Siloam Springs saved some of its best football for the end of the third annual State Line Shootout.
The Panthers finished in the final four of the event and went 5-4 overall, including a stunning upset victory of defending tournament champion Muskogee, Okla., on Saturday at Panther Stadium.
Playing in their ninth game of the afternoon, the Panthers ran out of gas against Bartlesville, Okla., and lost 34-2 in the semifinals. Greenwood went on to defeat Bartlesville 32-6 to win the overall title.
"Football's a game where you're going to have highs and lows throughout the course of the whole game," said Siloam Springs coach Brandon Craig. "That's hopefully what our kids learn from today. We're going to have good times. We're going to have bad times. You've got to keep fighting through them."
Siloam Springs went 3-3 in pool play during the morning session and was seeded eighth heading into bracket play in the afternoon.
The Panthers opened up pool play with a 22-13 win against Pea Ridge but lost to Bartlesville 28-15.
The Panthers then beat Elkins 24-18, followed by a win against Gentry 22-12.
Bentonville West defeated Siloam Springs 28-11 and the Panthers lost 25-24 to Kansas, Okla., in their final pool play game.
Siloam Springs faced No. 9 seed Oologah, Okla., in the opening round of bracket play, and the Panthers defeated the Mustangs 29-21.
Dane Marlatt threw touchdown passes to Gio Flores and Max Carter, while Jonathan Hyde found Quinten Motsinger for a touchdown. The Panthers also earned several points on defensive stops.
"To me personally, beating Oologah, you know that was my old school," Craig said. "The kids were like, was that your old school coach? Yeah that was a big one, number one, because it was the first round of bracket play; you've got to win that one to move on."
The win against Oologah set up a matchup against Muskogee, who were 7-0 on the day and the overall No. 1 seed in bracket play.
The Panthers got a defensive stop to go up 2-0 and Marlatt threw a 24-yard touchdown to Motsinger for a 9-0 lead.
Muskogee answered with a touchdown and a defensive stop to get within 9-8, but the Panthers answered with a defensive stop and Marlatt hit Stewart Schwaninger for a touchdown for a 17-8 lead.
The Panthers got another defensive stop for two more points and Hyde found Mason Edwards for a 20-yard touchdown.
Mikey McKinley's late interception put the exclamation point on a 28-10 win.
Craig said the Panthers played "lights out" against the Roughers.
"I told the team, you know you competed hard all day," Craig said. "You got a big win against Muskogee who was the defending champion. Nobody had beat them all day. You know it was kind of a really big high, and we weren't able to rally and get back against Bartlesville, and they did a really nice job as well. It's just a process of learning how to win and learn how to come back and play another game like that and just keep the ball rolling."
Marlatt and Hyde rotated at quarterback with each offensive possession, getting equal reps, no matter the score or situation. Several receivers caught passes and many also played on defense.
"We had a lot of guys step up and make plays today," Craig said. "That's what you want to see as a coach. You want to see guys going and making plays and that's the whole purpose of this stuff is to see who can go make some plays in space."
Overall, the tournament was another big success for the Panthers' program, Craig said.
"It's like anytime you do something, this is year three for us," Craig said. "People now know what to expect. They know what their role is and, man, we just had a tremendous amount of volunteers, tremendous amount of support from our community. I can't thank all the businesses enough for supporting us through this. It's just a great event."
Graham Thomas/Herald-Leader Junior quarterback Dane Marlatt throws a pass against Elkins during pool play of the State Line Shootout at Panther Stadium on Saturday.
Graham Thomas/Herald-Leader Siloam Springs junior Gio Flores (right) flips the football to quarterback Jonathan Hyde after making a catch during the 2023 State Line Shootout on Saturday at Panther Stadium.
Graham Thomas/Herald-Leader Siloam Springs sophomore Jack O'Brien is wrapped up by a Bartlesville, Okla., defender during pool play of the 2023 State Line Shootout on Saturday at Panther Stadium.
Graham Thomas/Herald-Leader Siloam Springs sophmore quarterback Jonathan Hyde prepares to throw a ball against Bartlesville during pool play of the 2023 State Line Shootout on Saturday at Panther Stadium.
Graham Thomas/Herald-Leader Junior wide receiver Mikey McKinley (left) hauls in a touchdown against Bartlesville during pool play of the 2023 State Line Shootout on Saturday at Panther Stadium.
Graham Thomas/Herald-Leader Quinten Motsinger goes high into the air to make a grab against Bartlesville, Okla., during pool play of the State Line Shootout on Saturday at Panther Stadium.