10 Years Ago: Panthers make historical run to state title game

50 Years Ago From the Herald and

Democrat in 1968

In an election held on Feb. 29 and March 1, Enka employees rejected union representation by a vote of 51 to 29.

The election was supervised by the National Labor Relations Board and was held to determine whether or not employees wished to be represented by the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers.

American Enka Corporation employed approximately 100 people in the 11/2-year-old Siloam Springs plant, which manufactured communications cable.

30 Years Ago From the Herald-Democrat

in 1988

Renee Rudd, Main Street’s Project Director, exhibited a scale model of landscaping planned by the group for the parking lot located at the south end of Broadway. Main Street was soliciting donations to carry out Phase I of the lot beautification project, in which some concrete would be removed in order to plant trees and grass and install curbing.

Tentative plans for Phase II included a large wall mural on the Hoffmann Chiropractic building. Work on the project was expected to begin in a couple weeks, Rudd said. At the time, the group had raised about $1,800 of the $4,500 cost of carrying out the project’s first phase.

10 Years Ago From the Herald-Leader in 2008 The Siloam Springs Panthers were headed to the Arkansas Activities Association 5A state championship game for the first time in the 100year history of their school.

“I’m overwhelmed and speechless,” Panthers head coach Jason McMahan said.

Behind the hot shooting of Coleson Rakestraw and Christopher Eshnaur, the Panthers blistered the nets for a 69-35 win over 5A-West nemesis Greenbrier in the semifinals at the Pine Bluff Convention Center.

Rakestraw and Eshnaur combined for 42 points and nine threes, including four total in the third quarter as the Panthers led Greenbrier, 65-33, going into the final eight minutes.

Then, with less than a minute remaining in the third quarter, Eshnaur and Rakestraw capped off the Panthers’ long-range shooting with their last threes of the game, giving Siloam Springs a comfortable 65-33 lead.

In the fourth quarter with the clock running McMahan was able to rest his starters, including Roger Jackson who finished with nine points and put in reserves Matt Brooker, Joel Siemens and Mark Barrowcliff.

Brooker added three of the Panthers’ final four points to close out the decisive victory.

The win advanced the Panthers to the state championship game against defending 5A champion Greene County Tech at the Summit Arena in Hot Springs.