LINCOLN -- Connor Reece's right arm has been his biggest weapon this season.
On Friday it was his feet that turned in the game's biggest play.
How They Scored
Shiloh Christian 49, Lincoln 13
Shiloh Christian^7^29^6^7^—^49
Lincoln^7^0^0^6^—^13
First Quarter
Shiloh — Carruthers 27 run (Freeman kick), 9:45
Linc — Rowe 28 run (Bustamonte kick), 2:04
Second Quarter
Shiloh — Reece 61 run (Reece pass to Moore), 11:47
Shiloh — Solomon 45 pass from Reece (Freeman kick), 10:23
Shiloh — Fulgham 13 pass from Reece (Freeman kick), 6:01
Shiloh — Freeman 8 run (Freeman kick), 2:52
Third Quarter
Shiloh — Freeman 5 run (kick fails), 6:25
Fourth Quarter
Shiloh — Carruthers 73 pass from Olsen (Freeman kick), 10:30
Linc — Hamby 85 kickoff return (run fails), 9:45
Shiloh Christian's sophomore quarterback broke a 7-7 tie with a 61-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-2, and propelled the Saints to a 49-13 win in Wolf Pack Stadium in 4A-1 Conference action.
"That was a big play," Shiloh Christian coach Jeff Conaway said. "That was a little play-action pass, and there wasn't anybody there, so he just made a good decision and ran it."
Reece's scoring run was the spark the Saints (6-2, 5-0 4A-1 Conference) needed to turn back the pesky Wolves (2-6, 1-4), an 11-win team a year ago.
Shiloh Christian marched 73 yards on its opening possession to take a 7-0 lead on John-Marcus Carruthers' 27-yard dash with 9 minutes, 45 seconds left in the first quarter. Carruthers, also a sophomore, saw extended playing time Friday night as senior running back Chandler Smith was out with a knee injury.
But Lincoln, after stopping Reece on fourth-and-1 at the Wolves' 26, found a rhythm on offense. The Wolves, who implemented a new Wing-T offense a couple of weeks ago, tore through the Shiloh Christian defense on a 74-yard march keyed Charles Rowe's 31-yard run on first down. Rowe punctuated the drive with a 28-yard dash to the end zone and Jorge Bustamonte's extra point tied the game at 7-7 with 2:04 left in the first quarter.
"We came out strong, but we just fizzled. We ran out of gas," Lincoln coach Scott Davenport said. "Our offensive line, we've worked extremely hard shoring up our blocking. Our backs were hitting the hole hard. I was proud of our effort."
Reece's answered back for the Saints on the first play of the second quarter, and his fourth down run ignited the Saints to a 29-point explosion in the second quarter that resulted in a 36-7 halftime lead. Reece hit Matthew Solomon on a 45-yard touchdown pass, and later hit Brennan Fulgham on a 13-yard scoring pass. Kyle Freeman added another Shiloh Christian touchdown after a Lincoln turnover one of four on the night.
The Saints invoked the mercy rule in the third quarter when Freeman scored from five yards out, and later Carruthers took a screen pass from backup quarterback Ben Olsen 73 yards for a touchdown.
Lincoln answered back after the Carruthers score on Dalton Hamby's 85-yard kickoff return to set the final score at 49-13.
Extra Points
• Three Shiloh Christian backs rushed for more than 70 yards, led by Carruthers' 80 yards on 11 carries. Freeman added 77 and Reece 73.
• Rowe was a workhorse for Lincoln with 71 yards on 13 carries.
• Friday night was Pink Out at Wolf Pack Stadium in observance of Breast Cancer Awareness. A large group of young Lincoln Elementary students performed in pre-game and the playing field included pink outlines around the Wolf at midfield and in the end zone.
Up Next: Shiloh Christian will host Gravette in its final home game, while Lincoln travels to Gentry.
Sports on 10/25/2014