The Van Buren Pointers will head out on the road to face off against the Shiloh Christian Saints at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Van Buren has given up an average of 32 points per game this season, but Friday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Van Buren will head out to face Shiloh Christian after giving up their first home loss of the season on Friday. The Pointers came up short against Mountain Home, falling 44-20. The Pointers were in a tough position after the first half, with the score already sitting at 35-0.
Van Buren's loss shouldn't obscure the performances of Hayden Christenberry, who rushed for 90 yards and one touchdown, and Toray Wilford, who picked up 78 receiving yards and one score. Wilford's longest reception was for an incredible 77 yards.
Meanwhile, Shiloh Christian waltzed into their game on Friday with four straight wins... but they left with five. They simply couldn't be stopped as they easily beat the Wolves 63-12. Given the Saints' advantage in MaxPreps' Arkansas football rankings (they are ranked sixth, while the Wolves are ranked 52nd) , the win wasn't entirely unexpected.
Van Buren better keep an eye on Cole Creighton. He was instrumental in Shiloh Christian's win, throwing for 504 yards and eight TDs while completing 91.7% of his passes. With that strong performance, Creighton is now averaging an impressive 314.6 passing yards per game. Another pass catcher making a difference was Zane Sluyter, who picked up 252 receiving yards and three touchdowns.
Shiloh Christian didn't go easy on the quarterback and picked off two passes before the game was over. The picks came courtesy of Silas Nantze and Zander Salter.
Van Buren's defeat dropped their record down to 5-4. As for Shiloh Christian, their victory bumped their record up to 7-2.
We should be in store for an exciting game as the two teams have no problem gaining yardage. Van Buren has been on an offensive roll this season, having averaged 378.2 total yards per game. However, it's not like Shiloh Christian struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 521.6 total yards. With a pair of commanding offenses duking it out, the defenses are going to have their work cut out for them.
Van Buren was taken down by Shiloh Christian 63-35 in their previous matchup back in November of 2024. A big factor in that loss was the dominant performance of the Saints' Griffin Mason, who rushed for 163 yards and three scores on only 13 carries, and also threw for 17 yards and one TD. Now that the Pointers know the damage he can cause, will they be able to stop him this time? There's only one way to find out.
