FAYETTEVILLE — While Fayetteville and Shiloh Christian may have an evolving feud in 7-on-7, there also exists a quarterback rivalry between Fayetteville junior Brandon Allen and this year's Top Gun Quarterback Challenge winner, Shiloh junior Kiehl Frazier.
Both have already been offered football scholarships by the Arkansas Razorbacks. Both have rocket arms and plenty of targets from which to choose.
Frazier out-dueled Allen at the challenge this year for the overall title but Allen wasn't fazed, saying at the end of the event that while the competition was entertaining, he was more concerned about how well he could perform in the face of a rush not how well he could hit targets pulled by four-wheelers.
Allen will be furnished with the chance to face that Shiloh Christian rush tonight when the Purple Dogs trek to Champions Stadium to clash with Frazier and the Saints at 7 p.m.
"There's some smack talking between us sometimes but Kiehl's a great quarterback and we're actually pretty good friends," Allen said. "It's a friendly rivalry more than anything and it makes us push each other. But him winning [the Top Gun] does push me to want to play that much better against him. I want to play well every game but it does give you a little more incentive."
Allen had already received much hype before he took a snap last season, and in his debut against Shiloh at Harmon Field in a 2008 preseason scrimmage, he completed 18 of 29 passes for 214 yards, 4 touchdowns and 1 interception in one half of football to help Fayetteville earn a 37-16 win.
In last season's scrimmage, Frazier completed 2 of 7 for 49 yards, 1 touchdown and two interceptions.
But Frazier is a much different signal caller now. Frazier rushed for 990 yards and 15 scores while completing 96 of 151 passes and throwing for 1,434 yards, 17 touchdown passes and 6 interceptions last season as a sophomore.
Allen will give Shiloh's secondary a workout after completing 246 of 428 passing, accumulating 3,265 yards through the air and throwing 30 touchdowns in 2008.
During the 7-on-7 slate this summer, Allen and Frazier duked it out twice with each signal caller winning once. Allen's Purple Dogs ran out of fuel against Shiloh in the championship game at the Southwest Elite Showcase, hosted by the Saints. Fayetteville edged the Saints, 41-36, on a last second Allen touchdown pass to help facilitate a Vype Select Tournament title in the two squads' final 7-on-7 pairing this summer.
"I know this is sort of a rivalry in 7 on 7 but really, I'm trying to focus more on what we need to do to be successful as a team this year," Allen said. "Shiloh's a good team and Kiehl's a great quarterback but I'm more worried about being able to make all my throws and keep the ball moving down the field and putting points on the board."
Allen said he didn't speak to Frazier before the scrimmage and that many times when the two converse, football isn't a topic of discussion. Allen, though, undoubtedly is hoping that his actions on the field speak volumes.
"At the Top Gun Challenge, we talked a lot and football never even came up," Allen said. "But I know he's just as excited as me about this scrimmage. It's going to be fun."
Heath Allen is a sports writer for the Northwest Arkansas Times.