SPRINGDALE, Ark. — After more than 100 games across two days, it was the host of the Southwest Elite 7on7 tournament that remained standing at the end: Shiloh Christian.
The Saints defeated Rogers in both games of the championship round, 23-22 and then 24-14 in the winner-take-all game, to take home the title.
"Obviously can't do anything but get better when you're around great competition like we are at this tournament, and we get the number of reps that we get," said Jeff Conaway, head coach at Shiloh Christian. "From top to bottom, from player A to player Z, everybody got better, and we're definitely thankful for the opportunity."
The tournament featured teams from across Arkansas, Oklahoma and Missouri.
For Shiloh, its path to the final had to go through the losers bracket after falling to Stillwater (Okla.) in the quarterfinals.
The Saints scraped past another Oklahoma school, Jenks, 21-20 to set up a rematch with Stillwater, which it won 14-10.
That earned them a spot in the championship round against Rogers. The Mounties had progressed from the winners' bracket after going 4-0 against Owasso, Bentonville, Jenks and Stillwater on the day.
But Rogers suffered its first two defeats of the day in succession, with the Saints pair of QB Eli Wisdom and WR Bodie Neal combining for touchdowns all day long, helping lead Shiloh Christian to the tournament title on home field.
"Definitely helps our receivers and our defense," Wisdom said of the tournament. "So to be able to come out here and come back and win the whole thing, it gives us a lot of confidence going into August."