SPRINGDALE — Dillon Sharp’s best days on the football field may still be ahead of him.
The Shiloh Christian senior quarterback plans to follow in his grandfather’s footsteps and become a football coach when his playing days are over. But he’s not ready to hang up his cleats anytime soon, especially now that he’s finally taking meaningful snaps for the Saints.
Sharp (6-foot, 185 pounds) has taken over as the starting quarterback for the past three games, replacing Daniel Shimer, who tore an ACL. Sharp led the Saints (6-3-1) to a pair of wins before falling to Alma last week in the regular season finale. For the season, he is 41-of-73 for 499 yards and 5 touchdowns.
“I feel like I’m starting to get the hang of it,” Sharp said. “Last week was tough, but that weathered me a little. We have put last week behind us. Our coaches have stressed to us that it’s one play at a time. Once that play is over, you have to move on.”
Sharp’s grandfather David Markam was a coach in Texas, where Dillon grew up before his family moved to Northwest Arkansas five years ago, so he was introduced to the game at an early age. But he wasn’t always a quarterback.
He said he was a defensive lineman and also played center in his younger days before he enrolled at Shiloh Christian as a ninth-grader.
“I was planning on playing wide receiver at Shiloh Christian, and one of our coaches pulled me aside one day and said, ‘you’re going to play quarterback,’” Sharp said.
Last spring he and Shimer battled for the starting quarterback role. The competition afforded Sharp the chance to get a lot of repetitions, which has now proven invaluable as he leads the team with Shimer sidelined.
“They actually got pretty equal reps because you always have to prepare for this possibility,” Saints coach Josh Floyd said. “Plus they were battling it out all spring and into the summer.”
Floyd said there are parts of Sharp’s game that are stronger, like a vertical passing attack.
“Dillon has stepped in and done a good job for us,” Floyd said. “I think he knows what his strengths are and what he’s good at.”
Sharp said the biggest difference in going from backup to starter has been the pregame preparation. Although he and Shimer got equal reps in the spring and summer, when Shimer was declared the starter, Sharp’s reps decreased.
Now it’s Sharp who’s in the film room studying the Saints’ next opponent and getting all the practice reps.
“You have to work hard in film study,” he said. “I want to be a coach, so I want to be the most prepared quarterback, or the most prepared player in the state.”
The Saints are back in the state playoffs after missing last season. Shiloh Christian hits the road today to take on Wynne (8-2) in a first-round Class 5A state playoff game.
For Sharp, he hopes this journey lasts for a while. But he also knows that his future in football will extend well beyond this season.
Class 5A Playoffs
SHILOH CHRISTIAN AT WYNNE
Yellowjackets Stadium
• KICKOFF: 7 p.m.
• RECORDS: Shiloh Christian 6-3-1; Wynne 8-2
• ON THE AIR: The game is live streamed at www.shilohchristianfootball.com
• BETWEEN THE LINES: The Saints saw their five-game winning streak snapped last week at Alma, and were knocked to the No. 3 seed from the 5A-West. The Saints fell into a 23-0 hole against Alma and could not recover. … Senior RB Chris Cox had his third straight 100-plus yard rushing game and has 838 yards on 106 carries and 9 touchdowns. … Junior WRs Adler Goode and Reed Lowe have combined for 63 catches and 1,057 yards. … Wynne sophomore RB Antonio Davis has 1,625 yards rushing and 193 receiving and a combined 24 touchdowns. … The Saints will be without a number of starters due to injuries.
• PLAYERS TO WATCH: Shiloh Christian, LB Ryne McDonald (Sr., 5-11, 190), DE Matt Hansen (Sr., 6-2, 255), RB Chris Cox (Sr., 6-1, 195). Wynne, RB Antonio Davis (So., 5-8, 150), QB Zach Morris (Jr., 5-9, 160).
• HOOTEN’S RANKING: Shiloh Christian is No. 8 in Class 5A; Wynne is No. 7.
• HOOTEN’S LINE: Wynne by 1.
• OUR TAKE: Wynne 31, Shiloh Christian 21.
— CHIP SOUZA w @nwachip