Frazier is busy trying to lead one-loss Shiloh Christian to another Class 4A state championship. Allen is occupied with hopes of leading 4-2-1 Fayetteville to a 7A-West Conference title. And all the while, they’re each dealing with the daily demands of an already exhaustive recruiting process.

The situation is simply unprecedented in Northwest Arkansas. Forget the personal connection between Allen and Frazier for a moment. All of the country’s top college head coaches, offensive coordinators and quarterbacks coaches have sent letters or visited the area. And they haven’t contacted one quarterback over the other. Most want to sway both of them.

“I can’t recall a time when two quarterbacks in the same class were as good as Brandon and Kiehl,” Fayetteville coach Daryl Patton said. “They’re different quarterbacks, but they both have unbelievable God-given ability and talent. To have both of those kids here in the area, and maybe both go to Arkansas, I think you could be set at that position for a long time.”

Top Of The Class

Even in recent years, the state of Arkansas has sent quality quarterbacks to stand out at Division I schools.

Mitch Mustain of Springdale started for the Razorbacks as a freshman and has since moved on to USC. Kodi Burns of Fort Smith headed to Auburn before switching to wide receiver. Ryan Mallett spent many of his childhood years in Lincoln before becoming the Hogs’ current signal caller.

But as Patton said, it’s hard to remember a time when two quarterbacks of that caliber entered college at the same time. Especially two who look the part of a pro-style quarterback the way Allen and Frazier do. They both stand 6-foot-3, and Frazier weighs only seven pounds heavier (212) than Allen (205).

“It’s the best Division I quarterback class that I’ve ever seen,” said Dudley Dawson, recruiting editor for Hawgs Illustrated. “That’s including Allen, Frazier, (Dumas quarterback Darion) Griswold and a couple others. That said, Brandon and Kiehl are right at the top of it.”

Dawson said Allen and Frazier each possess the physical talents and mental attributes needed to impress any school. Their respective willingness to improve on identified weaknesses has helped them on two fronts, Dawson said.

On the field. And in the minds of college coaches.

“Kiehl has shown so much development since last year,” Dawson said. “He used to be a guy that just got stuff done with his feet and flung the ball. He’s turned into a guy who has pinpoint accuracy and great footwork, and he’s certainly a dual-threat quarterback.”

Dawson also lauded Allen’s improved mobility and throwing accuracy.

“He can make any of the throws,” Dawson said. “He has the strongest arm of the top three, and he certainly has shed the label this year that he has no mobility. He’s run for tons of yards and he runs hard.”

The fact Dawson described different flaws and different improvements for Allen and Frazier proves that — despite their similar builds — these really are two different quarterbacks.

Mentally, however, they each revealed this offseason they could learn from criticism and develop as leaders.

Getting Better

The interceptions piled up fast for Allen in 2008.

He threw 20 of them, in fact, and Patton and Fayetteville offensive coordinator Jared McBride could only grimace as Allen continued to struggle down the stretch. But both coaches could see glimpses of greatness. Allen still tossed 30 touchdowns and showed off a powerful arm that resulted in a plethora of dropped passes.

So this summer, Allen worked daily on his footwork and decision-making with McBride — a former UA quarterback. Patton has seen vast improvement, and Allen admitted he’s “making better decisions than ever.”

“Brandon’s done a great job of stepping up in the pocket, relying less on his feet and trusting his receivers,” Patton said. “Last year, it seemed like he was a little gun-shy every time something didn’t look right. He’d move his feet and lose track of his receivers down the field.”

“He’s much better at not forcing the football and at throwing it away, as well.”

Allen’s offseason commitment has resulted in a massive turnaround in his touchdown-to-interception ratio. He has 18 touchdowns to only three interceptions this season.

McBride also commented that Allen’s demeanor has changed as a junior. Surrounded by many seniors last season, Allen deferred his role as a leader for the Bulldogs. Now, he doesn’t hold back — not as much, at least.

