Sizing up the scrimmage

I'm not sure how easy it will be to gauge where the Siloam Springs football team is based on Monday night's scrimmage at Fort Smith Northside.

The Panthers varsity ended up getting outscored by the Grizzlies 27-7 in two quarters.

Northside was clearly the better football team on this night, and I think most people knew going in that was going to be the case.

Here's some other things though about the game.

• Folks, it was H-O-T!

The outside temperature at Mayo-Thompson Stadium was 97 degrees at game-time and there's no telling how hot it really was on the artificial playing surface. It's been warm up here and hot in recent days, but Fort Smith and the River Valley are usually a good bit warmer, generally speaking.

With the sun shining bright on the Panthers' side and the Grizzlies enjoying the shade of the home stands, the heat clearly became a factor as the game went on. Some players were getting sick on the sideline. Heat was a real issue.

• The Panthers' second offensive drive, which resulted in the varsity offense's only touchdown, was about as strong as any you'll see. Ricky Hughes got it going with a two-yard run, and quarterback Chris Lampton was able to draw the Grizzlies offsides with a hard count on second down.

Lampton then threw a 38-yard pass to Parker Baldwin on the next play down to the 25. Lampton and Baldwin connected again for an 11-yard pass to the 14, and Hughes then took it the rest of the way for the score.

It was beautiful to watch.

• And then after that? Well, there wasn't much really, offensively, to speak of. Maybe it was the heat? Maybe the team had a bit of a letdown after wide receiver/safety Coby Roach was injured in the second quarter and had to be taken off by ambulance?

• Defensively the Panthers gave up a bunch of yards, but two drives for Northside in the second quarter resulted in field goals instead of touchdowns. The Panthers' ability to bear down in those situations and get stops was a good sign.

• The backups or "two's" as Bryan Ross calls them and the junior varsity played the entire second half and dominated most of it. That was another good sign and bodes well for the future. Some of those junior varsity guys may be needed before the year is out.

• All in all, there were some disappointing things if you're a Siloam Springs fan, but there were some things to build on as well. There are a few teams the Panthers will see during the season with the speed of Northside, particularly Conway and Russellville. But when the Panthers go into those games, it won't be a shock for sure because of Monday's scrimmage.

-- Graham Thomas is the managing editor for the Herald-Leader. He can be reached at [email protected]. The opinions expressed are those of the author.