Shiloh Christian stays true to itself in 1st round of playoffs

SPRINGDALE -- Late in the first quarter, Shiloh Christian junior quarterback Eli Reece handed the ball to senior running back Jaret Russ.

Those who have watched the Saints play know their penchant for trickery, and the running back tossed the ball back to Reece for a flea flicker.

Shiloh Christian 49, Star City 6

Star City 0 0 0 6 — 6

Shiloh Christian 14 21 14 0 — 49

First Quarter

Shiloh — Tollett 7 pass from Reece (Pass failed), 10:19

Shiloh — Henry 42 pass from Reece (Reece pass to Thomson), 3:05

Second Quarter

Shiloh — Russ 15 pass from Reece (Williams kick), 8:27

Shiloh — Russ 19 pass from Reece (Williams kick), 3:02

Shiloh — Deeds 18 pass from Reece (Williams kick), 1:29

Third Quarter

Shiloh — Rhodes 60 fumble return (Williams kick), 8:27

Shiloh — Russ 5 run (Williams kick), 4:19

Fourth Quarter

Star — Ross 24 pass from Noble, 0:00

Backup sophomore quarterback Jaiden Henry, streaking down the sideline, caught the ball in stride for a 46-yard touchdown, and the Saints proved they're not changing anything up in the postseason by demolishing Star City 49-6 in the first round of the Class 4A playoffs at Champions Stadium.

"We wanted to be explosive on offense, and we were able to do that early," Shiloh Christian Coach Jeff Conaway said.

Reece finished with five touchdown passes, all in the first half.

He said the flea-flicker to Henry was drawn up specifically for the playoffs.

"We drew that up this week ... a new play. We thought it'd be fun, and it worked," Reece said.

Though Russ had to give up the ball on that play, he was rewarded with three touchdowns. The first two came through the air. With star senior receiver Blake Thomson on his side of the field, the running back took advantage of a defense that overplayed another target and left him open on out routes.

Russ said he was happy to see the offense heat up despite the cold temperatures.

"I think we handled the cold very well," Russ said. "It was really cold, but our guys didn't let it get to them. We did well."

The Saints took advantage of a first quarter that was littered by Star City flags. Shifts on the defensive line forced the Bulldogs' tackles and guards to jump, and a couple of personal fouls added to what turned into 75 yards in first-quarter penalty yardage against Star City (4-7).

After Star City senior quarterback Ty Welch went down with an injury, the blowout was on.

"It feels great," Russ said. "I think we sent a message that we're ready to play anybody. I'm ready to go."

Next week, the Saints (10-1) will host Mena in the second round of the playoffs.

[HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Click here for more scores, recaps and photos]

Sports on 11/10/2018

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