“He’s one of the best leaders I’ve been around,” Patton said. “He’s a winner and has great confidence in his abilities, but he’s not one of those ‘look-at-me’ kind of guys who draws attention to himself. The kids would go through brick walls for him. Brandon doesn’t speak a lot, but when he does speak, it’s like dropping 1,000 bricks. Everyone pays attention.”

Frazier has evolved in a similar way this season, Shiloh Christian coach Josh Floyd said, but his quarterback still remains pretty subdued during games.

That quiet confidence has stemmed from Frazier’s offseason regimen that took place just as much inside as outside. Frazier spent countless hours over the summer in front of a TV, watching film from last season when he split time with David Matthews.

“I didn’t really know all that was going on last year,” Frazier said. “I knew I had to get better chemistry with my receivers.”

Floyd said Frazier learned from his mistakes and has nearly mastered the Saints’ offense, allowing him to identify his reads much quicker. Too often last season, Frazier simply scrambled for yardage — partly because he could, partly because he gave up on his receivers.

But Frazier appears in complete control now, which has helped during tense situations, Floyd said.

“The thing with Kiehl that I love is he’s very calm,” Floyd said. “The game could be on the line and he may be smiling, but he’s not bothered by things. He’s not a Tim Tebow who goes around yelling at his teammates, but at the same time, he’s directing the offense and he knows where every person is supposed to go.

“That wasn’t the case last year. Last year, he just tried to make sure what he was supposed to do.”

In It Together

Maybe these two quarterbacks have found it so easy to relate because of their similarities, exemplified by their persistent work in the offseason. Floyd and Patton each used the word “humble” several times during interviews to describe their quarterbacks.

Allen and Frazier both expressed genuine admiration and respect when asked to tell their impressions of the other. And that’s certainly part of what has excited college recruiters.

The process has been intriguing thus far, to be sure, not that the two quarterback buddies have discussed their recruiting dramas much.

“We don’t really talk about football,” Frazier said. “We just talk about girls and school and stuff like that. Every now and then, I’ll ask him where he likes and wants to go, and he’ll do the same. But that’s not what we’re interested in right now.”

Frazier has received seven scholarship offers — the biggest names being Arkansas, Auburn and Miami — and should get plenty more. In fact, he took an unofficial visit to Notre Dame last Saturday. Meanwhile, Allen has only one offer — from Arkansas — as schools seem scared off by the fact his father, Bobby, is an assistant coach for the Razorbacks.

They have spoken in the past about the possibility of suiting up together for the Hogs — and subsequently, competing against each other. For now, however, they don’t see one another as quarterbacks competing for scholarships, despite the endless comparisons.

Allen and Frazier view themselves as friends, simple as that. Frazier even said he wanted to challenge Allen at his favorite video game — NCAA Football 2010.

“It’s nice to be able to talk to Kiehl about other stuff, regular stuff, you know,” Allen said. “One day, we’ll get into all the college talk a lot, I’m sure. But neither of us has wanted to. And that’s fine with me.”

The Lions don’t have the eye-popping numbers of a year ago, but running back Michael Croasdell (119 carries, 641 yards) is a state sprint champion capable to taking it to the house from anywhere on the field.

“We’re going to give it our best shot,” Floyd said. “We’re not playing as well offensively as we’d like. But we’ve done enough to win.”

This week, the Tigers play at Booneville (7-0, 4-0) in a game that could put them in a tie for first place and secure them a playoff spot with a victory.

“We’d love to just get that monkey off our back and get a playoff spot,” Selph said. “But with Booneville, that team is so talented. Ideally, we want to stop the run and defend the pass, but that’ll be difficult. For us, we have to get our running game going to have a chance.”

Lions Keep On Winning

GRAVETTE — Throughout everything, Gravette has continued to do this season what it’s become accustomed to in recent years.

Win.

The Lions, after winning 19 games over the past two seasons, defeated Farmington last week to improve to 7-0 overall, 4-0 in the 4A-1 Conference. Next up comes the game that has served as a barometer in each of the past two seasons — No. 1 Shiloh Christian.

