Looking Back
Panthers make playoffs in 1987 and 2007
50 Years Ago From the Herald and Democrat in 1967 Ervin Taylor, Vice-President of Plus Poultry Company was elected President of the Chamber of Commerce at the organization meeting of the newly elected Board. Elected to serve with Taylor were Ted Shannon, local attorney, as Vice President and Art Melson Jr., Cashier at Bratt-Wasson Bank, as Treasurer.
They were to assume their duties on Jan. 1, 1968.
Members in addition to the newly elected officers who served on the Board of Directors of the Chamber of Commerce, beginning Jan. 1 were: Delbert Allen Sr., Preston Bynum, William Cope, Russell Elrod, Harry Horne, Bernard Jones, Grady Lamb, Leroy Reese, W.L. Smith, Marion Snider, Jim Strassheim, Keith Sutterfield and Tom Whiteside. 30 Years Ago From the Herald-Democrat in 1987 Panthers headed for state playoffs.
The Siloam Springs Panthers ended a 37-year championship drought on Friday night, when they blanked the Harrison Goblins 35-0 to win the District 1-AAA title. The title was Siloam Springs’ first since 1950.
“I feel great,” said Panthers first-year head coach Gary Orr. “This team has really improved. We had a slump at mid-season when we had some injuries, but we got everyone back and we just seemed to get better each week.”
The Panthers finished the regular season with a 7-3 overall record and finished the 1-AAA with a perfect 3-0 mark against Harrison, who needed a win to earn a playoff berth, fell to 5-5 and 1-2. The Bentonville Tigers were scheduled to represent the 1-AAA as its runner-up and would face 4-AAA champion Van Buren in the first round of the playoffs on Friday night in Van Buren.
10 Years Ago
From the Herald-Leader in 2007 The No. 9 Siloam Springs Panthers were no longer playoff contenders.
The Panthers, behind the heart of their seniors, gave Siloam Springs a long-awaited Conference 5A playoff victory, marking Siloam’s first playoff victory since 1987.
“It feels great to be able to give something back to this community,” Panthers senior defensive back Caleb Knoner said.
The Panthers did more than just make school history at Pioneer Stadium, they made a very bold statement with their 40-15 win over Batesville in the opening round of the playoffs.
With the victory, Siloam Springs (8-3) was one of four Conference 5A West teams to complete the sweep of Conference 5A East.