SPRINGDALE -- Two plays -- both Connor Reece runs -- summed up Gravette's night during a 37-0 loss against Shiloh Christian at Champions Stadium on Friday.
On third and 1 from the Gravette 31, Reece sold a fake hand-off to Jaret Russ so well that the Lions' sidelines and crowd lit up with cheers when Russ was smothered for what appeared to be a loss.
But Russ didn't have the ball.
Reece, the Saints' senior quarterback, kept it and squirted loose for a 36-yard run to set up Shiloh Christian's first touchdown, a three-yard run by Russ.
"At the last second, (Reece) made a great read on the defender," said Shiloh Christian coach Jeff Conaway. "He did a great job of escaping for positive yards on a play that didn't look real good when it started."
After Shiloh Christian (8-1, 5-1 4A-1) recovered an onside kick and Broc Berus scored on a bruising-catch-and-49-yard-touchdown run, Reece had the Saints' driving again at the start of the second quarter. He dropped back to pass, only to sense Lions bookends Drew Hendren and Bailey Soulé closing in on his ear holes from opposite sides.
Reece took a quick step forward, causing Hendren and Soulé to collide with one another, before racing 35 yards for a touchdown and a 23-0 lead. The third-year starter rushed five times for 95 yards and completed 8 of 15 passes for 164 yards and three touchdowns. Jake Nelson was the top target with three receptions for 60 yards and a touchdown that created the final margin.
"(Reece) is a true dual-threat quarterback," said Gravette coach Bill Harrelson. "He's done a good job here for three years and they're going to miss him when he's gone because he's a great football player."
Russ, a sophomore speedster who grew up in Gravette (5-4, 3-3), accounted for 118 total yards on just eight touches. He had five carries for 74 yards and a touchdown and three catches for 44 yards and a touchdown. He also ran for a two-point conversion.
"(Russ) is explosive," Conaway said. "When he touches the ball, good things happen."
Meanwhile, the Saints' defense was fresh off its first shutout (a 49-0 win at Lincoln last Friday) and continued its strong play by limiting the Lions to 9 yards in the first three and a half quarters. When both team's starters were on the field, 26 of Gravette's 40 offensive plays were for no gain or a loss. That included eight incompletions.
"We knew they were good (defensively)," Harrelson said. "They have a lot of speed and have guys who fly fast to the football and did a good job of tackling.
"Hats off to them. They've got a good team in all three phases and played really well defensively."
Coaches kept starters in for two series after a blocked punt and a bad snap on a punt gave Gravette its best field position of the game. But the Lions didn't gain a yard on either series as they lost a net of 22 yards on eight plays.
"It was about just continuing to play," Conaway said. "We need to finish a game the right way and our defense got in a situation where we had to make a stop and they did -- in a big way."
Shiloh Christian travels to Pea Ridge on Friday in a game that will decide playoff positioning.
SHILOH CHRISTIAN 37, GRAVETTE 0
Gravette ............0 0 0 0 -- 0 Shiloh Christian .. 16 21 0 0 -- 37 First Quarter
Shiloh -- Russ 3 run (Reece pass to Berus), 6:10. Shiloh -- Berus 49 pass from Reece (Russ run), 5:54.
Second Quarter
Shiloh -- Reece 35 run (Williams kick), 11:49. Shiloh -- Russ 18 pass from Reece (Williams kick), 5:18. Shiloh -- Nelson 9 pass from Reece (Williams kick), :58.
Sports on 11/02/2016