Davis, Yellowjackets Sting Saints

WYNNE — What began as a first-round Class 5A State Playoffs game quickly became Antonio Davis’ coming-out party.

Wynne’s sophomore running back jetted for 154 yards in the first half, along with three touchdown runs to put the Yellowjackets ahead at halftime, 21-13. Davis’ three scoring runs of 3, 17 and 66 yards dazzled the crowd and kept Shiloh Christian at bay.

He didn’t stop there. Davis added a 54-yard touchdown run late in the fourth quarter and closed out the Yellowjackets’ 35-18 victory.

“He does some things that you can’t coach,” Wynne coach Chris Hill said. “All I do is call the plays and watch him do what he does.”

The game was still very much in question late in the second half. After a scoreless third quarter, Shiloh Christian (6-4-1) scored on Dillon Sharp’s 6-yard touchdown pass to Reed Lowe that pulled the Saints within 21-19. The ensuing two-point conversion was denied, and Wynne (9-2) swiftly answered the Shiloh score with one of its own.

The Yellowjackets drove 61 yards in four plays, culminated by Zach Morris’ 4-yard touchdown run to put Wynne ahead 28-19 with 7 minutes, 28 seconds remaining.

“We settled for some field goals in the first half that we really needed to convert into touchdowns. That came back to us later on,” Shiloh Christian coach Josh Floyd said.

Wynne (9-2), which travels to Hope for a quarterfinal game next week, forced two straight incompletions on and took over on downs at its 46 with 3:47 left to play. That’s when Davis put the icing on the cake of his big night.

He was initially hit in the backfield, but kept his balance and cutto the left sideline before running out of room. He cut all the way back across field and found nothing but daylight and green grass for the final score.

EXTRA POINTS

• Shiloh Christian scored on its opening possession, with Matthew Solomon capping an 11-play, 71-yard drive with a 22-yard touchdown run on a jet sweep with 4:52 left in the first quarter.

• Play was stopped for more than 20 minutes when Saints running back Chris Cox went down with an injury on a third-down play. The sophomore running back was treated by trainers, then placed on an ambulance by paramedics and taken to a hospital. “He was moving and stuff like that, so we think he’s gonna be all right,” Floyd said. “We just have to take precautions in a situation like that.” Floyd said.

• Shiloh Christian kicker J.T. Hale hit field goals of 31 and 36 yards in the second quarter. He had a chance for a third field goal, but the Saints opted for a fake and a pass fell incomplete.

• The loss denied Floyd his 100th career victory and ends Shiloh Christian’s two-year tenure as a Class 5A football team. The Saints will drop down to Class 4A status next season.

HOW THEY SCORED

Wynne 35, Shiloh Christian 19

Shiloh^7^6^0^6^—^19

Wynne^7^14^0^14^—^35

First Quarter

Shiloh — Solomon 22 run (Hale kick), 4:52.

Wynne — Davis 3 yard run (Shierland kick), 2:52.

Second Quarter

Wynne — Davis 17 run (Shierland kick), 11:25.

Shiloh — FG Hale 31, 6:02.

Wynne — Davis 66 run (Shierland kick), 5:50.

Shiloh — FG Hale 36, :21.

Fourth Quarter

Shiloh — Lowe 6 pass from Sharp (pass fail), 8:37.

Wynne — Morris 4 run (Shierland kick), 7:28.

Wynne — Davis 54 run (Shierland kick), 3:35.

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