No. 1 Saints cruise past Star City

SHILOH CHRISTIAN 49, STAR CITY 6

SPRINGDALE — Late in the first quarter, Shiloh Christian junior quarterback Eli Reece handed the ball to senior running back Jaret Russ.

Those who’ve watched the Saints play know their penchant for trickery, and the running back tossed the ball back to Reece for a “flea flicker.”

Backup sophomore quarterback Jaiden Henry, streaking down the sideline, caught the ball in stride for a 46-yard touchdown, and the No. 1 Saints proved they’re not changing anything up in the postseason by demolishing Star City 49-6 in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs at Champions Stadium.

“We wanted to be explosive on offense, and we were able to do that early,” said Shiloh Christian coach Jeff Conaway.

Reece finished with five

touchdown passes, which all came in the first half, including the aforementioned pass to Henry. He said the play was drawn up specifically for the playoffs.

“We drew that up this week … a new play. We thought it’d be fun, and it worked,” Reece said.

Though Russ had to give up the ball on the play, he was rewarded with three touchdowns on the night. The first two came through the air. With star senior receiver Blake Thomson on his side of the field, the running back was able to take advantage of a defense that overplayed another target and left him open on out routes.

Russ said he was happy to see the offense heat up despite the cold temperatures that continued to drop throughout the game.

“I think we handled the cold very well,” Russ said. “It was really cold, but our guys didn’t let it get to them. We did well.”

The Saints took advantage of a first quarter that was littered by Star City flags. Shifts on the defensive line forced the Bulldogs’ tackles and guards to jump, and a couple of personal fouls added to what turned into 75 yards in first-quarter penalty yardage against Star City.

After Star City senior quarterback Ty Welch went down with an injury, the recipe for a blowout was essentially complete.

“It feels great,” Russ said. “I think we sent a message that we’re ready to play anybody. I’m ready to go.”

Next week, the Saints will host Mena in the second round of the playoffs.