LITTLE ROCK — The closing argument was strong and swift.
Junior quarterback/safety Kiehl Frazier accounted for five touchdowns as topranked Shiloh Christian beat Lonoke 56-20 in the Class 4A state championship game before 4,891 Saturday night at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock.
The Saints (13-1) claimed their second consecutive state championship, third infour seasons and sixth overall - all since 1998.
Shiloh Christian’s victory, coupled with the results of games in neighboring states this weekend involving teams the Saints beat, strengthened its case to maintain a No. 1 overall ranking in the Democrat-Gazette Top 10, unprecedented for a school with only about 250 students in grades 9-12.
“I hope so,” Saints Coach Josh Floyd said, when asked about finishing No. 1 in the state. “We hope so. We had a goal of being No. 1 overall in Arkansas the entire year. Feel like we had the talent do it.”
Frazier tops Shiloh Christian’s array of highly skilled players.
He was named the game’s MVP after rushing 21 times for 129 yards and 2 touchdowns and completing 19 of 28 passes for 236 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Frazier, who will be one of the state’s top recruiting prizes next season, also scored on a 25-yard interception return with 9:04 remaining.
The touchdown pushed Shiloh Christian’s advantage to 49-20.
Shiloh Christian applied the Arkansas Activities Association 35-point mercy rule after senior Wilson Huett ran 2 yards for a touchdown with 1:48 remaining.
The Saints finished with 541 total yards, including 305 rushing on 48 attempts.
Senior running back Chris Bryant rushed 17 times for 98 yards and 1 touchdown. He also caught 6 passes for 84 yards and 1 touchdown.
Lonoke (11-4), No. 2 in Class 4A, was led by senior tailback Brandon Smith, who rushed 22 times for 140 yards and 1 touchdown (65 yards) and caught a 67-yard touchdown pass in the first half from senior quarterback Michael Nelson.
But Nelson was intercepted five times, twice by junior cornerback Zann Jones.
Jones’ first interception, and 52-yard return, set up a 1-yard touchdown run by Frazier with 8:39 remaining in the first half to give Shiloh Christian a 21-0 lead.
The Jackrabbits finished with 293 total yards, but were held to 185 in the final three quarters.
“We can’t afford to go three-and-out,” Lonoke Coach Doug B ost said. “We actually got some first downs, but turnovers got us. You can’t give the ball up to them.”
Shiloh Christian’s six scoring drives took less than 10 plays, and all took less than five minutes.
The Saints needed only 1:06 to cover 70 yards for their second touchdown, a 27-yard pass from Frazier to senior wide receiver Jake Scott with 9:44 remaining inthe first half.
Scott had given the Saints a 7-0 lead when he recovered a blocked punt by junior Sam Harvill in the end zone with 11:41 remaining in the first half.
The Saints zoomed to a 35-7 halftime lead on a 33-yard touchdown pass from Frazier to Bryant with 3:55 remaining in the second quarter and a 6-yard run by Frazier with 10 seconds left in the second quarter.
Lonoke scored on the first play from scrimmage of the second half when senior cornerback Jordan Lynch returned an interception 56 yards for a touchdown.
Shiloh Christian responded with an eight-play, 80-yarddrive, capped by Bryant’s 12-yard run with 9:42 remaining in the third quarter.
The drive took only 2:03.
“Just a good football team,” Bost said. “Their offensive line’s probably bigger than what Arkansas State has. I mean, they can run behind it. They pass protect for him [Frazier]. They’re huge and solid everywhere.”
Floyd, a record-setting quarterback on Shiloh Christian’s 1998 state championship team, said he believes the Saints are solid enough to have legitimate claim for No. 1.
And not just in Class 4A.
Floyd pointed to Louisiana’s Class 2A final Friday night, when Shreveport Evangel beat John Curtis 18-13 to win its 12th state championship.
Evangel (14-1) was beaten 37-36 by Shiloh Christian on Sept. 3.
John Curtis had won five consecutive state championships and 29 consecutive playoff games.
Earlier Saturday, Tulsa Lincoln Christian (14-1) won Oklahoma’s Class 2A championship.
Shiloh Christian beat Lincoln Christian 41-24 on Sept. 11.
Shiloh Christian’s only loss came the following week to Class 5A power Greenwood 54-51.
The Saints closed with 11 consecutive victories, most in dominating fashion.
“We tried to play the best of the best to try to state our case,” Floyd said. “I don’t know. It’s not really up to me.”
Sports, Pages 27 on 12/13/2009