SPRINGDALE -- Shiloh Christian played methodically in the rain Friday night and needed just more than three minutes in the first quarter to put 29 points on the board in a 36-0 rout over Berryville in the 4A-1 Conference opener at Champions Stadium.
"It's big to start your conference with a big win, and to do it the way we did it is huge," Saints coach Jeff Conaway said, "We've got to keep it rolling, and keep preparing well, week-in, week-out. I think this team is going to win a lot of games. I think they've got the potential to be pretty special."
SHILOH CHRISTIAN 36, BERRYVILLE 0
Berryville 0 0 0 0 — 0
Shiloh 29 7 0 0 — 36
First Quarter
Shiloh – Russ 31 run (Williams kick), 3:31.
Shiloh – Thomson 47 pass from Reece (Henry run), 1:51.
Shiloh – Russ 36 run (Williams kick), :19.
Shiloh – Henry 41 run (Williams kick), :00.
Second Quarter
Shiloh – Raben 16 run (Williams kick), 6:16.
Berryville actually began Friday's game on the right foot when Wyatt Poe took advantage of the wet conditions and picked off an Eli Reece pass on the game's first play from scrimmage. That set the Bobcats up at the Saints' 37, but it was one of few bright spots for the visitors all night.
Shiloh Christian (3-1, 1-0 4A-1) then got things rolling in a big way, exploding for four touchdowns in the final 3 minutes, 31 seconds of the first quarter -- thanks, in part, to three straight botched kickoff returns by the Bobcats.
"On our first possession, our quarterback struggled with some of those early throws," Conaway said. "So we altered our plan a little bit to more of our running game, and luckily we were able to run it well enough to stick with it.
"I thought we played really well early. It took us a little time to get accustomed to the rain, but once we did we settled in and were able to score a lot of points."
Jaret Russ capped off a four-play drive with a 31-yard run to put the Saints up 7-0, then Berryville (2-2, 0-1) fumbled the ball away on the third play of the ensuing drive. Shiloh took just one play for Reece to connect with a wide-open Blake Thomson on a 47-yard touchdown strike.
The Saints then recovered an onside kick and needed only three plays for Russ to scamper in from 36 yards out, giving Shiloh a 22-0 lead with 19 seconds remaining in the opening quarter. The Bobcats then misplayed a pooched kickoff, and that led to another one-play Shiloh scoring drive -- a 41-yard run by Jaiden Henry on the final play of the first quarter.
"I think our guys just proved that they can attack and be very explosive," Conaway said. 'We want to be aggressive in all three phases (offense, defense and special teams). So really want to put a lot of pressure on that kickoff return team, and force them to field every type of kick. I thought our kickers did a really good job tonight.
"You've got to take advantage of the rain somehow, and that was one area that we were able to take advantage of a wet ball and slippery conditions."
Shiloh outgained Berryville 343-46 in total offense, with 277 of those yards coming on the ground. Russ racked up 106 of those on just 10 carries.
"We studied their defense all week, and the coaches wanted us to key on outside zone, so that was our go-to tonight," Russ said. "They harped on me all week -- ball security -- so that was my focus tonight. The traction was a little difficult, but we managed."
Shiloh travels to Green Forest next week, while Berryville hosts Gentry on Homecoming.
Sports on 09/22/2018