GREENWOOD - Shiloh Christian did all it could to keep it close in the first half, but Greenwood used a strong third quarter to put the game out of reach.
Quarterback Jabe Burgess completed 25 of 32 passes for 331 yards with 4 touchdowns and 2 interceptions in a 55-24 victory Friday night at Smith-Robinson Stadium as Greenwood ran its victory streak to 41 consecutive games.
Greenwood shut out Shiloh Christian in the second half, scoring 21 consecutive points in the third quarter and forcing three turnovers in the half to secure the victory.
“We ended up playing better in the second half, that’s for sure,” Greenwood Coach Rick Jones said. “The turnovers were big for us. We did a good job making adjustments in the second half to shut them out.”
It appeared as if Greenwood (3-0) was going to take a 17-point lead into halftime after capitalizing on a turnover, but Shiloh Christian (1-1-1) quickly made up for its mistake.
Saints quarterback Daniel Shimer threw his second interception of the first half, and on the next play Burgess found Kevin Jones for a 44-yard touchdown that put Greenwood ahead 34-17 with 1:05 left in the half.
Shiloh Christian came right back, as Shimer led the Saints on a 80-yard scoring drive that cut the lead to 34-24 with 27 seconds left. Shimer capped the drive with a 25-yard touchdown pass to Chandler Smith.
“We came out and competed well in that first half,” Shiloh Christian Coach Josh Floyd said. “The big difference in our team this year from last year is we went down there and scored. I was really proud of the way we played the first half.”
Shimer finished 18 of 35 for 245 passing yards with 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He added 54 yards and 1 touchdown on 16 carries.
“That guy is a good player and just makes plays,” Jones said. “They have some athletic players, and this team reminds me of those teams they had four or five years ago. They have eight to 12 players who can play for just about anyone.”
Burgess, who has orally committed to Tulsa, took over coming out of halftime. He scored on two 1-yard runs and then found Jones for a 16-yard touchdown pass to make it 55-23 with 3:21 left in the third quarter.
“It was a real interesting game momentum-wise, because we made plays and they made plays,” Jones said. “We’ve had some great games against these guys.”
Shiloh Christian trailed13-0 in the first quarter after Greenwood’s Hoyt Smith scored on a 9-yard run with 5:02 left in the first. Smith finished with 81 yards and 2 touchdowns on 13 carries before leaving with an injury with 3:09 left in half.
The Saints cut into the early lead with a 20-yard touchdown run by Shimer and closed to within 13-10 when kicker John Hale made a 34-yard field goal in the second quarter.
“We made some great plays, and we had some we wish we had back,” Floyd said. “You aren’t going to turn the ball over and beat Greenwood.”
Shiloh Christian simply couldn’t overcome its struggles in the third quarter.
“I was really proud of how we competed in the first half, but we have to do a better job coming out and putting points on the board,” Floyd said. “They did a good job shutting us down after halftime.”
Sports, Pages 26 on 09/21/2013