Shiloh Christian football coach Josh Floyd knew Thursday would be diffcult for the Saints, who were without senior starting quarterback Kiehl Frazier.
The good news for the Saints is Frazier, who was taking part in the Elite 11 Quarterback Camp in California, is expected back today in Hoover, Ala., for the National Select 7-on-7 Championships.
Shiloh, with sophomore Michael Sloan and junior Rand Emert splitting time at quarterback, went 1-3 in pool play on Thursday - losing its first three games before rebounding with a 17-15 win over the Hoover ‘B’ team.
“I think (Thursday) was huge for them,” Floyd said. “It was pretty tough out there at first, especially for a sophomore. You have to throw it in some tight windows out there.
“Our timing was definitely a little oft that fi rst game.”
The Saints won the event in 2006, setting the stage for the school’s fourth state championship later that year.
Springdale Har-Ber, which won the event in 2008, also opened pool play on Thursday - coming away with a 3-1 record. Har-Ber’s lone loss came to defending champion and host Hoover High, which defeated the Wildcats 37-19.
Hoover earned 12 of its points thanks to four interceptions by Har-Ber quarterback Ryan Luther, who Wood said bounced back later in the day in wins over Auburn (Ala.) and Mandeville (La.).
“He just really had that one hiccup in the one game,” Har-Ber coach Chris Wood said. “Right now, he’s putting a lot of pressure on himself, and he just needs to get back there and throw it, and he did pretty much that all day.”
Wood said junior receiver Michael Fine and senior Gordon Welch performed well on oftense, also complimenting the defensive performances of linebackers Hunter Kissinger andMatt Davis along with safety Drew Lawson and cornerback Riley Gipson.
“The type of talent we’re facing here, and they’re trying to get one on one with our linebackers and corners,” Wood said. “The talent is at an all-time high, and when we get back home, the game will slow down a little bit.
“This is some of the top talent in the region.”
Both teams continue pool play this morning to determine seeding in the tournament portion of the event, which begins this evening and concludes Saturday afternoon.
Sports, Pages 6 on 07/23/2010