0, followed by Silsbee at 2-1 and Shepherd at 2-1. Hamshire-Fannett and Hardin-Jefferson stood at 1-2, while Jasper was 0-3. With Shepherd still in the mix, the remaining games carry significant weight.
The Pirates travel to Hamshire to face Hamshire-Fannett on Friday, October 30, before returning home to Pirate Stadium on Nov. 6 for their final regular-season game of 2026.
In their penultimate game of the season on Friday, the Trojans were blanked by Liberty 59-0.
Stats were not available.