The Saints (6-1, 4-0) have defeated Gravette by identical 49-14 scores in each of the past two seasons.

“We’ve got to play our best game to have a chance to be part of the game,” Gravette coach Bill Harrelson said. “We’re going to have to play our best game.

“We can’t have missed tackles, we can’t have dropped footballs, let alone anything.”

The Lions suffered from nine fumbles against Farmington last week, bringing their total over the past two games to 14. Fortunately against the Cardinals, Gravette only lost one of the fumbles. Harrelson said there will be no room for such mistakes against Shiloh.

“We’ll have to play the perfect game, but like I said, I don’t think I’ll ever say this team amazes me anymore,” Harrelson said.

“We’ll see what happens.”

— KURT VOIGT

Cardinals Look To Bounce Back

FARMINGTON — The Cardinals appeared to be on track against Gravette last week.

Farmington (4-2-1, 3-1) led the Lions 13-7 at halftime, having outgained Gravette 109-31 in total yardage. The Cardinals even forced 9 fumbles by the Lions in the game, thanks in large part to the play of nose guard J.J. Clay, but they only recovered one.

“(Clay) pressured that center all night long,” Farmington coach Mike Adams said. “It’s really frustrating when you have opportunities and don’t cash in on them.”

Despite the early success, as well as the continued strong running of sophomore Jared Martin (111 yards on 26 carries), Gravette rallied in the second half for the win. Next up for Farmington is a key game against a much-improved Huntsville (3-4, 2-2).

“We’ll bounce back,” Adams said. “These kids work hard. They’ll learn from (the Gravette loss) hopefully.”

— KURT VOIGT

Shiloh Dealing With Injuries

SPRINGDALE — Heading into the biggest game of the regular season, the Shiloh Christian Saints could be without two key players Friday when they host unbeaten Gravette at Champions Stadium.

Two-way lineman Samuel Harvil is questionable for the game with a knee injury, said Saints coach Josh Floyd on Tuesday. Floyd said Harvill was injured in the Prairie Grove game two weeks ago and did not practice Tuesday.

“We’re not 100 percent sure if we’ll have Sam or not,” Floyd said. “It’s a knee issue.”

The Saints could also be without running back Garrett Harper, who has been battling injuries for most of the season.

“He hurt his elbow against Gentry,” Floyd said. “He’s probably doubtful for Friday night.”

— CHIP SOUZA

SPRINGDALE — Shiloh Christian running back Garrett Harper missed his second straight game with an ankle injury and his status for Friday’s game at Prairie Grove remains unknown.

“We’ll just have to wait and see,” Shiloh coach Josh Floyd said. “Right now it’s questionable whether he’ll play or not.”

Floyd said the Saints (4-1, 2-0 4A-1) would have their hands full with Prairie Grove (1-4, 1-1).

“That is a big chore for us this week,” Floyd said. “It’s always tough to play at their place.”

Floyd said the Saints “played about as well as we can play” against Pea Ridge last Friday.

“The defense played extremely well,” Floyd said.

Floyd also cited the play of Jason Schisler, saying that the linebacker/running back “has really stepped up his play.”

Prairie Grove tailback Thomas Soehner (37 carries, 203 yards vs. Farmington) will be the focus for the Saints this week.

“He’s a big kid with legit speed,” Floyd said. “He breaks a lot of tackles. We’ll have to try and stop him before he gets started.”

“They were bringing a lot of heat off the edge there,” Floyd said.

But the Saints recovered quickly and junior quarterback Kiehl Frazier tossed three touchdown passes in the first quarter to three different receivers. Frazier was 8-of-8 for 146 yards before departing to the sideline with a 27-0 lead after the first quarter.

“We were trying to hit some stuff short,” Floyd said. “Our guys made plays after the catch.”

The Saints played reserves the rest of the way with sophomore quarterback Rand Emert taking the majority of the snaps. Emert was impressive in leading the Saints to their only scoring drive of the second half, an 89-yard march which included a 30-yard strike to Josh Dellinger.

