by Roy Taylor, Sun Correspondent

Improvement is nice but almost meaningless without winning, Romeoville coach Jim Boudouris said after his team’s matchup with visiting Alan B. Shepard Oct 3. Although the Spartans played hard and showed improvement, they fell to 0-6 with a 21-7 loss to the Astros.

“We threw the ball better and did some things well, but the bottom line is we need to win, and we’re just not getting it done,” Boudouris said. .

The Spartans (0-6, 0-4 South Inter-Conference Association Gray) played a close game with Shepard (3-3, 1-3) and were in position to mount a rally in the second half, but ill-timed penalties and a rash of dropped passes sealed their fate. Romeoville committed to running the ball before halftime, but its ground game was generally ineffective, averaging just 2.9 yards per carry on 32 attempts. .

Tailback Matt Caffey led the team with 31 yards on 13 carries with Shepard’s run defense keying on him most of the night. As a result, quarterback Jake Range was able to show more flash on several scrambles. Range finished the night with 28 yards on 12 attempts. .

From the beginning, the Spartans looked as if they would utilize trickery to end their five-game skid. After receiving Shepard’s opening boot, Anthony Morrison handed to Clifton Harris on a reverse and the crowd was momentarily electrified. But the return stuck to the theme of missed opportunities on this evening and Harris was only able to gain 12 yards. .

Each team punted on their first possession. On its second, Romeoville looked to be in prime scoring position with first down on Shepard’s 39. Caffey gained 2 yards, Range lost 1 on a keeper, and on third-and-9 the Astros’ Mike Brady sacked the quarterback for a 9-yard loss. Following a 10-yard punt, Shepard drove 63 yards for its first score, a nine-yard touchdown run by Dan Ludwig. .

On its following possession, Romeoville gained 9 yards on its first three plays and faced fourth-and-1 at its own 39. The Spartans tried for the first down but were stopped inches short on a sneak by rotating quarterback Jimmy Duga. After the turnover on downs, Shepard scored in just four plays with Ludwig’s second touchdown of the night. With 10:13 remaining in the second quarter, the Astros led 14-0. .

Throughout the second period, the Spartans gained several first downs and looked to be moving the ball but would ultimately be stopped short or hit with a costly penalty. With less than five minutes remaining in the half, Romeoville mounted its most successful drive to that point. .

After Caffey lost 9 yards on a bobbled toss, Morrison recovered nicely with a 24-yard run. Following the big gain was another loss and a false start penalty, then Range hit tight end Sean Hughes on a 27-yard gain over the middle. But on second-and-10 at Shepard’s 30, Range was intercepted by Sean Vasquez. .

Despite the costly interception, the Spartans encountered good fortune on the following two Shepard plays. Immediately after the interception, Morrison and defensive lineman Alex Villanueva shared in a sack of Shepard quarterback Ken Weytkow. On the following snap, Weytkow fumbled the ball, which was recovered by Romeoville’s Jonathan Weglarz. Two plays later, Range hit wide receiver Nehemiah Beckley on a 25-yard touchdown pass and the Spartans pulled to within seven points at halftime. .

After they received the second-half kickoff, the visitors would not allow the slim seven-point deficit to last. Behind the legs of tailback Jon Evans, the Astros drove 60 yards on six plays for the final points of the evening. Following Ludwig’s third touchdown, Shepard led 21-7 just over two minutes into the half. .

Romeovillle’s defense stiffened for the remainder of the game, but its offense could not score. Range went to the pass much of the time and scrambled to pick up first downs when required, but too many dropped passes and costly penalties nullified any progress. .

The Spartans missed on two critical opportunities to even the score. With three minutes remaining in the third period and a first down on the Shepard 24, a bobbled pitchout, sack, and incompletion forced a punt. Clifton Harris dropped that kick perfectly out of bounds at the Shepard 5- yard line, and after six plays the Astros were forced to punt themselves. .

With 8:12 remaining in the game, the homecoming crowd felt their team was on the verge of a comeback. Range passed 33 yards to Harris, then scrambled 17 yards on two plays to give the Spartans first down at Shepard’s 30. On the ensuing play, Range hit Harris again for a 29-yard gain, setting up Romeoville with first-and-goal at the Astro 1-yard line. .

But, a flag was thrown in Romeoville’s backfield, and what looked to be a sure scoring opportunity was nullified on a holding penalty. Four incomplete pass attempts, which included several dropped passes that were right where they needed to be, ended the Spartan’s aspirations. .

Shepard attempted to run the clock out and Romeoville got the ball back twice more, but the Spartans were unable to advance. .

“Our guys don’t give up,” Boudouris said after the defeat. “They scratched and clawed, played hard and will continue to play hard. We would do things well, make a mistake, and in the end couldn’t sustain anything. Guys are frustrated, but when you’re 0-6, people get frustrated.”