GRAVETTE — What was supposed to be a game to decide supremacy in the 1-4A Conference turned into another Shiloh Christian blowout win on Friday night.
Three touchdowns in a 1:32 span of the first half helped Shiloh Christian beat Gravette 48-9 in a mercy-rule game at Champions Stadium. With two games left in the regular season, the win puts the Saints alone on the inside track to another 1-4A title.
Shiloh Christian, ranked No. 1 in Class 4A, improves to 7-1 overall and 4-1 in the conference while Gravette drops to 7-1 and 4-1.
“It’s a huge win,” Shiloh coach Josh Floyd said afterward. “It’s ours to lose now.”
Shiloh Christian showed early and often why it is the best team in 4A.
After being forced to punt on their first possession, the Saints quickly strung together a five-play, 59-yard drive for a 7-0 lead on a 12-yard run by Chris Bryant.
Shiloh increased that lead to 14-0 at the end of the first quarter on a 47-yard catch and run by Zann Jones.
But that was only a precursor of what was to come in the next minute. An 85-yard interception return for a touchdown byColt Thomas made it 21-0. Floyd called the play a “gamebreaker”.
Thomas made a perfect read on the play, intercepted the ball, then followed his blockers down the left sideline.
“Their quarterback was kind of giving some clues,” Thomas said. “I just made the play. I had some great blocking and I did the easy part - I ran it in.”
Thomas’ touchdown was followed 13 seconds later when quarterback Kiehl Frazier hit Jake Scott on a 33-yard scoring pass that was set up by a Gravette fumble.
Frazier had lined up as a receiver on the play but took a reverse handoff from Jones and fired the ball to Scott in the right corner of the end zone.
“That was a whirlwind there,” Gravette coach Bill Harrelson said of the Shiloh scoring spree. “It was a blur. It all happened so fast.”
Bryant (18 yards) and backup quarterback Wilson Huett (12 yards) added touchdowns for Shiloh Christian that made it 42-0 at half-time.
As good as Shiloh Christian was in the first half, Gravette was just as bad.
The Lions fumbled six times (losing two) and threw two interceptions - one each by starter ColtMoorman and backup Colton Davis.
Gravette wasted an 84-yard kickoff return by Michael Croasdell with Thomas’ interception two plays later. A 70-yard pass from Davis to Darrick Strzelecki to the Shiloh Christian 10 with 2:49 to play in the first half ended in a lost fumble one play later.
Frazier had 225 yards passing at the half and Bryant had 83 yards rushing on just five carries.
Gravette, meanwhile, could muster only 110 yards in total offense in the first 24 minutes as the Saints, sometimes playing all 11 defenders within seven yards of the line of scrimmage, held the Gravette running game to a minus-52 yards at the half.
“We only go as far as our defense takes us,” Floyd said. “We challenged our players this week to force turnovers.”
Gravette finished the night with six turnovers (3 fumbles and 3 interceptions).
Gravette got its lone touchdown on a 43-yard pass from Davis to Nathan Ortmann in the fourth quarter.
The Lions travel to Berryville this Friday night and end the season the following Friday at Lion Stadium which is Parents’ Night.
Sports, Pages 10 on 10/28/2009