“It was good to see (Emert) get some reps,” Floyd said. “We got a lot of guys reps and that was great.”

The Saints invoked the mercy rule with 8 minutes, 25 seconds left in the third quarter on David Tyler’s 18-yard scoring run.

4A-1 Conference

SHILOH CHRISTIAN 37, BERRYVILLE 0

Berryville    0    0    0    0    —    0
Shiloh    27    3    7    0    —    37
First Quarter
Shilo — Bryant 39 pass from Frazier (Tumlinson kick), 7:52
Shilo — Bryant 32 run (kick failed), 5:34
Shilo — Scott 44 pass from Frazier (Tumlinson kick), 3:45
Shilo  — Jones 20 pass from Frazier (Tumlinson kick), :03
Second Quarter
Shilo — FG Tumlinson 35, 8:00
Third Quarter
Shilo — Tyler 18 run (Tumlinson kick), 8:25

Berry    Shilo
First Downs    8    18
Rushes-Yards    31-26    24-217
Passing Yards    89    196
Comp-Att-Int    6-12-1    12-13-0
Punts    5-41.1    1-39
Fumbles-Lost    2-2    1-1
Pentalies-Yards    2-10    10-70

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Berryville, Holman 10-18, Easley 7-14, Wilson, 4-(minus 1), Acuna 10-(minus 5). Shiloh, Tyler, 5-63, Schilser 5-49, Bryant 2-41, Johnson 5-22, Fedosky 5-22, Huett 1-19, Emert 1-1.
PASSING—Berryville, Wilson 6-12-1-89; Shiloh, Frazier 8-8-0-146, Emert 4-5-0-50.
RECEIVING—Berryville, Holman 5-58, Acuna 1-31. Shiloh, Jones 4-46, Dellinger 2-34, Hawes 2-17, Johnson 2-16, Scott 1-44, Bryant 1-39.
MISSED FIELD GOALS—None.

“Their quarterback did a good job,” Floyd said. “We had a hard time covering their receivers.”

Shook’s run capped a quick six-play drive that covered 62 yards in 62 seconds. Shook hit Stephen Hogan for 12 yards to begin the drive, and hit Harris for 20 to Shiloh Christian’s 30. On second down, Shook scrambled to Shiloh Christian’s 10 with 34 seconds left, and scored two plays later.

Shiloh Christian went up 51-48 with 1:14 left with a spectacular 18-play drive that covered 92 yards and took seven minutes, five seconds. Frazier completed 7-of-10 passes on the drive, finally hitting Chris Bryant out of the backfield for a 5-yard touchdown play. Shiloh Christian converted two third-down plays and two fourth-down attempts on the drive.

Both offenses traversed up and down the field with both quarterbacks putting on an aerial show.

Shook completing 28-of-40 passes for 463 yards and six touchdowns, including 8-of-10 for 217 yards in the third quarter, bringing Greenwood from a 31-28 halftime deficit. Harris had eight catches for 229 yards and four touchdowns.

Frazier completed 34-of-55 passes for 496 yards and six touchdowns, including 17 of 28 for 327 yards and four scores in the first half when Shiloh Christian threatened to run away from the Bulldogs. Bryant caught 10 passes for 169 yards and three touchdowns, Zann Jones had 10 receptions for 106 yards and Jake Scott eight catches for 116 yards and three scores.

Kickers Austin Hartness of Greenwood and Trevor Tumlinson consistently put kicks into the end zone, but that did little to slow down the offense. Nine times, the teams went at least 80 yards on scoring drives.

Billed as a shootout, the game was certainly that from the start with five touchdowns in the first quarter when Frazier threw for 199 yards and three scores, and four more scores in the second quarter.

