Lincoln Christian competes well in a high paced non-conference thriller, falling to the 5A Shiloh Christian Saints (AR.) 42-35.
The Saints offense started off with the ball, marching down the field to set up a quick Bo Williams (#21) rushing touchdown. The Bulldogs responded quickly however, with Seth Kruse taking the opening kickoff to the 15 yard line to set up a Luke Milligan to John Washington screen pass touchdown, evening the game at 7-7 with 8:14 in the first quarter. After a Saints punt, Luke Milligan found Jimmy Martin for a 47 yard touchdown pass, capitalizing on 1 play in back-to-back drives to put the Bulldogs up 14-7. Shiloh Christian then struck right back, as Bo Williams (#21) ran in another short rushing touchdown to tie the game with 6:25 left in the first.
The second quarter opened up with a Eli Wisdom (#2) to Bodie Neal (#9) touchdown pass, putting the Saints up 21-14 with 11:34 left in the quarter. After a Lincoln punt, Eli Wisdom ran an 82 yard touchdown on 4th & 4 to give Shiloh Christian a 28-14 lead with 7:48 in the second quarter. Lincoln's offense wasn't done however, as John Washington blasted a 75 yard touchdown on the first play of the drive to cut the Saints lead to 28-21 with 7:41 in the second quarter. Lincoln's defense then stepped up, as Griffin Dyer picked off a Eli Wisdom pass attempt to give the ball back to the Bulldogs. A string of offensive penalties then derailed an otherwise productive offensive drive, effectively ending the half at 28-21 in the Saints favor.
Shiloh Christian had a dominant start to the second half, grabbing an interception that set up a third Bo Williams rushing touchdown to extend the Saints lead to 35-21. The Saints defense kept the intensity on the Bulldog offense, picking off a pass intended for Seth Kruse with 8:50 left in the third quarter. Shiloh Christian then marched down the field, scoring another passing touchdown to give the Saints a 42-21 with 3:59 in the third quarter.
The fourth quarter started with the Bulldog defense making a red zone stand, as Ty Johnson sacked Eli Wisdom on 4th & 6 to give Lincoln the ball back. The Bulldogs then set up a nice drive, with Griffin Dyer running in a 43 yard touchdown to post the score at 42-28 with 8:12 in the fourth quarter. Lincoln's defense then abruptly stopped the Saints offense in their tracks, with Seth Kruse intercepting Eli Wisdom in the back of the end zone to give the Bulldogs the ball back with 5:27 left in the quarter. The Lincoln offense continued their fourth quarter dominance, as Luke Milligan connected with Seth Kruse for a 61 yard touchdown pass to put the Bulldogs within one touchdown. The Bulldog defense then manhandled the Saints, as Nate Ross and Ty Johnson forced a Shiloh Christian three-and-out with 2:46 left in the game. After a couple of positive plays, a Lincoln fumble with 1:14 ended the game at 42-35 in favor of the Saints.
The back-and-forth shootout between the Saints and Bulldogs unfortunately didn't go Lincoln's way, but that doesn't mean the Bulldogs didn't play well. John Washington had a great night, rushing for 205 yards and 1 touchdown on 28 carries while also having 41 yards and 1 touchdown receiving. Seth Kruse led the team in receiving with 106 yards and a touchdown, while Kruse and Griffin Dyer both grabbed interceptions on defense. Junior Luke MIlligan had a good night as well, going 14-20 with 254 yards and 3 touchdowns. Lincoln will start district play next week, as they will continue their road trip at Berryhill.
