Baker sparkles in final home game

Ben Baker shined brightest on a night filled with star performances at Champions Stadium.

Bak-er scored five rushing touchdowns and rarely left the field while leading the Saints to a 57-54 victory over Arkadelphia in a classic high school playoff game in Springdale.

The senior was at his best in his final appearance at Champions Stadium and the Saints needed every bit of his skill and versatility to complete a comeback victory over Arkadelphia ( 10- 4), which held leads of 41-35, 48-42, and 54-49. Baker put Shiloh Christian ahead for good when he scored on a 21-yard run with 1:47 left in the game.

For his performance, Baker is the Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette Player of the Week.

“Ben is an incredible young man,” Shiloh Christian coach Jeff Conaway said. “His performance Friday night will go down in Shiloh Christian history as one of the best by a running back.”

The win advanced Shiloh Christian into Saturday’s Class 4A state championship game at 6:30 p.m. at War Memorial Stadium in Little Rock, where the Saints (13-1) will defend their state title against Joe T. Robinson.

Baker was heavily involved from the outset in the gameplan for Shiloh Christian and he responded with 207 yards rushing and five touchdowns. The versatile senior also played safety on defense and took his usual spot on the Saints’ kickoff team.

“I just gave it everything I had,” Baker said. “It was unbelievable. Coach gave it to me in the beginning and that kind of set the tone. My line did a great job. I just had a lot of space to run.”

Arkadelphia had just pulled ahead again when Shiloh Christian gained possession with over two minutes left in the game. Baker carried the three straight times on runs of 18, 15, and, finally, 21 yards to regain the lead for the Saints. Quarterback Eli Wisdom added a two-point conversion run and the Saints managed to turn away a final attempt by Arkadelphia to secure the win in another memorable playoff game involving Shiloh Christian.

In addition to five rushing touchdowns, his play on defense and special teams, Baker also caught 5 passes for 26 yards.

“Kudos to him for playing both ways and on all three phases of the game,” Conaway said. “He played a lot of snaps and finished that fourth quarter as well as I’ve ever seen him finish.”