SSHS girls still standing

Nearly eight years ago now, in the loud, noisy environment of Tiger Arena at Bentonville High School, I remember thinking that we had seen the end of dynasty runs in high school athletics.

Earlier that day -- in late October 2010 -- the Siloam Springs volleyball team had seen its streak of six straight state volleyball championships snapped at the hands of an upstart Nettleton team.

"We'll never see another run like this," I remember telling my friend and colleague Paul Boyd in the aftermath of Siloam Springs' loss.

With competition getting better all the time in all sports and more and more parity across the board, there was no way a team was going to reel off that many state titles in a row -- in any sport.

I was wrong. Absolutely wrong.

The Siloam Springs girls soccer team won its fifth straight state title last Friday with a 1-0 victory over Benton at Razorback Field on the campus of the University of Arkansas.

It's not six straight -- yet -- more on that in a moment, but the achievement is nothing short of extraordinary.

With winning state championships comes an enormous amount of pressure. Pressure to keep winning and playing a high level. These expectations come from the parents, the coaches, the fans, the community, and most importantly, from the players themselves.

Somehow, these Lady Panthers have managed to navigate everything that comes with winning five straight state titles. Adversity has hit all around them, losing coaches (including head coaches), losing key players to injuries, the worst of which came this year when the state's player of the year, Audrey Maxwell, tore her ACL.

The Lady Panthers have taken opponents' best shots as well -- see the state quarterfinals against Russellville and this year's state final against Benton. Those two opponents gave Siloam Springs everything it wanted and both times the girls found a way to win.

So here is Siloam Springs, five-time state champions. As the great Elton John famously sang and one of my favorites, "I'm Still Standing, Yeah, Yeah Yeah ..."

The Lady Panthers are still standing.

No other girls soccer team in Arkansas has ever won five straight state titles.

Is it too early to start thinking about number six in a row?

The Lady Panthers lose a talented senior class -- probably the most talented group Siloam Springs has ever had.

But Siloam Springs returns a lot of players from this year's team that saw key experience in key situations. Namely four freshmen played extensive minutes in the state championship game. A host of juniors and sophomores return as well.

Is six in a row possible? You bet it is!

-- 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 05/23/2018