Saints searching for conference title

Shiloh Christian coach Jeff Conaway said his seniors set a goal before the season to win a conference title and the Saints have put themselves in a position to do just that.

Shiloh Christian (8-1, 6-0 4A-1) will travel to Pea Ridge on Friday with the title on the line. It would be the Saints’ first since 2010, Conaway said.

“It’s huge,” Conaway said. “Our seniors want to be that group, that team that wins the next one.”

Conaway, who is in his fifth season as head coach, said the program as a whole is in great shape as the junior high team and several of the pee-wee programs will also play for conference titles this week.

“It’s been fun to find areas we can try to improve in and try to maintain in other areas,” Conaway said.

The Saints defense has been a mainstay this season, despite giving up 54 points in a season-opening loss to Class 5A Texarkana. Since then, Shiloh Christian has allowed just 62 points in its last eight games and only 14 of those came against the first-team defense, Conaway said. Conaway pointed out a couple of things in that zero week loss. “First, Texarkana is good,” Conaway said. “But we also played that game without two our best defensive players.”

Seniors Micah Button and Preston Hall were both sidelined, one with an illness and the other with a non-football related injury. But after a bye week, those two returned and the Saints have dominated.

“We didn’t feel like we had all our guys,” Conaway said. “But when we got our guys back, I felt like our defensive staff has put together a great plan and the preparation is the best I’ve seen, making the plan work and getting our guys ready.”