Player of the week
Siloam Springs senior quarterback Hunter Talley is the the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Player of the Week.
Siloam Springs fell on the road at Harrison this past Friday, but one player had a large impact on keeping the Panthers in the game until their final drive.
Hunter Talley, Siloam Springs’ senior quarterback, did what he could in the 35-31 loss to elevate the Panthers. He was 25 for 40 for 335 passing yards and s touchdowns. He also went to work on the ground, rushing for 104 yards and another three touchdowns.
Despite the loss, Talley’s performance against the Goblins earned him the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette’s Player of the Week honors.
“He’s becoming really consistent each Friday night with what he’s doing,” Siloam Springs Coach Brandon Craig said. “He’s running our offense the way a senior should do it.”
On Friday night, the Panthers took a five-point lead into halftime and Talley and the offense did everything they could to maintain it. Despite being stopped on their first drive of the half, Talley matched a go-ahead Harrison score with a 3-yard touchdown run on the following drive. Then Talley repeated the process, finding Brendan Lashley for a 36-yard touchdown pass on the next drive to keep the Panthers close.
Talley and the offense pushed the ball past midfield on Siloam Springs’ final drive, but a holding penalty stunted the opportunity.
Craig said what stands out most about his quarterback is the combination of his work ethic, as well as his passion for the sport.
“He shows up and works extremely hard, puts in the time and effort needed and then he’s always willing to go above and beyond,” Craig said. “He’s going to stick around until the very last minute. He’s probably going to leave right when I leave.
“He wants to be there. He wants to win. He’s doing everything possible for our team to give us an opportunity to win.”
Being integral to the Panthers’ offense is nothing new for the quarterback, as he finished the 2020 season with 2,381 total yards and 27 touchdowns. Craig also said his quarterback has a desire to learn all he can about the sport.
“He’s just one of those guys who wants to be a perfectionist,” Craig said. “He wants to do things right all the time. It’s really unique in high school football to have a kid like that, that puts so much on himself to be the best that he can be.”
Talley’s also strives for perfection in the classroom, with a 3.86 grade-point average and a 35 superscore on his ACT.
The senior said that while his dream school to play for would be Arkansas, he’s looked at a couple Ivy League schools to play for at the next level, as well as schools like Air Force and Davidson. He’s also been in communication with both Arkansas State and Memphis, he said.