Thrailkill named All-State

Several other Panthers honored in 6A-West

Twelve Siloam Springs football players were the recipients of conference and state awards following the 2017 season.

Junior running back Kaiden Thrailkill was named All-State in Class 6A, while seven of his teammates were named All-Conference in the 6A-West and four more were listed as All-Conference honorable mention. Players were selected by the 6A-West Conference coaches.

Thrailkill had a breakout season for the Panthers, leading the team in rushing with 197 carries for 864 yards and nine touchdowns. Thrailkill also caught 17 passes for 249 yards and three more scores. Thrailkill also saw some playing time in the Panthers' secondary on defense, recording 12 tackles and causing one fumble.

"Kaiden is a top-notch person and outstanding player," said former Siloam Springs football coach Bryan Ross, who resigned at the end of the 2-8 season after nine years as head coach. "He had a great year for us both rushing and receiving."

All-Conference

Seniors Luke Gumm, Isaac Knudsen, Marquan Sorrells and Nolan Wallis and juniors Chase Chandler, Corbin Collins and Landon Ellis earned All-Conference honors.

Gumm was the Panthers' top wide receiver with 40 receptions for 677 yards and seven touchdowns. He also played defense and helped Siloam Springs in the kicking game at times.

"He became our go-to receiver," Ross said. "He had many big plays for us."

Knudsen was one of the Panthers' top linemen on both sides of the ball. He finished with 26 tackles, two quarterback hurries and three tackles for loss.

"Knudsen is a true Panther that you could always count on," Ross said. "He played well on both sides of the ball for us."

Sorrells battled through an injury at the beginning of the year and played mostly defense, recording 28 tackles, recovering one fumble and breaking up a pass, recording two quarterback hurries and three tackles for loss. Offensively he caught nine passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns.

"He played through an ankle injury which limited him mid-season," Ross said. "He finished the season strong on both sides of the ball."

Wallis, playing in the secondary, finished second on the team with 59 tackles and eight assisted tackles. He intercepted three passes and had four pass breakups.

"Wallis is a true success story," Ross said. "Hard work and dedication turned him into a good player for us."

Chandler led the team with 66 tackles and 11 assisted tackles from a linebacker position. He also broke up two passes. Chandler also played some tight end on offense, catching nine passes for 63 yards.

"Chase was a leader on defense," Ross said. "He was a very consistent performer on offense as well."

Collins was another two-way lineman for the Panthers. Defensively, he finished with 18 tackles, two assisted tackles, one pass breakup and four quarterback hurries.

"He fought through an early season knee injury and gave us good performances offensively and defensively."

Ellis was the Panthers' starting quarterback for eight games until he tore his ACL in Week 8 at El Dorado.

Ellis completed 97 of 199 passes for 1,563 yards and 11 touchdowns to just six interceptions.

"He was a great competitor for us," Ross said. "He had several good games until a knee injury shortened his season."

All-Conference honorable mention

Seniors Kameron Greenlee, Jacob Rowe and Braden Smartt and junior Dillon Conn earned All-Conference honorable mention honors.

Greenlee, a defensive lineman, missed the first few games with a hand injury after a firework accident in August. He came on to record 12 tackles, one assisted tackle, one quarterback hurry and one tackle for loss.

"He helped solidify our defensive front after his return from hand injury," Ross said.

Rowe moved to linebacker after playing safety his junior season. He finished with 39 tackles, five assisted tackles, two caused fumbles, one recovered fumble, one interception, two quarterback hurries and one tackle for loss.

"Rowe was a dependable defender that did whatever was asked of him," Ross said.

Smartt finished third on the team with 50 tackles, five assisted tackles, two pass breakups and five tackles for loss at linebacker.

"Braden played both inside and outside linebacker," Ross said. "He was a two-year starter for us."

Conn, despite being undersized, played center for the Panthers before a concussion forced him to miss most of the second half of the season.

"He consistently graded out as a our best until a concussion cost him half the season," Ross said.

Sports on 12/24/2017