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Shiloh Headed Back To State Final
Last updated Saturday, December 1, 2007 12:24 AM CST in Prep Sports
By Brandon Harris
Special To The Morning News
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SPRINGDALE — The defending state champions are headed to War Memorial Stadium to defend their title, and their quarterback is fresh off a performance that’ll be hard to top.
Shiloh Christian quarterback Blake Roberts was unstoppable, throwing for four touchdowns and rushing for four more, and the Saints defeated Bauxite 66-34 at Champions Stadium on Friday night.
“Blake Roberts is one of the best quarterbacks in the state,” Shiloh coach Josh Floyd said. “He hasn’t gotten much recognition because he hasn’t been around that long, but he’s one of the best in the state. He can do it on the ground and through the air.”
Roberts, in his first year of high school football since junior high, accounted for 425 yards of offense — 247 on the ground and 178 through the air — and picked apart the Miners defense from the outset. Bauxite’s defensive line was quick, but overpowered by the youthful Shiloh front, and Roberts rarely faced any kind of pressure.
Running back Matt Gerlt also had a big game for the Saints, rushing nine times for 121 yards and a touchdown, and catching five passes for 71 yards. Freshman receiver Zann Jones had four catches for 51 yards and three scores.
“Their offense killed us,” Bauxite coach Jon Watson. “Their offensive guys killed our defensive guys all night. You can quote that.”
The Miners’ offense didn’t help much either. Bauxite fumbled the ball five times, losing four, and the high-powered Saints offense had excellent field position on nearly every possession. They led just 31-21 after halftime, but pulled away in the second half when the Miners began to tire and continued to turn the ball over.
Neither team could do much in the way of stopping the other in the first half.
Bauxite fumbled on its second play from scrimmage, giving the Saints the ball on their own 44. Roberts led Shiloh on a six-play drive, running the draw five times and eventually scoring on a 5-yard keeper.
The Miners responded on the ground, keyed by a 36-yard rumble by 6-foot-3, 250-pound running back Tommy Wimberly. They eventually scored on a quick pitch to running back Ryan Dunlap, who took it 26 yards for a 7-7 tie.
Gerlt returned the ensuing kickokff 59 yards to the Bauxite 36, setting up a four-play scoring drive capped by a 19-yard touchdown pass from Roberts to Zann Jones. Bauxite charged down the field on the next drive, chewing up the clock on a nine-play drive and finishing on a 2-yard keeper by quarterback Aaron Mathis to tie the game at 14-14.
Shiloh’s Trevor Tumlinson nailed a 32-yard field goal to put the Saints ahead 17-14 by the end of the first quarter, but Bauxite responded and took a 21-17 lead with yet another scoring drive with a 1-yard scoring run from Wimberly.
The Saints scored on their next drive to pull ahead 24-21, and Bauxite stumbled again when Blake Childress returned the kickoff and had the ball stripped at the 18-yard-line. Zach Dangeau recovered for Shiloh, setting up another Roberts touchdown — his fourth of the half — when he ran it in from 1 yard out.
The Saints forced the Miners to turn the ball over on downs on the ensuing drive, and Shiloh’s next drive ended when the clock expired before halftime.
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