DALLAS — The haka war dance performed by the Euless (Texas) Trinity football team before and after its games has been a team tradition and an Internet sensation for several years.
Shiloh Christian senior Sam Harvill plans to do his own dance today.
“I’m going to be doing a victory dance after the game when we beat them,” Harvill said.
Give the Saints credit, they are not blinking as they approach today’s 10:30 a.m. kickoff against the defending Division I Class 5A Texas state champion Trojans. The contest will be the first of a quadruple-header at Cowboys Stadium as part of the Kirk Herbstreit National Kickoff Classic.
These are two of the top teams in the country, at least according to most national prep polls. And while Trinity’s 3,000 student population is 10 times that of Shiloh’s, the Saints are sticking to the theory that only 11 players can be on the field at one time and their 11 can stack up against Trinity’s 11.
“We may not have the most people but we have a strong team,” Harvill said.
TODAY'S TICKET
Shiloh Christian vs. Euless (Texas) Trinity
KICKOFF: 10:30 a.m.
WHERE: Cowboys Stadium, Arlington, Texas
ON THE AIR: Fox Sports Net
RECORDS: Shiloh, 1-0; Trinity 1-0
Shiloh (1-0) has played against seemingly long odds before. In the 2009 opener, the Saints held off Shreveport (La.) Evangel Christian, another team with national prestige. Senior receiver Zann Jones said the preparation for Evangel will help the Saints as they step onto the field at the $1.5 billion mega stadium built by fellow Arkansan and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
“I’m not saying they’re (Evangel) as good (as Trinity), but they have the same kind of talent,” Jones said. “I think we’ll be prepared.”
Trinity (1-0), which has won Texas state titles in 2005, 2007 and last season, opened the season last week in a nationally televised 35-0 win over Tyler Lee. The Trojan defense smothered the Red Raiders, allowing just 110 yards of offense.
“Defensively they’ve got I don’t know how many guys that are D1,” Saints coach Josh Floyd said. “They’re big and strong and physical upfront. Their linebackers fly around the ball. They bring the hat every time. Their safeties, corners ... they are all breaking on the ball.”
The Trojans also have an explosive offense with a heavy emphasis on the run. A huge offensive line with a strong Tongan influence is the focal point out of the ‘I’ formation. The offense is old-school, but it has proven to be highly successful.
“Offensively you’ve got those big animals upfront,” Floyd said. “The thing about their linemen, they are big, but they’re not those 300-pound slow high school linemen. Their guys are pulling around and blocking down field. Just really athletic linemen.”
Trinity quarterback Kailahi Kautai is a first-year starter who seemed to get better as the game with Lee wore on. He connected with standout wide receiver Brandon Carter, who has committed to Oklahoma, for a pair of scoring passes.
“That first touchdown (to Carter) got us going," Kautai said in a Dallas Morning News story. “We were a little rough in the beginning, but coach (Steve Lineweaver) found the perfect play. That got our hopes up and we just kept doing what we were doing.”
Shiloh will counter with a strong offense centered around one of the country’s top dual-threat quarterbacks Kiehl Frazier, who fired four touchdown passes in the Saints 54-22 win over Watson Chapel in the season opener last Monday. Two of the scores went to Jones, who leads the team in receiving.
Depth could be an factor as the game wears on as the Saints will have a number of players going both ways. The Saints will be without senior receiver Jon Hawes for the second game after he broke his foot. Floyd likened losing Hawes to losing two players since he played both offense and defense.
“It was tough losing him, but we’ll keep going,” Floyd said. “We’ve had some players step up.”
And if Harvill has his way, they’ll be stepping out today.