PREP FOOTBALL Reece 2.0

SPRINGDALE -- The QB Wall of Honor at Shiloh Christian is impressive and includes some of the greatest to ever take snaps in the state.

Their success is also on display in the overflowing trophy case at the school gymnasium where the hardware from seven state championships trophies rest.

Names like Josh Floyd, Matt Simpson, Kiehl Frazier and Rhett Lashlee all made their mark in Champions Stadium and beyond, and all are legacy members of the QB shrine.

Floyd coached the program to multiple state titles and now leads Hewitt-Trussville's program in Alabama. Simpson played for and graduated from Harvard. Frazier, a Parade Magazine All-American, was the starting quarterback at Auburn in 2012. Lashlee is Southern Methodist University's offensive coordinator and served in the same capacity at Auburn and Connecticut.

Junior Eli Reece carries the title of QB1 at Shiloh Christian now, but when he looks for advice, he turns to another former Saints star who is now a sophomore accounting and finance major at the University of Arkansas -- Connor Reece, a three-year starter for the Saints who also happens to be Eli's older brother.

"I can still go back and watch his games, so I'm still learning from him," Eli said. "He was incredible. Connor is the reason why I wanted to play quarterback. Growing up, he was like Superman to me, and I just wanted to be like him."

To make the wall, a quarterback has to "lead, make great decisions and be accurate," as described by Shiloh Christian coach Jeff Conaway. In Connor Reece's career as starter, he certainly matched those prerequisites, throwing for 8,074 yards, 82 touchdowns and finishing with a 60-percent completion mark.

"He was actually the first player I contacted when I got hired," said Conaway, who took over prior to the 2014 season from Floyd. "I basically got an opportunity to tell him that we were gonna go on a long journey together. Three years later, he goes down as one of the most successful QBs to ever come through here."

This season, the 16-year-old younger brother has been stellar as a first-year starter. He takes care of the ball and allows his playmakers to move the offense. With a 69-percent completion clip and only four interceptions compared to 23 touchdowns, Eli Reece has led his team to an 11-1 record, a 4A-1 Conference championship and to the third round of the state playoffs.

"Connor was extremely intelligent, but Eli is even more intelligent," Conaway said. "Eli makes great decisions because it's a strength of his, and he knows he has to because he may not be able to run as well as Connor did. His intelligence is on another level."

For any first-year starting quarterback at Shiloh Christian, expectations come with the territory. You're expected to compete for titles every year, lead an offense that can put up 50 points in a half with ease, display leadership skills that make it all work from the inside and do it all while living the life of a normal teenager.

Eli Reece's pressure was further magnified by the fact that his older brother was one of the individuals who restored the Saints' program to an elite level. He began to feel the enormity of the position when he wasn't starting as a sophomore like Connor did.

"I watched it kind of eat at him when he had to sit out because I feel like he kind of put that pressure on himself that he had to be what I was," Connor Reece said. "I had a conversation with him where I said, 'you have to be your own person.' My dad has told him that also, saying, 'you don't have to be Connor Reece. You have your own advantages and strengths.'"

Instead of crumbling under the pressure, Eli Reece embraced it. When he found out he'd be the starter this season, he changed his jersey number to 3 -- Connor's number. He studied film. He asked questions. Then, when the time came, he started etching his own place in Shiloh Christian history.

Of course, that brought along some brotherly trash talk.

"I poked a little bit at him once we won the conference championship because his teams never accomplished that," Eli Reece said. "I said, 'What's it like to live in my shadow?' just jokingly. For us, it's more of like a playful thing just to mess with each other."

Conaway sees a lot of similarities in the Reece brothers.

"Eli watched Connor play a lot of football, and I'm sure in that time of watching, learned a lot," Conaway said. "I can only imagine what those conversations around the dinner table consisted of. It's been enjoyable to work with the Reece brothers."

When the Saints host Nashville in the playoffs' third round Friday, Eli Reece will have another opportunity to build off his brother's legacy and take the program even further. Connor Reece's 2015 team lost in the second round to the Scrappers, who went on to win the state title.

This season also marks the ninth anniversary of what many consider the greatest comeback in Arkansas high school playoff history. In 2009, Nashville traveled to Springdale for a big playoff game and jumped on the favored Saints for a 35-0 lead and appeared on the way to a mercy-rule blowout. But the Saints staged one of the most incredible comebacks ever and eventually prevailed 51-49 and went on to capture the state title as Floyd coached and Frazier led the way.

"We're excited as a team, and it's not about who we're playing, but it's about us," Eli Reece said. "At this point in the playoffs, if you're still in, you're a good football team. Any win from here on out looks good on the résumé."

Moving toward the future, Eli Reece isn't sure if he'll play football in college. Similar to his brother, he said moving on and pursuing a degree at Arkansas might be a better option. With his team in prime position to capture the program's first state title in eight years, it's not too hard to imagine there could be two Reeces on the Shiloh Christian QB Wall of Honor once he reaches that point.

"I think those are those discussions that we can have at the end of the year," Conaway said with a laugh. "I'll have to wait and see."

Sports on 11/21/2018