Fresh off of spring football practice, the Siloam Springs football team will now have a few days of rest before the start of summer workouts on June 2.
The Panthers played the annual Maroon-Gray spring game on May 22 -- their 10th and final spring workout -- in which Maroon defeated Gray 22-6.
The Panthers took off for Memorial Day and Tuesday the team returned to school and watched film of the game. The last day the coaches have the players is today.
"The last day we have with them is Wednesday," said Siloam Springs head coach Bryan Ross. "I'm not sure what we'll do on Wednesday. We'll probably give them next week to get their legs back underneath them. We'll start summer workouts June 2."
Teachers are still in school on June 1. That's why summer workouts don't start until June 2.
"You can really improve yourself in the summer or you can go the other way," Ross said. "I hope our kids are truly going to dedicate themselves to improving this summer."
Both teams upset
The junior varsity portions of the Maroon-Gray spring game featured a pair of seasoned veterans quarterbacking both teams.
And neither team was happy about it.
The Maroon team didn't like the fact that junior quarterback Luke Lampton was at the controls of the Gray team. The same was the case for the Gray team and its displeasure with senior Nick Herring at quarterback for Maroon.
"That's part of what the white team was complaining about, but I told them, hey what are you going to do when the other team makes a great play, are you going to complain about it or are you going to go find a way to beat them?" Ross said. "That's what we're trying to get to."
Herring -- the projected third string quarterback -- got the better of the junior varsity time, leading Maroon to two touchdowns -- one in the second quarter and another at the start of the third quarter as Maroon took a 16-6 lead.
Herring threw a 66-yard touchdown pass to rising sophomore Marquan Sorrells in the second quarter. He also had runs of 23 yards and 43 yards and finished with four carries for 68 yards.
Lampton, meanwhile, was limited -- by design -- on what he was able to do with the Gray. A dual threat with his arm and his legs, the white team was not allowed to call running plays for Lampton in the junior varsity portion. Instead he completed 4 of 8 passes for 29 yards.
"I wasn't going to let Luke run very much there and that was one thing they were mad about," Ross said.
Lampton, however, didn't finish the game as he took a shot to the head in the fourth quarter. Lampton appeared to be OK after the game, finishing with 61 yards rushing and 65 yards passing.
J.D. Horn also played quarterback for the Gray team. He rushed six times for 47 yards and completed 3 of 5 passes for 24 yards.
"That was the other option the Gray team had," Ross said of Horn. "He's taken snaps back there before. Matt Downing has taken a few snaps back there before."
Sorrells big play threat
Sorrells -- a 6-foot-2 talented sophomore -- played at cornerback and wide receiver for the Maroon team. He played quarterback for the ninth grade team in 2014.
Sorrells dropped the first pass that came his way, a nice throw that could have gone for a touchdown. He didn't drop the second as it went 66 yards for a score. He finished with two catches for 76 yards.
"(Sorrells) dropped the first one and then really made a play on that second one," Ross said. "I think that just shows you that if he'll keep working and keep learning, he's got a chance to be special for us."
Hughes finishes strong
Siloam Springs rising senior Ricky Hughes only had six carries in the spring game, but his last two were his best of the night. Hughes ran for 10 yards down to the 5-yard line, and then toted the ball the final five yards on the next play for Maroon's final touchdown. He also caught a screen pass for 11 yards.
"Ricky is obviously No. 1 back there," Ross said.
Several other running backs had strong games as well. Rising junior Chandler Carswell rushed 11 times for 39 yards and a touchdown.
"He's not very big but he's quick," Ross said of Carswell. "He's definitely going to be in the rotation."
Sophomore Kevin Canales rushed five times for 42 yards.
"You know what you've got with the older guys," Ross said. "A lot of times games like this is where you find a sophomore or junior that catches your eye."
Sports on 05/27/2015