SPRINGDALE — The offensive accolades doled out for Shiloh Christian are certainly warranted. But often overlooked is the play of the Saints defense, which may be playing its best football of the season as the playoffs open next week.
Shiloh’s defense held Farmington out of the end zone and the Saints offense employed a punishing ground game to claim a 41-0 victory in Champions Stadium on Friday to end the regular season.
“I’m real proud of our defense, they’ve done a great job,” Saints coach Josh Floyd said. “I feel like they’ve done that all year. Obviously that one team (Euless Trinity) we didn’t play much defense, but you take that game away and I feel like our defense has been phenomenal.”
In 4A-1 Conference play the Saints have dominated opponents, as expected. But over the past three weeks, the defense has been especially tough, allowing just seven points in overwhelming the conference’s No. 2 seed, Gravette, and shutting out Farmington on Friday.
Against Farmington, the Saints leaned heavily on the defense early as the offense struggled against an inspired Cardinals defense. Farmington held Shiloh (9-1, 7-0) to just seven points in the first quarter and intercepted Saints quarterback Kiehl Frazier’s second pass.
“We felt like we had a good plan and our kids competed real hard,” Farmington coach Mike Adams said. “We didn’t have any good matchups out there. But again, our guys competed real hard, we had a good plan and we executed it.”
Eventually Shiloh’s size and speed wore down the Cardinals (4-6, 3-4), and the Saints pounded out scoring drives of 93 and 98 yards that milked the clock and produced points.
Saints senior running back Garrett Harper had a career-high 215 yards on the ground on just 11 carries, scoring on runs of 75, 50 and 2 yards and added a 31-yard scoring pass to cap a stellar night.
Harper’s 75-yard touchdown run gave the Saints a 7-0 lead and his 50-yarder on the first play of the second half invoked the mercy rule. Frazier was a modest 7-of-16 for 140 yards, but added 96 yards on the ground.
Shiloh’s final score came on a 3-yard run by two-way lineman Troy Goss, who said his sister was there visiting from California to watch him play.
“It was awesome,” Goss said. “It was a great experience. I haven’t scored since my eighth-grade year.”
Farmington’s Spencer Boudrey had a solid night for the Cardinals in all phases of the game. The sophomore led the Cardinals with 53 yards rushing, caught two passes and was solid in the return game.
Next week Shiloh will host Warren in a first-round playoff game as the Saints seek a third consecutive Class 4A state championship, something the program has never accomplished.
Farmington, which earned the No. 5 seed out of the 4A-1, will be on the road to Pulaski Academy.
Prep Football
4A-1 Conference
SHILOH CHRISTIAN 41, FARMINGTON 0
Farmington 0 0 0 0 — 0
Shiloh 7 21 13 0 — 41
First Quarter
Shil — Harper 75 run (Hale kick), 6:22.
Second Quarter
Shil — Harper 2 run (Hale kick), 9:45.
Shil — Jones 53 pass from Frazier (Hale kick), 5:24.
Shil — Harper 31 pass from Frazier (Hale kick), 1:56.
Third Quarter
Shil — Harper 50 run (Hale kick), 11:48.
Shil — Goss 3 run (kick failed), :07.