SPRINGDALE - It's the kind of play where if you get the first down, you look like a genius. If you don't, it's bad mistake.
That was where Shiloh Christian Coach Josh Floyd found himself at the start of the second quarter Friday night in a Class 4A quarterfinal against Lonoke. The Saints, holding a 10-point lead, had a fourth-and-1 on their own 26-yard line. Floyd gave explicit instructions to his sophomore quarterback Kiehl Frazier.
"I told Kiehl, 'You've got to get the first down.' Kyle usually responds."
Indeed, Frazier was stopped at the line of scrimmage, but he surged forward for a 3-yard gain. The momentum was Shiloh Christian's. The Saints scored two plays later on Frazier's 73-yard pass to Jake Ryan and the rout was on.
Top-ranked Shiloh Christian (11-1) beat Lonoke 47-7 to advance to the Class 4A semifinals. The Saints lost in the 3A championship game last year.
Shiloh Christian scored 37 unanswered points. The second half was played with a running clock and neither team scored. Frazier was the offensive star for the Saints, throwing for 166 yardsand two touchdowns and rushing for 59 yards and a touchdown.
The Saints rolled up 529 yards, including 340 through the air. Frazier completed 4 of 6 passes, all in the first half, and fellow sophomore quarterback David Matthews completed 8 of 10 for 174 yards and two touchdowns.
After the game, Floyd told his team that it "beat a very good football team... soundly."
"You guys made a stinking statement across Arkansas," he said, raising a cheer from the players and assembled fans.
Lonoke finished 10-2 a week after blowing out Warren 42-24 to advance to the quarterfinals. The Jackrabbits didn't score an offensive touchdown.
"They hit us in the mouth. They are a better football team, bottom line. We didn't have an answer," Lonoke Coach Jeff Jones said.
OSCEOLA 35, DE QUEEN 28
OSCEOLA - Clarence Jones threw three touchdown passes and ran for one as Osceola defeated De Queen.
Jones opened the scoring with a 76-yard pass to Richard Jones at the 9:00 mark of the first quarter.
Trailing 14-7 in the second quarter, Jones ran 58 yards for a touchdown at the 3:37 mark to the game after Jose Marquez's extra point. Two minutes later, he threw a 60-yard pass to Deddrick Rattler to put the Seminoles up 21-14
After De Queen's Greg White scored on a 2-yard run with 1:09 left in the second quarter to tie the game at 21, Jones threw a 52-yard pass to Rattler with 10:19 left in the third quarter. Marquez' kick made it 28-21.
Sports, Pages 31 on 11/29/2008