GREENWOOD 54, SHILOH CHRISTIAN 51

Shiloh Christian    21    10    13    7    —    51
Greenwood    14    14    20    6    —    54
First Quarter
Green — Parker 9 pass from Shook (Hartness kick), 9:37
Shil — Bryant 3 pass from Frazier (Tumlinson kick), 7:44
Green — Harris 22 pass from Shook (Hartness kick), 3:09
Shil — Bryant 55 pass from Frazier (Tumlinson kick), 2:05
Shil — Scott 10 pass from Frazier (Tumlinson kick), 0:53
Second Quarter
Shil — Scott 20 pass from Frazier (Tumlinson kick), 9:17
Green — Hogan 16 pass from Shook (Hartness kick), 7:37
Shil — FG Tumlinson 41, 4:21
Green — Sandifer 9 run (Hartness kick), 1:01
Third Quarter
Green — Harris 77 pass from Shook (Hartness kick), 11:20
Shil — Frazier 13 run (Tumlinson kick), 7:42
Green — Harris 21 pass from Shook (Hartness kick), 5:05
Shil — Scott 20 pass from Frazier (kick blocked), 3:36
Green — Harris 42 pass from Shook (pass failed), 2:08
Fourth Quarter
Shil — Bryant 5 pass from Frazier (Tumlinson kick), 1:14
Green — Shook 3 run (kick failed), 0:23

Shil    Green
First Downs    30    25
Rushes-Yards    37-142    27-92
Passing Yards    498    463
Comp-Att-Int    35-56-3    28-40-0
Punts        3-32.3    4-41.7
Fumbles-Lost    4-0    3-2
Penalties-Yards    6-50    4-25

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Shiloh Christian, Bryant 10-56, Frazier 16-36, Harper 7-32, Huett 3-21, TEAM 1-(minus 3). Greenwood, Shook 9-56, Green 8-31, Sandifer 4-13, Vota 1-2, TEAM 1-(minus 1), Harris 1-(minus 5), Smith 2-(minus 4), McCraney 1-(minus 5).
PASSING—Shiloh Christian, Frazier 34-55-3-496, Huett 1-1-0-26. Greenwood, Shook 28-40-0-463.
RECEIVING—Shiloh Christian, Bryant 10-169, Jones 10-106, Scott 8-116, Harper 3-40, Hawes 2-71, Self 1-5, Schisler 1-1. Greenwood, Harris 8-229, Hogan 5-67, Sandifer 5-38, Parker 3-69, Green 3-12, Vota 2-25, Bl.Hasley 2-23.
MISSED FIELD GOALS—None.

SPRINGDALE — With so many weapons at his disposal, Shiloh Christian coach Josh Floyd almost has an embarrassment of riches.

But when running back Chris Bryant got his bell rung on the first offensive series against Evangel Christian in the season opener, the Saints’ high-powered offense fizzled.

Bryant, a 5-foot-11, 205-pound senior, spent the remainder of the first half on the sideline in a fog and it was questionable whether he’d return in the second half, Floyd said.

“I didn’t really know what was going on,” Bryant said.

Midway through the third quarter, the clouds cleared and Bryant returned to the field. And he made an immediate impact.

He darted through a gaping hole behind Shiloh’s massive offensive line and his long run sparked the Saints. He later added a huge touchdown catch out of the backfield to key the 37-36 win.

“I didn’t expect that at all,” Bryant said. “I thought I might have a pretty good game, but I never thought it would turn the game around. Everyone else was like slumping their shoulders, then I had that big run and everything just kinda turned around after that.”

Saints offensive lineman Sam Harvill said Bryant’s 32-yard run turned the game around.

“The game with Evangel was a stalemate and we just kept working and working and finally Chris’ long run seemed to open it up,” Harvill said. “He’s a great running back. If we can just make a little hole he’s going to make some yards out of it. Chris is a tough running back and he’s hard to bring down.”

Floyd said Bryant is not only a key weapon running the football, he’s also a huge factor in the passing game.

“The thing I like about him is, he can obviously run the football, but he’s also a threat to catch the football as well,” Floyd said. “He’s made just as many big plays on the receiving end as he has running the ball.”

Floyd will need that kind of production from Bryant on Friday when the Saints (2-0) hit the road for the first time this season to Greenwood (1-1). These two programs have staged some of the most exciting games in the state over the past four or five years and this one could be on that level.

