Panthers have holes to fill on offense

Siloam Springs has some holes to fill on offense after the Panthers produced 3,650 yards of offense and 37 touchdowns in 2014.

Here is a position-by-position offensive breakdown of the Panthers.

Quarterbacks

For the first-time in head coach Bryan Ross' tenure as head football coach, the Panthers enter a football season knowing that more than one quarterback will be taking snaps on a regular basis.

But yet there is no quarterback controversy either. The two candidates taking snaps at the position -- senior Jordan Norberg (5-foot-10, 163) and junior Luke Lampton (5-9, 175) -- offer two different skill sets and Ross believes the Panthers will need both to win football games.

"I think it just comes back to doing what you think is best for the team," Ross said. "I think they both understand. I've told them and talked to them about it. They're both team guys. I don't think either one of them have a selfish bone in their body. They're going to do what's best for the team."

Norberg, a left-handed thrower, is more of a prototypical pocket passer. He was on track to see some spot action in varsity games last year and quarterback the junior varsity when he broke his collar-bone that forced him to miss the rest of the year.

"Jordan is a kid that has come on," Ross said. "You hate that he missed last year, but he's really throwing the ball well. He's very coachable. He's looked very good so far in the preseason."

As a sophomore Norberg completed 2 of 3 passes for 92 yards, both of which went for touchdowns. Last season he only threw three passes in the season opener at Rogers, completing one for four yards.

"Jordan's the kind of kid that's going to move and keep his eyes down field and look to find a receiver," Ross said, "and if he has to he'll take off with it. I don't think running the football is going to be his strength. I think his strength is standing in the pocket and being able to fire the ball down field."

That's not to say Norberg can't run with the ball.

"Jordan has the ability to elude the defense," Ross said. "He's not slow by any means."

Lampton offers the Panthers a different look with the running threat just as much as the passing threat. As a sophomore in 2014, Lampton played in several games and even started and played the whole game against Bryant in Week 9 after his older brother and two-year starting quarterback Chris Lampton was out with an injury. Luke Lampton rushed 26 times for 102 yards and completed 11 of 27 passes for 77 yards.

Ross said Lampton may be the Panthers' fastest player.

"Luke's a guy that we have to get the ball to because he runs well," he said. "You can snap it to him directly or move him around and get him the ball, but he'll be playing a ton of defense too. I think it's just common sense to have some packages for him.

"I think it'll shake out and we'll see exactly how much we need to have both of them on the field. It may be a situation where a team is struggling against some stuff that we're doing and you may see Luke on the field more. I think it will just kind of depend on who we're playing and what the situation is."

Senior Nick Herring (5-10, 170), who missed all of the 2014 season while recovering from a broken collarbone, will be the third-string quarterback. Herring hasn't played a varsity game since Week 10 of the 2013 season at Van Buren, when he was injured while throwing a 13-yard halfback pass that went for a touchdown in the Panthers' 49-41 win.

"Nick's a versatile kid," Ross said. "He just wants to be on the field somewhere. He will do whatever you ask him to do. We feel like we've got three guys that can play the quarterback position. We're going to have our best players on the field in some way."

Ross said junior J.D. Horn (5-10, 170) and sophomore Marquan Sorrells (5-11, 167), who quarterbacked the ninth-grade team, could also play quarterback in an emergency situation.

Wide receivers

The Panthers lost three productive wide receivers from 2014 in graduated seniors Parker Baldwin, Zane Washington and Zach Davis, who combined to haul in more than 1,600 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns.

The Panthers' most experienced returning receivers are seniors Coby Roach (5-10, 183) and Matt Downing (5-9, 173), both of whom are starters on defense as well.

Roach will start at the 'X' inside receiver position after catching eight passes for 51 yards in 2014.

"Coby is a good football player," Ross said. "He's dedicated himself. He weighs about 190 pounds now. He's a good looking athlete. He's going to be a two-way starter for us. He's not going to be coming off the field a whole lot. We're looking to have a lot of really good things come from him this year."

