SPRINGDALE — Jabe Burgess barked out the play and flipped a short pass to Drew Morgan on the game’s first play.
Morgan, who has verbally committed to Arkansas State, found a seam and not a single Shiloh Christian player laid a hand on him en route to a 77-yard touchdown.
Gamebreaker
WHY THE BULLDOGS WON
Greenwood quarterback Jabe Burgess was 9-of-11 for 212 yards and 3 TDs in the first quarter. Drew Morgan had 2 TD catches and an 84-yard kickoff return.
WHY THE SAINTS LOST
Turnovers were costly. An early fumble and an interception were both converted into touchdowns for Greenwood.
It was a scene repeated often in Greenwood’s 51-21 win that extended its winning streak to 27 straight heading into its 7A/6A-Central Conference opener next week at home against Fort Smith Northside.
“We played with a lot of intensity,” Greenwood coach Rick Jones said.
Greenwood (3-0) scored 37 points in the first quarter and led 51-7 at halftime. Statistically, the Bulldogs outgained Shiloh Christian (1-2) 391-163 in the first half to invoke the mercy rule for the second half.
But a key first quarter Shiloh Christian turnover early in the first quarter might have at least made the game more interesting.
With Greenwood leading 7-0, the Saints marched inside the Greenwood 45-yard line. Saints quarterback Casey Paraday hit Matthew Solomon down the middle for a 28-yard gain, but Solomon was stripped of the ball at the Bulldogs’ 16 and Saul Palmer recovered for Greenwood.
“When they completed that long pass and he fumbled, that was tough blow on them, because that puts them right back in it,” Jones said.
Shiloh Christian coach Josh Floyd agreed.
“I would hope it changed the game a little bit,” Floyd said. “They got after us. I don’t know how much it would have mattered. That’s the funny thing about football. It’s just such a momentum game, you never know what’s going to happen.
“Casey makes a really good read, and we make a great catch. It’s one of many plays, but we did exactly what we said all week we couldn’t do and that’s give them more chances.”
Burgess was almost flawless in the first half, completing 9 of 11 passes for 212 yards. Morgan caught two of Burgess’ three touchdown passes, then added an 84-yard kickoff return on a free kick after the Bulldogs sacked Paraday in the end zone for a safety.
The Bulldogs led 44-0 before Shiloh Christian scored on a Paraday to Kyle Plunkett 47-yard pass. Paraday was 13-of-21 for 175 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Plunkett caught 3 passes for 67 yards.
Shiloh Christian scored two second half touchdowns after the mercy rule was invoked at halftime.
The Saints will also step up in conference action next week, traveling to Morrilton to start 5A-West Conference play.
This was the ninth meeting between these two programs since 2004 with Greenwood winning six times.