SPRINGDALE -- The offense was in the spotlight,
but the defense stole the show in Shiloh Christian's 49-48 victory
over Greenwood on Friday night.
The two teams combined for 722 yards of offense in the first half, and only one scoring drive took more than three minutes as Greenwood took a 37-35 lead into the locker room.
"You knew it had to halfway slow down eventually, at least I was sure hoping so," Saints coach Josh Floyd said.
He got his wish.
Shiloh's Austin Tucker returned an interception to the Greenwood 9 in the fourth quarter, but two plays later, Saints quarterback Matt Simpson threw an interception in the end zone.
The Saints fumbled on their next drive and found themselves trailing 48-42 before regaining the lead with less than a minute left.
The two teams combined for 722 yards of offense in the first half, and only one scoring drive took more than three minutes as Greenwood took a 37-35 lead into the locker room.
"You knew it had to halfway slow down eventually, at least I was sure hoping so," Saints coach Josh Floyd said.
He got his wish.
Shiloh's Austin Tucker returned an interception to the Greenwood 9 in the fourth quarter, but two plays later, Saints quarterback Matt Simpson threw an interception in the end zone.
The Saints fumbled on their next drive and found themselves trailing 48-42 before regaining the lead with less than a minute left.
Greenwood had one final chance and got all the
way to the Shiloh 41, but Beau Brannon broke up a pass and Adam
Herring sacked Greenwood quarterback Tyler Wilson to preserve the
win for the Saints.
"I thought our defensive line and linebacker really stepped up in
the second half," Floyd said. "Those guys were the difference. It
allowed our secondary to make some plays."
Shiloh's linebackers came up big with 4 sacks including 2 by Brandon McBryde and 2 by Adam Herring.