Downing caught four passes for 70 yards, including a pair of touchdowns in 2014. He is slated to start at the 'Z' outside receiver position.

"He's another one that's going to be on the field on both sides of the ball," Ross said of Downing. "We need him to be consistent and make plays on offense.

"We've got to have a couple of others step up, but I think we've got the people that can do it certainly."

Sophomore Marquan Sorrells is listed on the top of the depth chart at the 'Y' outside receiver position. Sorrells is one of the fastest players with a long stride, which he showed on numerous occasions with several long touchdown runs for the junior high team last year.

"I think Marquan is going to really develop into a big-time player for us," Ross said. "He's young and Marquan is still real raw. He's learning the position. It's not hard to look out there and see the athleticism that he brings. He's just going to keep getting better and better. He's going to be a tough matchup physically over there."

But with all three of those players playing defense as well, there will need to be others make plays at receiver.

At 'X' junior Kormah Dorko (5-5, 127) has been a pleasant surprise, Ross said.

"Kormah really catches the ball well," Ross said. "He really does everything well. He's just small. He's not going to take a step back from anybody. I love Kormah's attitude and effort. You're going to see him playing some this year. It's kind of funny, he always seems to make plays when he's out there."

Junior Montana Burke (5-9, 160) and senior Lance Slaton (5-9, 157), a full-time starter on defense could also see some time at 'X" Ross said.

At 'Z', junior J.D. Horn has come on strong in the offseason.

"J.D. has really had a big spring and summer and has put on some weight," Ross said. "He's worked hard and put himself in a position to see action this year. I think he wants to be good. He wants to be good. When a kid realizes what he has to do to get out there, they're willing to do it."

Senior Jackson Kirby (5-8, 121) could also help at the outside receiver.

At the 'Y', junior Cade Miller (5-11, 152) has come on along with junior Jonatan Magley (5-9, 145).

When the Panthers go to four wide receivers in their Air Force set, junior Dawson Armstrong (5-10, 172) enters the field. He along with senior Justin Krueger (5-10, 173) and Nick Herring could also see time at that position.

"I think there's definitely kids there that can get the job done," Ross said. "It's just a matter of becoming consistent."

Junior Hunter Williamson (5-9, 143), Tyler Bland (5-6, 139), and sophomores Nolan Wallis (5-6, 118), Seth Hufford (5-9, 145), Luke Gumm (5-5, 122), Oscar Recinos, Jacob Rowe, Tyler Seftner (5-11, 162), Blaid Frazier (5-11, 155), Braden Smartt (5-8, 153) will look to get plenty of reps in junior varsity action.

Tight end/H-back

The Panthers employ a tight end or 'S' receiver in their Jets and Bombers personnel groupings.

"On offense you better be ready because we have a way to get the ball to everyone at times," Ross said.

Senior Gus Wright (6-0, 193) played at the position some last year, though he only had one reception as the Panthers used graduated senior David Goodman the most.

Wright, a two-way starter, looks to be the one that steps up in 2015.

"Gus Wright has really developed himself," Ross said. "I think he's going to have a chance to play at the next level. We count on him a lot defensively but he's a very physical kid there at tight end. He's going to play a lot of offense too."

Junior Carlos Gonzales (5-9, 189) is a physical kid who had a strong spring.

The Panthers moved senior Cody Washington (5-7, 207) from running back to tight end to give the team a third option there.

"Cody's a strong kid and I think he can really come on and help us there," Ross said.

"It's just a matter of experience. Gus is the only one that's played there. The other two just need a lot more work."

Juniors Zach Ramsey (5-10, 215) and Chance Junkermann (6-0, 210) and sophomores Payton Norberg (6-0, 168), and Wyatt Washington (5-7, 201) are also getting work at the 'S' position.

If the Panthers go to a formation with a fullback, one of the 'S' position players will man the spot.

Running back

There's no debate who the Panthers will count on to carry the load out of the backfield in 2015.

