LITTLE ROCK — Shiloh was dominant from the first snap Friday night in Pioneer Stadium as Garrett Harper raced 68 yards after bouncing off several would-be tacklers.
That set the tone for the night as the Saints built a 28-0 first quarter lead and added two second quarter scores and a 42-0 half-time cushion. Harper scored three touchdowns on the night.
The Pioneers (4-3, 2-2) had a scoring chance near the end of the first half after Tanner Coy’s 69-yard kickoff return, but were turned away as Antonio Dimella’s 36-yard field goal attempt was blocked.
Gentry scored a second half touchdown as quarterback Austin Millsap connected on three pass attempts, the last a 12-yarder to Justin Stewart for a touchdown.
The Pioneers were dealt a tough blow earlier in the game when standout linebacker Tyler Rosenthal was knocked out of the game with a rib injury. Pioneers coach Brian Little said the team trainer did not feel the injury was major, but Rosenthal was taken to a local hospital for precautionary reasons.
“The thing you want your team to do (when they get behind) is to not quit, regardless of what happens,” Little said. “We’ve been doing that all year and they did it again tonight. And that’s what I’m proud of.”
“It became evident very quickly that we were just not going to be able to keep up with the Saints,” Little wrote of the game in the Oct. 18 Pioneer Football newsletter. “We certainly wanted to play a respectable game, and knew that the challenge would be great. By halftime, our focus was on the fact that we are on a journey and that this particular game is but a stop along the way. It’s like being on a long road trip and having car trouble in a town where you can’t get any help, no one is open, and no one has any parts ... just a nightmare. We know that our destination is ‘post-season play’ and that this loss really doesn’t affect much in terms of post-season play, as Shiloh should not lose a single conference game. We do, however, feel as though we control our own destiny now and need to make a strong push in the last part of the regular season.
“Now that we have Shiloh behind us, we will look forward, one game at a time, with a renewed commitment. We will work this week on getting back to the fundamentals of the game and executing our schemes with confidence and poise,” Little wrote.
He also reported in the newsletter that injuries sustained last week were not major and that all are doing well in recovery.
Sports, Pages 12 on 10/20/2010