Shiloh Christian

9-15-06 By: Brian Vaughn
    SPRINGDALE – It was the battle of two #1 ranked teams in the state with Greenwood ranked #1 in 5A and Shiloh Christian #1 in 3A. It lived up to the billing and the hype. For those that didn't make the trip to Springdale, you may have missed the best game of the year.
   Shiloh didn't beat the Bulldogs, but won the game 49-48. Greenwood had an opportunity in the final minute to go the length of the field for the win, but failed to convert a 4th down with 23 seconds left.
   "They're a good football team, I give those guys a lot of credit, we lost by a point," said Bulldog head coach Rick Jones after the game. "In a game like this you've got to score touchdowns."
   The Saints (3-0) wasted little time and had the Bulldogs down 14-0, less than 3 minutes into the first quarter.
   The Bulldogs (2-1) would put on an offensive show themselves tieing the game at 14-0 with 4:04 to go in the first quarter after a 5-yard touchdown run by William Ridener and a 27-yard touchdown pass from Tyler Wilson to Zach Turpin at the 7:30 mark of the 1st quarter.
   The two heavy weights would exchange touchdowns again before the quarter would come to an end. Shiloh's extra point at the buzzer was blocked giving Greenwood a 21-20 lead.
   It was more of the same in the second half with the two teams putting up offensive numbers in just one half of the game that most teams would like to have for an entire game.
   Greenwood had the narrow lead when the dust settled for half time 37-35.
   Just in the first half, Greenwood had 11 first downs with 313 total yards of offense with 283 in the air.
   Shiloh Christian had 20 first downs with 391 total yards of offense with 329 in the air.
   Everyone knew the pace at which the game was being played in the first half could not be sustained and it slowed in the second half.
   Shiloh would take the lead with 6:18 to go in the third quarter on a 6-yard pass 42-37.
   Greenwood threatened early in the 4th quarter after a 52-yard run by William Ridener. The Bulldogs set up with 1st and goal from the 4-yard line were unable to find the endzone and Matt McKnight kicked a 22-yard field goal with 7:32 to play.
   This would be a key series for the Bulldogs according to head coach Rick Jones, "You have to score touchdowns in a game like this...We have to do better in the red zone."
   Greenwood combined for 380 yards in the air against the Saints and 94 yards rushing for a total of 475 yards. Shiloh aired it out for 428 yards passing with 88 on the ground for 516 total yards.
   Wilson was 23 or 33 passing at 69.7%. Ridener led the rushing attack with 107 yards on 17 carries. Staton led the receiver core with 6 catches for 107 yards.
   The Greenwood fans were in full force at Champions Stadium and were one of the loudest outings for them as well. Even as the final seconds ticked off the clock, the Bulldogs and fans believed they would still pull it out.
   It was exactly one year ago in Week 3 of the 2005 season that the Bulldogs had lost their last game and again by just one point to Bentonville. They rallied after the loss and won the Conference and State Championships.
   "We've got Morrilton coming and we've got to get ready for those guys...our kids played hard..this was a tough loss," said Jones.
   Greenwood starts their defense of their championships this Friday with a rematch of the state final game last year at Morrilton.