Senior running back Ricky Hughes (5-10, 151) has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in his sophomore and junior seasons combined, all the while playing both ways as a linebacker on defense.

After rushing 87 times for 398 yards and two touchdowns as a sophomore, Hughes followed up with 112 carries for 613 yards and five touchdowns as a junior. He also caught 14 passes for 118 yards out of the backfield.

The Panthers are looking for even more from Hughes this year.

"Ricky's definitely the guy that's going to have to carry the load this year," Ross said. "Ricky is a good running back. He started several games as a sophomore and has developed. Unfortunately he's having to play a lot of defense too. It would be nice if we could get him off the field on defense some, and hopefully we'll be able to because we need him to have the ball in his hands this year as our feature running back."

Traditonally, the Panthers have shown balance in their offense and last season they rushed for 1,660 yards as a team. More help at the 'T' position will be needed.

Junior Christian Pearson (5-9, 160) also could get work at running back.

"None of our running backs, since we've moved Cody (Washington) over to S, is more than 160 pounds," Ross said. "It's important that we not let them get pounded on so much."

Sophomore Kevin Canales (5-6, 154), D.J. Gallegos, Jose Trujillo (5-5, 143), Fabian Gonzales (5-7, 134) should all see action in junior varsity games.

Offensive line

The Panthers have three returning starters on their offensive line, which isn't going to be big size-wise but does have some mobility.

"We're not going to line up and just bulldoze anyone," Ross said. "We don't have that type of linemen, but we've got tough, hard-nosed kids that can move.

"We're not big anywhere, but they move pretty well. Three of them started last year so we've got a pretty good idea of what we've got there. It's just a matter of finding some depth and solidifying the other two spots."

Senior Aric Sislo (6-2, 236) might be the Panthers' best all-around football player and is a prospect to play at the next level.

Sislo, an All-State selection in Class 6A as a left guard in 2014, moves to right tackle to help protect the quarterback's blind side.

"We decided to move him over knowing that our quarterback -- most likely when we're throwing out of the pocket -- was going to be left-handed," Ross said. "We felt like moving him over there was what we needed to do."

Sislo also is the only lineman at the moment that will be playing on both offense and defense.

"We would like to get him reps defensively as much as possible," Ross said. "Aric will play at the next level if that's what he wants to do, and I think he does.

Senior Colby Brown (5-10, 225) looks to play a guard spot and adds a lot of toughness and fire to the team. Brown can also play a tackle position if needed, while Sislo can play guard and center.

Senior Parker Hall (5-11, 255) started at center last season before breaking his right hand. Hall missed only two games before coming back and successfully snapping with his left hand. Hall attended snapping camps throughout the summer and is back snapping with his right hand.

"Parker's a die-hard. He loves the game," Ross said. "His mom and dad love the game. He's going to find a way to be out there. Once he showed that he could reasonably snap it back there left-handed, that's all we needed to see."

At the other guard position, seniors Ben Hutto (5-11, 187) and Chase Womack (5-11, 196) have been battling since the spring. It's likely both players will see action at some point.

At left tackle, senior Tim Teel (6-0, 218) and junior Tallon Nation (6-3, 234) have also been battling for playing time.

Also in the mix is junior Connor Broyles (6-1, 208), who can play any position on the offensive line.

"Bottom line is we're going to try and find the five best and get them out there on the field," Ross said. "Coach (Jonathan) Johnson will rotate them and give them a lot of work, and as we get closer to the season it should start sorting itself out."

Senior Jackson Stickels; juniors Thomas Mahoney (6-0, 201), Caleb Miller (5-11, 204), Joseph Roberts (5-11, 315), Caleb Garcia (5-9, 208), Jonathan Hernandez (5-8, 217), Majeed Marthowski (6-0, 245); and sophomores Caleb Farine (5-9, 199), Isaac Knudsen (5-10, 216), Bryan Reyes (5-8, 223), Sam Espinal, Kameron Greenlee, Alejandro Munoz (5-7, 161) are also working at offensive line for the Panthers.