“It’s a big rivalry with Greenwood,” Bryant said. “I’m looking forward to it. They always have a really good student section and a pretty good crowd, so it will be a good atmosphere to play in.”

Floyd said beating Greenwood on the road would be a huge challenge for the Saints.

“We have a lot of respect for them,” Floyd said. “Rick Jones, there’s not a better head coach in the state than him. It’s always a big challenge for us. We know we have to be ready.

“They don’t lose much down there.”

Profile
CHRIS BRYANT
School: Shiloh Christian
Class: Senior
Height: 5-foot-11
Weight: 205 pounds
Notable: Had 107 total yards in win over Evangel Christian on 54 rushing and 53 receiving, including a 20-yard touchdown reception.

“We didn’t do anything different, I just think the kids felt more comfortable back there this week,” Lunney Jr. said. “We have tons of depth on that side of the ball. We’re clicking on all cylinders right now and it’s something we’re hoping we can keep getting better at.”

— Nathan Allen

FHS Kicking Game Struggles

FAYETTEVILLE — The Purple’Dogs kicking game stood out in a season-opening win over Little Rock Central, with senior Drew Patton connecting on a 48-yard field goal.

In Friday night’s 20-18 loss to Jefferson City (Mo.), Fayetteville’s kickers struggled.

The Purple’Dogs drove deep into Jays territory on the opening drive of the game –thanks largely to a 68-yard completion on third down from Brandon Allen to Michael Heintzman.

However, Will Rosteck pushed a 28-yard field goal wide right to end the drive and keep the game scoreless. That was followed by a missed extra-point attempt by Patton on Fayetteville’s first score, keeping Jefferson City’s lead at 14-6 and leading to a pair of missed 2-point conversions by the Purple’Dogs.

“I didn’t think our kickers had their best night (Friday),” Fayetteville coach Daryl Patton said.

Also, with Jefferson City ahead 20-12 in the second half, the Jays blocked a 36-yard field goal attempt by Drew Patton.

“We’ve got to get better on our special teams for sure,” Daryl Patton said. “That’s an area that we’ve got to win each and every week, and we didn’t win it (Friday).”

— Kurt Voigt

Frazier Leads Shiloh To Victory

Quarterback Kiehl Frazier racked up 349 yards of total offense and threw for three touchdowns to help Shiloh Christian rally from an early deficit and go on to the 41-24 win over Lincoln Christian of Tulsa on Friday night.

Frazier connected with Jake Scott on touchdown passes of 42, 40 and 30 yards for Shiloh, which trailed 10-7 in the first half.

Scott finished with four catches for 136 yards. Frazier completed 17 of 30 passes for 250 yards, three TDs and no interceptions for the Saints (2-0) He also rushed 11 times for 99 yards.

Garrett Harper also ran for two touchdowns for Shiloh, which led 20-10 at halftime and 34-17 after three quarters.

The Saints travel to Greenwood next week to wrap up nonconference play.

— The Morning News

The Saints are No. 8 in one national preseason poll and the No. 5 overall ranked team by the Arkansas Associated Press. Evangel is also ranked nationally by Maxpreps.com.

Junior David Dee Duron, the latest of a family of outstanding Evangel quarterbacks, will take his first varsity snap tonight.

“He’s another in a long line of gunslingers,” Bachman said. “This is his first varsity game, but he’s ready and he knows he’s coming in with a lot on his shoulders.”

In a scrimmage last week, Duran was 13 of 15 for 106 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Wideouts Eric Thomas and Thomas Bridgewater are two of his favorite targets.

Shiloh, with most of its team back from last year, will counter with a potent offense led by junior quarterback Kiehl Frazier and one of the best offensive lines in the country. Shiloh dominated Class 7A Fayetteville in a scrimmage last week, building a 35-3 lead before turning the game over to the reserves.

SPRINGDALE — At first glance, he appeared severely out of place.

The chiseled 6-foot-3, 240-pound senior has features more in line with those in Reynolds Razorback Stadium than Champions Stadium. He clearly stands out as a man among a throng of boys.

