Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

Armageddon Arrives

Heaven and Hell will collide Friday night at 7:30 at Gurdon's Gus Brown Field.

Armageddon will occur when the Shiloh Christian Academy Saints venture down from the hills of Northwest Arkansas to Gurdon where they will meet the Go-Devils.

Both teams are undefeated on the field of combat, though Shiloh finished second in the 1A West conference behind Greenland.

This, an Associated Press spokesman said, is because Shiloh and Greenland didn't play each other.

Shiloh, he said, has the same problem Barton has in getting teams to play them. Interestingly, teams in the 1A West don't necessarily play one another and conference games are designated.

One of Shiloh's league contests was against a team from Kansas. Teams in this conference include: Greenland, Shiloh, Cedarville, Elkins, Pea Ridge, Decatur, Eureka Springs and Mountainburg.

The Saints and Pirates each were undefeated during the regular season. However, Greenland was able to win all of its games by 13 or more points, while Shiloh won all but one of its contests by 13 or more. The Saints beat the Kansas team by 12, thereby giving Greenland the conference title.

The Saints, though, will be making a long trip to Southwest Arkansas to face a defense famed for giving up nothing.

Gurdon's wrecking crew defense carried the team early and has gotten better with each passing game.

This squad posted four shutouts during the regular season and could have had more.

On the other hand, Gurdon's offense has also improved with each outing. During the regular season, the offense put 245 points on the board, while the defense only allowed 74.

The Devils, though, will have their work cut out for them. Shiloh operates from a no-huddle pro-set offense. The Saints success has come from defenses not being ready because of the no-huddle.

However, Gurdon saw some of this earlier in the season as the Rattlers of Murfreesboro went no-huddle in the slop on Halloween night.

The only mar on Gurdon's record shouldn't be there. It came from a forced forfeit because the officials failed to show at the Oct. 3 game against Dierks. The Outlaws will pay for their transgression when the Devils pay a visit in 1998.

The Saints are also a pass-oriented team, running a one-back offensive set most of the time.

However, the Devil wrecking crew defense has stepped up more and more as the season has progressed. Opposing quarterbacks have met members of this crew up close and personal, more closely than they wanted.

Gurdon's secondary has also picked up the pace (pardon the pun), and has acted more as receivers than defenders with interceptions piling up.

Little is known about Shiloh's defense, but it will have its hands full as the Devils have proven they can both run and pass.

To date, no team has been effective in stopping Gurdon's offense, which averaged 24.5 points per game in the regular season.

Chauncey Charles and Kenny Hughes have been the bulk of Gurdon's ground attack, while the Jarrod Toland to Eric Hatley combine has worked effectively through the air.

But, Shiloh can't focus on stopping Hatley as Josh Griffin has proved to be an excellent receiver at the tight-end position. There's also Terry Cornish, who can burn a defense if it makes a mistake.

The Saints will also have to contend with Kaleph Williams and Keon Brewer in the backfield as they spell Charles and Hughes. Adrian Meeks and Myram Mitchell, along with Cornish, have also seen time behind Toland, as has Rashun Hopson and Griffin.

Fans will be in for a treat Friday night when these two teams lock horns and halos. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at Gus Brown Field.