Defense Carries Saints Over Warren

— Ryan Hyde jumped up off the turf, pumped his fist and let out a whoop.

Hyde’s early tackle for a loss set the tone, and Shiloh Christian’s defense was relentless as the Saints opened the Class 4A State Playoffs with a 49-7 win against Warren in Champions Stadium on Friday night.

Shiloh (10-1) held Warren without a yard or a first down in the first half, and Hyde’s tackle of Lumberjacks tailback Savion Gilbert was the kind of play the Saints registered over and over. In the first half, Gilbert was the only Warren player to gain a positive yard and that was all he had — one yard.

“That just pumped us up,” said Hyde of his early tackle. He also added another eight-yard sack of Warren freshman quarterback Drake Jones.

Saints coach Josh Floyd said his defense “just gets better and better every week.”

Warren, which started seven freshmen, did not register a first down until late in the second half — long after the mercy rule had been invoked. Shiloh led 49-0 at halftime.

“We just have such a young team, but I was proud of the way we played,” Warren coach Bo Hembree said. “We have a bright future ahead of us.”

For Shiloh, seeking a third consecutive Class 4A state title, it was again the play of seniors Kiehl Frazier and Garrett Harper that opened the game up. The rain and cold held Frazier’s passing game in check. But he did go 8-of-13 for 172 yards in slightly less than one half. And Harper ran 8 times for 89 yards and caught two passes for 48 yards and a combined three touchdowns.

“We struggled early offensively, but we were able to put some things together after that first series,” Floyd said.

Shiloh scored on six consecutive possessions following the first possession in taking a 42-0 lead, then the defense put the cap on a stellar night as Colt Thomas intercepted a Jones pass and returned it 14 yards for a pick-6 just before the half.

Gilbert, who came into the game with more than 1,400 rushing yards, finished with 46 yards on 11 carries and Charles English III added four catches for 32 yards and a 17-yard touchdown from Jones.

Shiloh will host McGehee next week in the second round. McGehee defeated Osceola 24-14 Friday night.

Prep Football

Class 4A Playoffs

SHILOH CHRISTIAN 49, WARREN 7

Warren 0 0 0 7 — 7

Shiloh 21 28 0 0 — 49

First Quarter

Shil — Frazier 10 run (Hale kick), 7:03.

Shil — Harper 16 run (Hale kick), 4:31.

Shil — Harper 29 pass from Frazier (Hale kick), 1:52.

Second Quarter

Shil — Harper 26 run (Hale kick), 10:24.

Shil — Frazier 64 run (Hale kick), 8:30.

Shil — Thomas 27 pass from Frazier (Hale kick), 7:41.

Shil — Thomas 14 interception return (Hale kick), 2:13.

Fourth Quarter

Warr — English 17 pass from Jones (Sedano kick), 5:35.

Gamebreaker

Shiloh 49, Warren 7

Why the Saints Won

Shiloh’s defense held Warren without a single yard in the first half and the Saints scored on six consecutive possessions in the first half.

Why the Lumberjacks Lost

Warren had three consecutive fumbled kickoffs that led to three Shiloh scores and turned the ball over five times on the night.

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