Shiloh Defeats Arabia Mountain to Keep Playoff Push Going

SNELLVILLE — Explosive offensive plays, crucial defensive stops and special team heroics were on full display as Shiloh outlasted the Arabia Mountain Rams 40-33 in a thoroughly engaging and dynamic Region 4-AAAAA football game.

Both teams entered the matchup with 1-6 records, looking to keep playoff hopes alive. With the game on the line during a fourth down in the red zone, the Generals defense held on to become the victors, capping off an entertaining game.

“This game means everything, if we win out we have the opportunity to be the third or fourth seed depending on the other teams," Shiloh head coach Tino Ierulli said. "We started out 0-6 losing very close football games to teams with great records.

“We are eliminating the things that were killing us in closer games, but we are still nowhere near where we need to be to start playing competitively if we make the playoffs.”

The Generals (2-6, 2-3 region) began the game with the ball, converting on a pair of third downs, having an explosive 57-yard run and gambling on fourth down when Marlin Mathis rushed for a 3-yard touchdown. The Rams quickly responded as they systematically stormed down the field using their passing attack, getting within striking distance, where Julian Shanks took a quarterback keep 9 yards to the house. 

The Generals reclaimed the momentum when Shiloh’s special teams returned the kickoff for 6 points, starting one of the game's most important point swings. After recovering a muffed kickoff, Shiloh capitalized on its special teams’ success putting 6 on the board with an over-the-shoulder fade from Ricky Simmons to Landon Dean. 

Both teams came out gunslinging on offense, ending the quarter with no punts and Shiloh leading 20-15.

As the second quarter began, both teams exchanged long passing touchdowns — the Rams with Xévien Brinson's 57-yard score and then Dean with a 49-yard bomb to reclaim the lead for Shiloh at 27-21. 

After another Rams touchdown tied the game, the Generals marched down the field and ended their drive once again with a passing connection from Simmons to Dean for a 10-yard score, the third scoring completion between the pair. These points, scored with less than a minute to go in the half, gave Shiloh a slim 34-27 lead as the teams headed to the locker room.

The Generals came out of halftime with a newfound defensive tenacity. With a pair of interceptions, the Rams’ passing attack lost its bite. The third quarter was scoreless, with both teams committing a turnover. 

“We told them that we have to play up to our capabilities, we were making little mistakes," Ierulli said of the defense. "We weren’t executing our assignments in the first half on defense and they were killing us. We made adjustments and our defensive backs came up big with a couple of interceptions.” 

Driving down the field at the start of the fourth quarter, Shiloh was successful on a hard count on fourth down that drew Arabia Mountain offsides, extending the drive, which led to another opportunity to feed the dominant Mathis for an 8-yard rushing touchdown. 

While Shiloh appeared to be pulling away, a 62-yard passing touchdown by the Rams changed the lead to just one score at 40-33. 

That lead appeared to be in jeopardy when Arabia Mountain returned a punt 59 yards and put the Rams in the red zone. At the 11-yard line, the Rams had their eyes on the goal line, but the Generals' defense desperately attempted to thwart the attack. After a sack from Tyrell Dorsey, the Rams faced a must-have fourth down and needed 13 yards, but their check-down pass left them 3 yards short of the first down and 4 yards away from potentially sending the game to overtime. 

With the ball back, Shiloh drained the clock, leaving Arabia Mountain no time to attempt to even the score, leading to the Generals’ second straight win.

Arabia Mountain will continue to search for their first region win against Tri-Cities next week, while Shiloh will try to extend their win streak when they travel to Lakeside.