SPRINGDALE — Zann Jones was so wide open on Shiloh Christian’s first play, it looked like he might have taken off downfield as soon as the Saints broke their huddle.
Jones streaked past the Prairie Grove secondary and gathered in Kiehl Frazier’s 58-yard touchdown pass that set the tone for the Saints’ 49-14 victory Friday in Champions Stadium.
“Zann Jones, I mean, he’s one of the best players in the state, I think,” Saints Coach Josh Floyd said of his 6-foot, 200-pound senior. “He played big-time.”
Jones almost single-handedly equaled the entire Prairie Grove offensive output, finishing the night with 5 catches for 167 yards and 2 rushes for 5 yards. Were it not for a 5-yard rushing loss, his total yardage would have been just 2 yards less than the Tigers totaled (179).
“We thought we’d take a shot that first play of the game and he ended up making a play,” Floyd said. “The others were like 5-yard routes and he ended up breaking tackles. Zann’s a big-time player.”
For the second consecutive week, the Saints (5-1, 3-0 4A-1) scored two touchdowns on their first two snaps, taking a 14-0 lead that left the Tigers (2-4, 0-3) stunned. After Jones’ first score, Saints linebacker Colt Thomas recovered a Prairie Grove fumble at the 8 and Garrett Harper scored one play later. Two plays and two touchdowns in 10 seconds left the Tigers in a deep hole.
“We shot ourselves in the foot early,” Tigers Coach Danny Abshier said. “With these guys, you can’t do that. Their game is to get on you quick. The fumble, that’s a crusher right there.”
Frazier and Jones connected twice more on 48-and 36-yard scoring strikes, the second with just 22 seconds left in the half for a 42-0 Saints lead.
The second half was played under the sportsmanship rule, but the Tigers scored two touchdowns despite the continuously running clock, which pleased Abshier. Sophomore Jared Murphy scored on a short run and Skyler Ellis raced 26 yards for another score.
“We haven’t seen two touchdowns in two games,” Abshier said. “We got a little advancement. We’ve got to keep improving, got to cut down on the penalties and keep working on our game.”
Shiloh Christian showed a new offensive wrinkle midway through the second quarter, giving offensive linemen Samuel Harvill (270 pounds) and Troy Goss (265 pounds) carries out of the backfield. Harvill gained 18 and Goss 9 yards on their attempts.
“That’s our jumbo package,” Floyd said. “That’s a lot of meat up there.”
Sports, Pages 21 on 10/09/2010