SPRINGDALE — Shiloh Christian Coach Josh Floyd said he gives his team 24 hours to dwell on a game.
Floyd has led the Saints to 71 victories and three state titles in his six-plus years, so usually the Saints use that time to celebrate a victory and add up all the statistics they piled up. The Saints have had almost no experience in dealing with blowout losses.
But now they have to rebound from an 80-26 loss to Euless (Texas) Trinity, a team many consider the best in the nation. The loss, which was nationally televised Sept. 6 by Fox Sports Southwest, is Shiloh Christian’s worst since Floyd took over in 2004.
Next up for the Saints is new in-state rival Greenwood, the third-ranked team in Class 5A. The teams play at 8 p.m. Friday at Shiloh Christian in a game that will be televised nationally by ESPNU.
“We were disappointed, just like any loss,” Floyd said. “Any loss is hard. We saw some things we need to get better at. The biggest problem was the team we were playing. When you play a team that good and you don’tplay well, those things happen.”
It has been six years since the Saints have been the recipient of a lopsided loss. In Floyd’s first game as head coach, Greenwood beat Shiloh Christian 36-0 in the 2004 season opener.
That game was also Rick Jones’ debut as Greenwood’s coach, and the teams have played every September since, with the Bulldogs leading the series 4-2.
Jones said anyone who thinks Shiloh Christian wasexposed by Trinity or is somehow ripe for the picking is delusional. He said he doesn’t expect any team to score close to the 26 points against Trinity that Shiloh Christian did, nor play the team as well.
“We know Shiloh is good,” Jones said. “We know Shiloh is one of the best teams in Arkansas. They have a lot of pride. If there is ever such a thing as extra motivation, I’m sure they have it, but if I worried about things like that I would never sleep at all.”
The Saints, even after the loss, are loaded with top-tier talent with three players who have orally committed to major colleges: quarterback Kiehl Frazier (Auburn), lineman Samuel Harvill (Kansas State) and offensive tackle Travis Bodenstein (Kansas). The Bulldogs, who won threeconsecutive state titles in 2005-2007, have had two Division I signees in their history.
“They’re just loaded,” Jones said. “They have huge, big guys up front on both sides of the ball. They don’t have any apparent weaknesses.”
The teams’ budding rivalry has produced some of the state’s best games in recent years, highlighted by Greenwood’s 54-51 victory in 2009 and Shiloh Christian’s 49-48 victory in 2006.
“We’ve had some great games with them over the years,” Floyd said. “Rick Jones is one of the state’s best coaches and his program is one of the best in the state.”
Jones said having an annual nonconference game with the Saints is a great motivation for his players duringthe off-season. It makes the dog days of summer speed by a little easier knowing that such a big game awaits.
“We would be excited if we were playing them in the parking lot at the Y,” Jones said.
Jones joked that with the game’s late start and with it being televised by ESPNU, it might be the first high school football game to finish on a second day. Floyd said playing in front a television audience should be fun for the players and good for high school football in the state.
“This would be a huge game if TV wasn’t a part of the deal,” Floyd said. “It has turned into a great game for both teams. It gets you ready for a playoff run every year. It lets you see where you can get better, whether you win or lose.”Greenwood vs.
Shiloh Christian WHEN 8 p.m. Friday WHERE Lindsey Field, Springdale RECORDS Greenwood 2-0, Shiloh Christian 1-1 RANKINGS Greenwood is No. 3 in Class 5A; Shiloh Christian is No. 6 overall and No. 1 in Class 4A TELEVISION ESPNUHigh-scoring history YEAR RESULT 2004 Greenwood 36, Shiloh Christian 0 2005 Greenwood 45, Shiloh Christian 42 2006 Shiloh Christian 49, Greenwood 48 2007 Greenwood 52, Shiloh Christian 35 2008 Shiloh Christian 37, Greenwood 20 2009 Greenwood 54, Shiloh Christian 51
Sports, Pages 15 on 09/16/2010