SPRINGDALE -- In a battle of two of the state's top private schools, it was the visiting team from central Arkansas that proved to have the upper hand in a 40-20 victory Friday night.
Little Rock Christian outgained Shiloh Christian 478-217 in total offense, with 197 through the air and 281 on the ground, to remain unbeaten in the early season.
Little Rock Christian 40, Shiloh Christian 20
LRC 0 13 12 15 40
Shiloh Christian 7 0 7 6 20
First Quarter
Shiloh — Neal 2 pass from Brown (Carter kick), 8:01
Second Quarter
LRC – Burnes 7 pass from Hill (Harris kick), 11:13
LRC – Burnes 28 run (kick blocked), 9:58
Third Quarter
LRC – Harris 15 pass from Bowersock (kick failed), 9:27
Shiloh – Thomson 42 pass from Brown (Carter kick), 4:50
LRC – Givens 1 run (run failed) 2:31
Fourth Quarter
LRC — Givens 13 run (Harris run), 10:42
Shiloh – Nelson 6 pass from Brown (pass failed) 5:01
LRC – Givens 39 run (Fugate kick), 3:31
Despite losing its top offensive threat Ladarius Burnes to a leg injury late in the first half, it was sophomore Kendel Givens who came to the aid of the Warriors offense. The 5-foot-8, 180-pounder proved to be a tough task for the Saints' defense as he rumbled for three touchdowns in the second half on runs of one, 13 and 39 yards. Givens finished with 124 yards on 10 carries.
"Kendel had a great game tonight, stepping up when LB went down," Warriors coach Eric Cohu said. "(Burnes) is one of the best running backs in the state, scored our first two touchdowns. But he goes down, Kendel steps in. It's just next man up.
"He's a good, young running back and he rose to the occasion tonight."
Shiloh Christian (1-1) began the night with the longest-sustained drive of the game for either team, a 12-play journey that covered 57 yards, culminating in a 2-yard scoring toss from Landon Brown to tight end Reagan Neal.
The Warriors (2-0) took the ball to the Saints' 41 on the ensuing drive before turning it over on downs.
The teams then swapped possession on consecutive plays midway through the first quarter as Little Rock's David Lee picked off Brown's pass to set the Warriors up at the Saints' 9. But Shiloh Christian free safety Micah Button returned the favor on the next play, shagging Jackson Bowersock's pass in the end zone.
Burnes then got the Little Rock Christian offense into gear, catching a short pass from Justice Hill and scampering for seven yards into the end zone.
After Shiloh Christian fumbled on the first play of the ensuing drive, Burnes quickly broke loose for a 28-yard score to put the Warriors up 13-7 with 9:28 to play in the first half.
Trey Harris hauled in a 15-yard pass from Bowersock to open the scoring after the intermission, boosting the Warriors' lead to 19-7.
"Week in and week out, we are just trying to get better," Cohu said. "Shiloh is a great program that is well coached, so it was a big win for us."
Sports on 09/09/2017