Mitchell Roberts hopes his play this fall is as impressive as his physical stature. If he can stay healthy, he has a chance to be really special.

But first, he has to avoid injuries, which have proved costly to Roberts in each of the past two seasons. He was hurt early in the Class 3A 2007 state championship game against Glen Rose and the Saints ultimately lost in overtime.

Last year, he battled mononucleosis early in the season and missed several games, then fought through a knee injury. He finally healed later in the season and his return keyed the Saints’ run to the Class 4A state title.

“Mitchell’s a guy that’s an emotional leader for us on defense,” Saints coach Josh Floyd said. “He’s one of those guys who makes a lot of big plays at his position.”

While the Saints’ offense gets most of the attention, it’s the defense that really should get the credit for the team’s success. While Shiloh scored an average of 55 points per game in 2008, the numbers posted by the defense were equally impressive. Remove the 47 points scored by Shreveport (La.) Evangel Christian in the opener, when Roberts was out of the lineup, and the Saints allowed just 52 points the rest of the way.

Of that total, 20 points were scored by Class 5A state finalist Greenwood and 14 by Gravette, a team that reached the Class 4A semifinals in 2007.

The Saints are favored to repeat in 2009, but often the hardest accomplishment in sports is duplicating a title run. The Saints found that out in 2007 when they lost in overtime to Glen Rose in War Memorial Stadium despite being heavily favored as the defending 3A champs.

“There is definitely a lot of expectations that our kids have,” Floyd said. “A lot of those leaders are back, which is a great thing, but it’s also a big target on your chest. We know a lot of people are going to be gunning for us, but our guys are excited about it and they’ve tried to take the necessary steps to try and defend it.”

Roberts said the team is focused on this year, not last year.

“We haven’t even talked about (repeating),” said Roberts, who has drawn several scholarship offers from Division-I schools. “We’re not trying to dwell on the past. We want another one.”

Junior Kiehl Frazier said the Saints are up to the task. The 6-2, 210-pound quarterback said the pressure of winning is part of the Shiloh tradition.

“Shiloh is kind of used to the pressure because there are always accusations and stuff and people are always aiming for Shiloh, so it’s kind of the same as every year,” Frazier said. “We just have to play like we can.”

While a healthy Roberts certainly enhances the chances of a repeat, Shiloh’s defensive line, anchored by massive Samuel Harvill, often stuffs opponents’ offenses before they can pass the line of scrimmage.

Harvill, with his face painted black and jersey unable to contain bulging biceps, is intimidating, no doubt. While most key defenders often garner double-teams, even that ploy often proved futile as Harvill’s 530-pound bench press allows the 6-0, 260-pounder to toss even two defenders to the side.

That means sometimes three players are assigned to block Harvill, which frees up the other 10 Saints to outman the eight remaining offensive players. But don’t think Harvill just spends time doing the tango with outmanned offensive linemen. His 16 sacks and 96 tackles in 2008 would be a nice career for a lot of prep players.

Shiloh, barring a rash of injuries, will again make a long playoff run that is likely to end up in Little Rock. Depth could be an issue and the Saints are again playing a very tough nonconference schedule that includes Evangel, Greenwood and Tulsa (Okla.) Lincoln Christian — all three teams that reached state title games in 2008.

“We’ve got to replace some guys in the secondary,” Floyd said. “We don’t have quite the depth in the secondary and the D-line that we had last year, but as far as our main guys, they are back, so we’re excited about that.”

Wilson Huett is back to lead the secondary after picking off seven passes in 2008 before teams finally quit throwing his way. Jake Scott and Garrett Harper are also keys to the secondary.

Several of the Saints remember the sting of the one-point loss to Glen Rose in 2007 and don’t want to see a repeat of that. The euphoria of winning the school’s fifth title in 11 years is what the players want to experience again.

“We all remember the feeling of what it was like after that game, so we’re wanting it again,” Roberts said. “We’re all set on this year, we’re not worried about last year.”