Nashville coach cites youth in quarterfinal loss

Special to the Gazette

SPRINGDALE, Ark.—It may not have lived up to the last quarterfi- nal meeting Nashville and Shiloh Christian had, but it was close.

The host Saints emerged the victor once again, taking a 21-7 lead after a quarter and getting enough from their defense in the second half to advance to the Class 4A semifinals, 40-21.

Nashville (10-3) ends its season in the quarterfinals after defeating Elkins and 7-4A league foe Bauxite in the first two rounds.

“We just didn’t execute,” Nashville head coach Mike Volarvich said. “We didn’t block well, we didn’t catch well, we didn’t throw well, we didn’t run well. We just didn’t play well enough to win tonight.”

With the win, Shiloh Christian (121) hosts Arkadelphia (8-5) next week.

“It took everything we had,” Shiloh Christian head coach Jeff Conaway

said. “It was two great teams battling. To win the way we did, it was impressive.”

Do-everything tailback Jaiden Henry, the son of former Nashville standout Moe Henry, made life unpleasant for his father’s alma mater all evening.

His 80-yard touchdown catch after a missed Nashville field goal early in the second half completely changed the momentum, and his interception with 1:37 to go put the final nail in the coffin.

Henry also doubles as the team’s alternate quarterback, and threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Jaret Russ in the opening quarter.

The Scrappers opened the scoring with Tristen Jamison finding Ty Basiliere from 74 yards out and a quick 7-0 lead just three and a half minutes in.

Shiloh quarterback Eli Reece answered with a 43-yard strike to Truitt Tollett that knotted things at 7.

Russ crashed in from a yard out for a 14-7 lead, then Henry found Russ for the aforementioned score after a Scrapper turnover on downs.

Shiloh gifted a touchdown to Nashville deep in its territory early in the second quarter, but a subsequent 93-yard kick return from Micah Button saved it from any real harm.

Nashville’s final score of the night was a 11-yard toss from Jamison to Basiliere a minute before the half.

“We’re a young team,” Volarvich said. “We started nine sophomores tonight. I doubt there’s another team that made it this far that started that many. I’m excited for the future and our senior class had a great work ethic and I thought they had a really good year.”