Shiloh’s second-quarter barrage overwhelms Lincoln

SPRINGDALE — Shiloh Christian headed to the locker room at halftime with a 35-point lead and win number eight well in reach.

Lincoln (5-3, 2-3) knew it had challenge ahead when it took on the Saints (8-0, 5-0) who were hoping to extend their perfect start to the season. Shiloh did just that with a lopsided second quarter that solidified a 49-7 win at Champions Stadium.

In last week’s game against Gentry, the Saints struggled to keep the lead. The Saints came out against Lincoln with a determination to pull away early, and they managed a score and an onside-kick recovery to start the game.

“Every week we want to be aggressive in all three phases,” Shiloh Christian coach Jeff Conaway said. “We’ve onside kicked seven times this year.”

Lincoln stuck with the home favorites in the early going, forcing a fumble in the red zone and driving down the field.

From 25 yards out, the Wolves answered with a score of their own, an impressive over-the-shoulder catch between two defenders by Daytin Davis that gave Lincoln a 7-6 lead.

The Wolves did not sniff the end zone the rest of the game as Shiloh dominated on the defensive side of the ball following the score.

“I felt like our defensive line did a good job of pressuring the quarterback,”

Conaway said. “I feel like he was off-rhythm a lot of the night, having to throw the football under pressure.”

Shiloh’s duo of quarterback Eli Reece and receiver Truitt Tollett were on display again on Friday night. Reece threw three touchdowns to Tollett, and Tollett added a rushing touchdown. The two also connected on a two-point conversion.

“I thought they were on the same page,” Conaway said, “which obviously led to some production, some explosive plays. It’s always good to watch those two guys connect. Eli understands that the way our offense works is to get our good players the ball in space, and I think he did a good job of doing that tonight.”

The two-point conversion ended up proving important, as the successful try gave the Saints a 42-7 advantage, and the 35-point lead meant the second half would have a running clock because of the mercy rule.

It was a swift second half as both teams reverted to the running game. Both defenses were successful in holding the offenses scoreless in the third quarter.

The Saints picked up a garbage-time touchdown in the fourth as backup quarterback Caleb Anderson threw a 60-yard screen pass to Ben Baker, who weaved through the Wolves to break free and score.

Shiloh continues to play a dangerous up-tempo brand of football and looks to make some noise in the playoffs in a few weeks.

“It’s fun to watch (our) guys work, and to watch them play fast, physical, and focused football, it’s always good,” Conaway said.

FOUR DOWNS

• Shiloh has won only one game this season by fewer than 30 points.

• Saints quarterback Eli Reece surpassed 2,000 passing yards on the season.

• Saints wide receiver Truitt Tollett surpassed 1,000 receiving yards on the season.

• Next week Shiloh Christian will travel to face Gravette, while Lincoln will return home to face Gentry.