I've had a few days to reflect back on what we witnessed on Friday at Razorback Field.
It was domination, pure and simple domination, and oh, how sweet it was.
Siloam Springs' boys and girls soccer teams won Class 6A state championships Friday on the University of Arkansas' soccer fields, and it was a familiar scene -- one we've seen in some form or fashion every year since 2011, with the exception of the 2013 season.
The Panthers began the day by winning their second straight championship with a 4-0 victory over previously unbeaten Mountain Home.
It was Siloam Springs' fourth state title overall in eight appearances in the title game, and last time I checked, batting .500 is a pretty good average.
But the day got even better a couple hours later when the Lady Panthers thrashed conference rival Russellville 6-1 as the girls won their fourth straight championship. When we talk about batting averages, with four wins in five attempts, that's an .800 mark for Siloam Springs' girls.
Amazing.
And it was nice to see them both win it in style.
The boys have suffered through a lot of close finals over the years, with 1-0 win against Hot Springs Lakeside in 2011, a 2-0 victory over Lakeside again in 2012 and a 2-0 win against Russellville last season.
The girls are the same. They won their first title 2-2 (3-0 PKs) in 2014, followed by 1-0 wins over Searcy (2015) and Russellville (2016).
I think in all instances, Siloam Springs was the superior team, by far, but separating itself from the opposition was a challenge, and fans had to endure the white knuckle finishes.
There was none of that Friday, and that's perfectly fine with me!
Now comes the reality.
There's going to come a day when Siloam Springs boys won't get past a tough Russellville, Little Rock Hall, Mountain Home or Benton team in the quarterfinals or semifinals, and someone else will hoist that state trophy.
One day, some year, Siloam Springs girls' streak of state championships will come to an end. It may be next year, but I seriously doubt it. It may be the year after that, or 10 years after. All good things must come to an end at some point.
Folks, enjoy these days while they're here, because they don't last forever.
The 2017 season has been an unforgettable one for Siloam Springs soccer. Both teams set single-season records for wins -- 21 for the boys, 24 for the girls. The record-breaking seasons of juniors Audrey Maxwell (42 goals, 18 assists) and Megan Hutto (25 goals, 22 assists). The emergence of two sophomore forwards for the boys in Christian Marroquin (20 goals, 12 assists) and Eli Jackson (16 goals, hat trick in state finals). And so much more.
Now let's get ready to do it again in 2018.
-- 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.
Sports on 05/24/2017