Saturday October 21, 2006

Shiloh Defense Shuts Down Cedarville

Pirate Offense Manages Just 110 Yards

By Brandon Harris
Special To The Morning News

SPRINGDALE -- Even when Shiloh Christian's offense isn't clicking and scoring on every possession, the Saints manage to make their victories look easy.

While the Saints were forced to punt twice in the first half, the Shiloh defense blocked a punt, recovered two fumbles, intercepted two passes and forced a turnover on downs as the Saints cruised to a 48-3 victory over Cedarville at Champions Stadium on Friday night.

"I thought our defense played awesome," Shiloh coach Josh Floyd. "They came out in the first drive and just played great. I was really pleased with the way we played on defense."

Shiloh (8-0, 5-0 3A-1 Conference) forced Cedarville (4-4, 2-3 3A-1) to punt four times and held the Pirates to 110 yards of offense, including just 40 in the second half.

Linebacker Adam Herring led the charge for the Saints' defense, recovering a fumble on Cedarville's first possession and delivering a series of big hits that kept the Pirates' offense in check.

Fellow linebacker David Ingram was also dominant, racking up two sacks, each for an 11-yard loss, while defensive end Brandon McBryde had eight tackles.

"We were out of sync tonight," Cedarville coach Mike Guthrie said. "We didn't execute very well. (Turnovers) killed us, and you can't compete in a ball game when you turn the ball over like that."

With Shiloh leading 21-0 early in the second quarter, Herring made his presence known yet again when he intercepted Cedarville quarterback Jeremy Cooksey's pass intended for Jack Hardy. Herring pushed Hardy out of the way and advanced the ball to the Pirates' 33, setting up a 28-yard touchdown pass from Austin Tucker to David Ingram three plays later.

"Defense is one of those things where when you make a big interception or get a sack, it gets everybody fired up," Floyd said. "They did a great job of keeping the momentum on our side."

Tucker completed 15 of 22 passes for 241 yards and 6 touchdowns. Crosby Tuck was his leading receiver, catching six passes for 97 yards and 2 touchdowns. Both Tuck and Tucker played just three quarters.

Shiloh goes on the road next week to take on fellow conference unbeaten West Fork, while Cedarville hosts Elkins.

3A-1 Conference

SHILOH CHRISTIAN 48, CEDARVILLE 3

Cedarville 0 0 0 3 -- 3

Shiloh Christian 14 21 7 6 -- 48

First Quarter

Shiloh -- Scott 35 pass from Tucker (Ripplemeyer kick), 9:17

Shiloh -- Tuck 13 pass from Tucker (Ripplemeyer kick), 5:40

Second Quarter

Shiloh -- Ryan 5 pass from Tucker (Ripplemeyer kick), 10:28

Shiloh -- Ingram 28 pass from Tucker (Ripplemeyer kick), 8:24

Shiloh -- Ryan 10 pass from Tucker (Ripplemeyer kick), 1:54

Third Quarter

Shiloh -- Tuck 6 pass from Tucker (Ripplemeyer kick), 5:54

Fourth Quarter

Cedar -- Gibson 27 FG, 8:25

Shiloh -- Taylor 11 pass from Cole (kick failed), 4:43

Shiloh Cedar

First Downs 14 4

Rushes-Yards 19-37 32-78

Passing Yards 302 28

Comp-Att-Int 18-26-0 2-8-2

Punts 2-46 4-38

Fumbles-Lost 1-1 3-2

Penalties-Yards 12-123 4-32

Time of Possession 25:31 22:29

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING -- Cedarville, Gibson 6-42, Roberts 4-39, Wells 9-7, H. Cooksey 7-3, Bradley 1-3, Neighbors 1-0, J. Cooksey 3-(-5), Myers 1-(-11). Shiloh, Tucker 12-31, Ingram 5-16, Moore 1-1, Cole 1-(-12).

PASSING -- Cedarville, J. Cooksey 2-5-1-28, Myers 0-2-1-0. Shiloh, Tucker 15-22-0-241, Cole 4-5-0-61.

RECEIVING -- Cedarville, Wells 1-19, Roberts 1-9. Shiloh, Tuck 6-97, Ingram 2-52, Ryan 4-47, Scott 2-44, Moore 1-24, Huffman 1-15, Taylor 1-16, Wallis 1-11, Jordan 1-1.

MISSED FIELD GOALS -- None.