Shiloh Christian gets points but needs big defensive plays to outlast Lincoln Christian, 42-35

Saints force three second-half turnovers to win matchup against Oklahoma state title contender.

By Buck Ringgold | Photos by Sadie Rucker 

SPRINGDALE, Ark. - Two teams with fast-paced offenses, Lincoln (Okla.) Christian and Shiloh Christian, definitely produced the yards and the touchdowns.

However, the Saints’ defense came up big in the second half, especially in the final minutes of play.

Shiloh Christian turned two third-quarter interceptions into touchdowns; then held off a furious Bulldog rally by recovering a fumble with 1:19 left. The Saints got a first down to finish off a wild 42-35 win Friday at Champions Stadium.

“Defense was huge right there, and it always will be,” said Shiloh senior defensive back Bodie Neal, who had one of those third-quarter picks. “Defense wins games and our defense is just huge on our team.”

With Shiloh (2-1) leading at halftime 28-21, Lincoln got the ball to start the second half. But on the initial play from scrimmage, the Saints’ Seth Lowe picked off a pass and returned it to the Bulldogs’ 28-yard line.

Three plays later, running back Bo Williams had his third touchdown run on the night, from 3 yards out, giving the Saints a 35-21 advantage.

“We went into halftime, and our goal since coming out was win the first four minutes, and we won the first four minutes and got the interception,” Saints coach Jeff Conaway said. “We took it down and scored, and I really believe that’s where it broke for us.”

But the Saints’ defense was getting warmed up.

On the next series, the Bulldogs drove inside the Shiloh 20, but Neal came up with his interception right in front of the goal line and returned it to his 20.

Shiloh proceeded to put together a 16-play drive, and Neal’s hands were heavily involved again on the final play.

Facing a fourth-and-9 from the Bulldog 14, the Saints went for it.

Quarterback Eli Wisdom launched a pass in the back corner of the end zone, where Neal out-jumped his defender and came down with it, as Shiloh built a 42-21 lead with 3:59 left in the third.

“Fourth down, you’ve got to get the first no matter what, but we were going for the end zone; we were going for the score,” Neal said. “It was a great ball by Eli, and we were able to connect on fourth down and score.”

Lincoln Christian, which won state in 2019 and was the runner-up each of the past two seasons, fought back.

With 8:12 left, running back Griffin Dyer raced in from 42 yards out. The Saints were threatening to score on their next series, but Lincoln defensive back Seth Kruse picked off a pass in the back of the end zone.

Kruse then turned that into a TD of his own, catching a 60-yard pass from quarterback Luke Milligan. With 4:39 left, the Bulldogs closed the gap to a touchdown.

Lincoln then got the ball back by forcing a three-and-out. The Bulldogs were driving near midfield, but Shiloh’s defense came up huge one more time.

On a running play, senior linebacker Cole Glenn knocked the ball loose, and his teammate, Dax Widger, pounced on it. Williams then got a run for a first down, as the Saints ran out the clock.

“We had a chance there, and we turned it over,” Lincoln Christian coach Jerry Ricke said. “We talked to our guys about turnovers are usually the key in the game and it ended up being true (Friday).”

The Bulldogs and Saints each had more than 500 yards of total offense. Lincoln ended up with 262 yards rushing and 260 more passing to finish with 522, while the Saints had 515 total (269 rushing, 246 passing).

Shiloh quarterback Eli Wisdom was 19-of-30 passing for 246 yards and two touchdowns. He added 161 yards rushing on 17 carries, including an 80-yard keeper on a fourth-down play in the second quarter, which gave the Saints a 28-14 lead with 7:48 left until halftime

“Just big-time playmakers making big-time plays in big-time games,” Conaway said of Wisdom’s fourth-down play. “We tell them all the time to go out, and it’s faith over fear and there was an opportunity there to be fearful and possibly punt it.

“But we trust our guys and they converted and made big plays.”

Neal caught seven passes for 93 yards, and Widger had five receptions for 84 yards.

Milligan completed 14-of-22 passes for 260 yards and three TDs. His first two pass attempts both went for touchdowns, as Lincoln scored on the first play of each of its first two possessions. Running back John Washington had 200 yards on 25 carries, including a 75-yard TD in the second quarter that pulled the Bulldogs within seven, 28-21.

The Bulldogs end their non-district slate 3-1, finishing things after a stretch that included wins against Holland Hall (which beat Lincoln in last season's 3A title game), Jones and Vian, all playoff teams from a season ago.

“This is why you schedule those games against these great programs, because they’re going to give you a look at things you need to get better at, but they also give you a look at things you do well, and I thought we did a little bit of both (Friday)," Ricke said.

"We did some things we definitely got to get corrected, but we did a lot of good things including finishing the game the way we did and not giving up.”

Both teams now get set for its respective conference openers next week. Lincoln takes on Berryhill, while Shiloh is at home again to face Dardanelle.

“I think (Friday's win is) a sharpening opportunity for us, as we schedule good opponents in the non-conference, so that we’re ready for conference and we’re ready for playoffs," Conaway said.

"When you schedule a team that’s been in the finals the last three years, you know you’re going to have your hands full, so I really feel like we’re going to get a lot better because of this matchup.”