CLASS 4A/3A

Storey dashes Saints' hopes

NWA Media/Michael Woods --09/04/2014-- w @NWAMICHAELW...Charleston quarterback Ty Storey runs past Shiloh christian defenders to score a touchdown during Thursday nights game against Shiloh Christian at Mayo-Thompson Stadium in Fort Smith.
NWA Media/Michael Woods --09/04/2014-- w @NWAMICHAELW...Charleston quarterback Ty Storey runs past Shiloh christian defenders to score a touchdown during Thursday nights game against Shiloh Christian at Mayo-Thompson Stadium in Fort Smith.

FORT SMITH -- Jeff Conaway couldn't have scripted a better start to his first game as Shiloh Christian's football coach.

Saints linebacker Austin Connolly sacked Charleston quarterback Ty Storey, one of the state's top college prospects, for an 8-yard loss on the game's first play Thursday night at Mayo-Thompson Stadium

Shiloh Christian stopped the Tigers on their first offensive series, then put together a 10-play, 82-yard drive of its own that was capped with an 18-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Connor Reece to Kyle Freeman for a 7-0 lead with 7 minutes, 34 seconds left in the first quarter.

The Saints were celebrating, but the euphoria didn't last long against the defending Class 3A champions.

Storey, a senior quarterback, showed the crowd estimated at 5,000 why he's headed to Fayetteville next season to play football for the University of Arkansas.

Storey completed 23 of 36 passes for 225 yards and 5 touchdowns and ran for another touchdown to put an exclamation point on the Tigers' 42-14 mercy-rule victory.

Charleston's victory was its first against Shiloh Christian in five meetings.

"It's a good start to hopefully a great year," said Storey, who is closing in on 9,000 career passing yards with 8,919 and 106 career touchdowns. "There's a lot of rich history in both towns. We hadn't ever been able to beat them until today. It's good to get that monkey off our backs."

Storey and the Tigers scored four touchdowns in the final 6:18 of the first half. He threw touchdown passes of 11, 21 and 13 yards, the last with 31 seconds left in the half that turned the early 7-0 deficit into a 27-7 lead going into halftime.

"That was huge," Conaway said of Charleston's four-touchdown barrage. "That gave them all the momentum, especially the touchdown right before halftime."

The Tigers (1-0) turned a big special-teams play and another big defensive stop to set up the two scores before half. The first came after Charleston blocked a Shiloh Christian punt. On the next play, Storey threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Taylor King -- who finished with seven receptions for 111 yards -- for a 20-7 lead.

Charleston's defense set up the next score by stuffing Shiloh Christian's Chandler Smith on a fourth-and-1 play at midfield. The Tigers drove 49 yards in 10 plays, capping the drive with Storey's 13-yard pass to Dalton Christenberry for a 27-7 lead.

Charleston rolled up 424 yards of total offense, 235 passing and 189 rushing. Storey led all rushers with 53 yards while Wade Gerlick added 50 yards.

Shiloh Christian finished with 240 total yards, 167 passing and 73 rushing. Reece completed 14 of 29 passes for 167 yards.

The Saints (0-1) scored the game's final touchdown with 8:06 to play when Reece tossed a screen pass to Freeman, who went 62 yards for a touchdown.

Sports on 09/05/2014

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