PRAIRIE GROVE -- Give the game ball to the defense was how an elated Prairie Grove coach Danny Abshier described Friday's 35-21 win over Shiloh Christian.
Of the 37 plays ran from scrimmage during the first period, all but one originated in Prairie Grove territory. The Saints took 22 snaps in the Tigers' half of the field, but all they had to show for 99 yards of offense in the first quarter was a 7-7 tie.
"The game ball goes to our defense. In the first quarter our offense sure didn't get across the 50," Abshier said. "They (Shiloh) score when they get it on the 10. The rest of the time, they get it on the 40 or 30 and our defense holds them. It was just a war the whole night. It could have gone either way."
Icing The Game
With the outcome still in doubt, a defensive touchdown by Prairie Grove defensive lineman DeMarkus Cooper iced the game. Abshier, defensive coordinator Craig Laird and offensive coach John Elder exchanged high fives on the sideline as Cooper ran back his interception of a screen pass 47 yards.
"We got it, we're on top," Abshier said. "That's what went through my head. I was like, 'Yessirree, that'll do it.'"
"DeMarkus comes up with some fantastic catches, too. He can play defensive tackle or defensive end. He gets in trouble sometimes cause he doesn't rush as much as he should because he's trying to read a screen. He picked that up in the right spot.
Field Position Deficit
In the first quarter, Shiloh Christian started drives at the Tiger 47, 44, 16 and 48. They would turn the ball over on downs five times in the first half, ending their first drive at the Prairie Grove 30 when Tiger defensive end Ethan Guenther dropped Saint quarterback Landon Brown for a 1-yard loss.
The second turnover on downs occurred at the Tiger 8 when pressure by Cooper induced Brown into throwing the ball well over the head of everybody on the field. That was the first of a trio of Shiloh Christian mental errors, which proved costly in a tight contest.
Flipping The Field
The Tigers flipped the field with a 68-yard completion from J.D. Elder to Stone Bryant, who was finally brought down at the Saints' 9. During Stone Bryant's long run after making the catch, a Shiloh coach bumped one of the officials and went down. Adding to the Saints' chagrin was a half-the-distance-to-the-goal sideline interference penalty which moved the ball to the Shiloh five. J.D. Elder ran the ball in for a touchdown on the next play to cap a 6-play, 92-yard drive. Ben Beason kicked the point-after and the Tigers enjoyed a 7-0 lead with 2:18 left in the first period.
An explosive kick-return with a face-mask penalty tacked on set up the Saints' only score of the first. Jaret Russ' 5-yard catch from Brown, combined with the P.A.T. kick tied the game at 7-7 with 1:56 still in the first. On their next series, Prairie Grove punted from the 30. The quarter ended with Shiloh at the Tiger 19 following Russ' 29-yard gain on a screen pass.
Defense Digs In
The Tiger defense dug in their heels as the second quarter began with an incompletion. Tiger linebacker Anthony Johnson lowered the boom on Truitt Tollett after the 6-0, 156-pound sophomore ran to the 12. Middle linebacker Dustin Burton held Russ to 1-yard on third down bringing up fourth-and-two from the Prairie Grove 11. Micah Button was stopped for no gain and the Tigers took over on downs.
J.D. Elder was sacked back at the three on first down, then threw incomplete. A pass was knocked out of the hands of Cooper on third down and the Tigers punted. The kick traveled only 28 yards, but Collin Bryant tackled the return man immediately.
Once more Shiloh eye-balled prime field position as they sent their offense out to the Tiger 31. Jake Nelson's catch netted the Saints 6 yards, but Burton stopped Russ for a yard on second down, then replicated the feat on third down. On fourth-and-two from the Tiger 23, Brown faked a handoff then ran the ball only to be greeted by Ethan Guenther and Burton. He was knocked down a yard shy of the first and the Saints gave up the ball.
Offensive Support
The Tiger defense got support from their offense on the next series. Prairie Grove covered 78 yards in four plays to let more air out of Shiloh's hopes. Johnson reeled off 38 yards to jump-start the drive. After J.D. Elder's 2-yard keeper, Johnson ran for 13, crawling forward for 2 extra yards without his knees touching after being hit. Cooper earned a measure of revenge for the earlier pass knocked out of his hands by catching a 25-yard touchdown pass from J.D. Elder. The P.A.T. kick missed, but with 5:56 to go in the half Prairie Grove assumed a 13-7 lead.
The Tigers then recovered an onside kick and claimed their best starting position at midfield. J.D. Elder ran for 5 yards on first down. One of the Saints deliberately unbuckled his helmet strap causing it to fall off in the pile. The officials were right on top of the play and flagged the Saints 15 yards for a personal foul. This was the third mental miscue for Shiloh in the first half and they paid the piper.
On third-and-10, J.D. Elder threw for Stone Bryant. A Saint defender made a break on the ball, but Stone Bryant took possession away from him and came down with the catch in the end zone for a 30-yard touchdown. Beason's boot extended the Tiger advantage to 20-7.
"(The Saint defensive back) was on me and we both had the ball," Bryant said. "I ripped it out of his hands, basically, and I had it when we went to the ground."
Shiloh Rallies
Shiloh answered two plays later with Brown's 66-yard bomb to Tollett and the Saints pulled within, 20-14, after their extra-point kick. A holding penalty negated a Tiger first down and Prairie Grove punted from the 50. Shiloh took over at their deepest starting point from their own 21 with 30 seconds showing in the first half. Using a series of completed passes the Saints reached the Tiger 31. Collin Bryant's interception inside the five as time expired ended the half with Prairie Grove ahead, 20-14.
Shiloh had a chance to turn the game around, getting a turnover on downs of their own. The Saints drove 84 yards in seven plays. Russ' 5-yard run coupled with Caden Carter's point-after kick gave the Saints a 21-20 lead at the 4:07 mark of the third period.
Tigers Prevail
Shiloh got the ball back in Tiger turf 2:46 later on an interception, but the Tigers rose to the occasion as they did throughout the contest. The Saints lost the ball on downs at the Prairie Grove five and the Tigers again flipped the field sustaining a 95-yard drive. J.D. Elder hit Stone Bryant on a 54-yard touchdown pass and Anthony Johnson raced to the wide side of the field for a 2-point conversion, giving the Tigers a 28-21 lead with 8:05 showing.
Stone Bryant picked off a Shiloh pass at the Tiger five. Prairie Grove burned 2:46 off the clock and got Shiloh to use their remaining time-outs setting the stage for Cooper's pick six.
Sports on 10/11/2017