Saints start slow, throttle Cavemen
CLASS 4A
SHILOH CHRISTIAN 48, CAVE CITY 7
SPRINGDALE — It wasn’t the start that Shiloh Christian wanted to open defense of its Class 4A state championship, but the Saints had plenty to celebrate when the final horn sounded Friday night.
Shiloh Christian leaned on its defense to overcome a slow start and rolled to a 48-7 win against Cave City in the first round of the Class 4A state playoffs in Champions Stadium. The Saints (10-1) will host Ashdown next week in the second round.
Saints Coach Jeff Conaway said his team came out sluggish in the first quarter, getting just one touchdown on three trips inside the red zone after one drive ended with an interception in the end zone.
“You want to start the playoffs executing and playing at a high level, but that first quarter was a little iffy,” said Conaway. “We didn’t come out with quite the execution we anticipated, but the defense held us in it and we got the football back. Once I think we settled down, everything kind of went smoothly.”
Shiloh Christian, which earned its sixth straight playoff win, led just 6-0 in the first on junior quarterback Eli Wisdom’s 66-yard scoring run with 5 minutes, 19 seconds left in the quarter. Even the extra-point unit struggled early as the Saints failed to convert the PAT.
“I think it was nerves, maybe the cold,” said Wisdom, who was 9-of-15 passing for 193 yards and two touchdowns in the game, while rushing for 105 yards. “I’m not really sure to be honest, but we got off to a slow start, then we picked it up.”
While the offense might have sputtered early, the Saints’ defense turned up the heat, which led to a three-touchdown surge as Shiloh Christian took control of the game in the second quarter against the No. 5 seed from the 4A-3 Conference.
A botched snap on a Cave City (6-5) punt was downed at the Cavemen 1, and senior Kaden Henley scored on the next play for Shiloh Christian. Henley was in the end zone again less than two minutes later when he stepped in front of a Jacob Moore pass for an interception and raced 30 yards untouched for a pick-six and a 21-0 lead. After a short Cave City punt, the Saints scored again as Wisdom ripped off a 37-yard run that set up Bo Williams’ 10-yard run and a 28-0 lead.
“That was a big spark,” said Wisdom of Henley’s interception return. “Our defense played great and we need them. Anytime we get a defense score or keep them from scoring, it’s big for our team.”
The Saints scored two more touchdowns before the half. After stopping Cave City on a fourth-and-6 at the Shiloh Christian 29, Wisdom hit Cooper Hutchinson for 59 yards down the middle, setting up a 12-yard scoring pass to Jacob Solomon. Then with under 30 seconds left in the half, the Saints’ defense again stopped the Cavemen on fourth down at the Cave City 39. Two plays later Wisdom hit Ben Baker on a 13-yard screen pass for a touchdown and a 42-0 halftime lead.
Cave City avoided a shutout in the final quarter when Moore hit Ethan Ball on a 40yard pass that set up Eli Taylor’s 1-yard scoring run.
“I thought our defense played well, they lined up well which is what you have to do when you play a Wing-T team like they are,” said Conaway. “I felt like they penetrated, got movement up front, which was critical and we tackled well.”
“You want to start the playoffs executing and playing at a high level, but that first quarter was a little iffy. We didn’t come out with quite the execution we anticipated, but the defense held us in it and we got the football back. Once I think we settled down, everything kind of went smoothly.”
Shiloh Christian Coach Jeff Conaway on Friday’s victory over Cave City